Beth Schafer
Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair
Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair
Beth Schafer has served as the Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair at Temple Sinai since July 1, 2015, bringing almost three decades of experience as a spiritual leader, pastor, composer, producer, and worship innovator in Reform Jewish life.
A longtime fixture in the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Beth has led worship and played guitar at biennial conventions since 1999. In 2013, she became the first woman to produce a major URJ musical event, Extraordinary Women Shaping Reform Judaism, and composed the centennial anthem Limdu Heiteiv. Many of her compositions and commissions are published by Transcontinental Music Publications and are sung in congregations nationwide.
As a recording artist, Beth has released eight albums of original Jewish music, including Raise It Up, Bring It Down (2009), Renewed (2018), Oz Rucheinu Po (2025) and Sinai (2026) which is dedicated to our congregation and its enthusiasm as an incubator of new music. Her body of work blends liturgical insight with contemporary activism, offering Jewish music that is both spiritually resonant and socially relevant.
At Temple Sinai, Beth is known for creating worship experiences that are emotionally powerful, beautifully produced, and deeply engaging. Whether leading solo or with a full ensemble, she infuses services with richness, warmth, and a sense of universality, helping the community encounter prayer, text, and song as transformative pathways.
Beth also facilitates support groups for those in need of extra care at their most challenging times. Partnering with our mental health professionals on the Nefesh committee, Beth is dedicated to helping our members during periods of grief and mourning.
Beth is deeply engaged in Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community and often shares her voice and music in interfaith settings, where she celebrates diversity and uplifts the shared humanity that unites us all.
Beth’s greatest joy is her family: her wife, Rebecca; their children, Hannah (Matthew), Sarah, and Ben; and their beloved dogs, Chester and Henry.
