Anshe Tikvah

Anshe Tikvah
P.O Box 2455
Northbrook, IL 60065
847-917-7726

Rob Jury, Spiritual Leader
Email: robjury@anshetikvah.org

Born and raised in the North-West suburbs, Cantor Rob Jury was passionate about Jewish life from an early age. Formative experiences at Hebrew school, OSRUI, Kutz-Camp, NFTY, USY, Hillel and the Jewish commitment and service to the Jewish community of his parents inspired Cantor Jury to fulfill his calling to serve G-d through service to the Jewish people.

Cantor Rob Jury serves as a guide and resource for all aspects of Jewish life. He is a teacher in our religious school and High School Midrasha, meets with our youth-group, Torah Tots group, B’nai Mitzvah families, empty nesters and lends a listening pastoral ear to individuals. The Cantor, of course, joins with our congregants at times of joy and sorrow, in the celebration of life-cycle events, in adult education classes and in worship. He also brings musical expression and religious leadership to our worship services, oversees the B’nai Mitzvah program, provides Jewish musical entertainment and trains adults and children to lead prayers and chant Torah, officiates at sacred life-cycle events for members, their families and the Chicagoland Jewish community.

Cantor Jury received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Political Science, where he wrote his senior paper entitled Clergy as Political Activist. He completed the College Intern Teacher Program of the Board of Jewish Education of Metropolatin Chicago, the Mandel Foundation’s Teacher Educator Institute and the Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Metropolitin Chicago Mentor-Teacher Program. Cantor Jury studied Hazzanut with Hazzan Rav Shlomo Shuster, focusing on the Chicago school of Hazzanut of Cantor Todros Greenberg. Cantor Jury continues his studies of Hazzanut with Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi. For the last several years he has served as a Shaliach Tzibur on Shabbat and Chagim for the Council for Jewish Elderly. Cantor Jury is currently a rabbinical student at the Hebrew Seminary for the Deaf in Skokie where, in addition to the study of Talmud Torah, he studies Jewish Healing Prayer with Rabbi Douglas Goldhamer.

Cantor Rob Jury began his career in the Jewish community when he was 18, serving as a Hebrew and Jewish Music teacher, Youth Director and songleader. Cantor Jury has served as a Cantor in the Chicagoland area since 2002, and at 26, was the founding Spiritual Leader of Anshe Tikvah in 2004. Beginning with 40 families, with the synergy of members and the professional staff, the congregation has doubled in size over the past four and a half years.

Cantor Rob Jury believes in using a variety of Jewish prayer music during worship services including classical Hazzanut, Chassidic, Israeli, Sephardic, Mizrachi, Blues, Jazz, Hip-Hop, American Folk/Rock and the latest developments in Contemporary Jewish music including his own compositions.

Cantor Rob Jury is a CICA member of the Cantors Assembly, the Chicago Milwaukee Association of Cantors and the Guild of Temple Musicians. Cantor Jury has served as Guest Cantor, Scholar-in-Residence, Composer-in-Residence and given concerts at congregations in Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois and Israel. The Cantor is also sought after to officiate at destination weddings.

In 2003, while serving at Beth Emet the Free Congregation, Cantor Jury was invited by Congregation Neir Tamid and the Chief Rabbi of Russia to officiate at the group B’nai Mitzvah of 15 children at Congregation Neir Tamid in Simferopol, Ukraine. This was the first B’nai Mitzvah ceremony in Simferopol since World War II.

Cantor Jury’s family has been in the great State of Illinois for seven generations and he is proud to be the sixth generation to serve as custodian of his family’s home in Belvidere, Illinois. He also understands the unique needs of serving those of Irish-Jewish descent who find themselves living in the double Diaspora of Israel and Ireland. Cantor Rob Jury and his wife Rachel are pleased to announce the birth of their son Max on January 15, 2009.

Cantor Jury plays the flute, guitar, mandolin and Irish bazouki and has a love for traditional Irish music and sean-nos singing. He enjoys cooking gourmet kosher meals and is also a published poet.