Cantor Ross Wolman is blessed to serve North Shore Congregation Israel, a Reform synagogue located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and one of Chicago’s largest and most vibrant congregations. Cantor Wolman's gifts of music and personal connection create meaningful moments for adults and children at NSCI and the Greater Chicagoland Jewish community.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Cantor Wolman grew up in Congregation Shaarai Shomayim's youth choir and led religious school services since becoming a Bar Mitzvah. He studied Music Education at Temple University in Philadelphia and, upon graduation, entered the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Cantor Wolman was fortunate to spend two years of his cantorial studies in Israel, serving Kehillat Bavat Ayin in Rosh Ha’ayin as their student cantor. He was an active leader and organizer of the Riding4Reform cycling fundraiser, which benefited the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, the Reform Movement in Israel.
In May 2007, he was ordained as a Cantor and is a proud member of the American Conference of Cantors. Cantor Wolman has previously served Congregation Sukkat Shalom in Wilmette, Illinois, Congregation B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim (BJBE) in Deerfield, Illinois, and Temple Chai in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cantor Wolman has spent his summers as a chaplain at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia, on staff at the URJ’s Kutz Camp and OSRUI, and NFTY in Israel. As an ordained cantor, he spent six summers on faculty at OSRUI and seven summers on faculty at URJ Camp Newman, where he served as Faculty Dean for his two-week session. He is a past president of the Reform Cantors of Chicago and has proudly served the Alumni Association of Hebrew Union College’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Cantor Wolman serves on the Executive Committee for Transcontinental Music Publications, the largest publisher of Jewish music. Cantor Wolman is also the Founder and Co-Chair of AZ Jews for Pride, a state-wide coalition of Jews in Arizona who advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Cantor Wolman has published compositions with Transcontinental Music Publications in The Complete Jewish Songbook for Children Volume III, Mikraei Kodesh Volume I, Mikraei Kodesh Volume II, and Shabbat Anthology Volume X. He was on the Selection and Executive Committees for numerous songbooks, as well as the Executive Committee for the anticipated publication of The Complete Shireinu Volume II, expected summer 2025. This is a landmark follow-up to The Complete Shireinu songbook, considered by many to be a primary resource for Jewish communal music. Cantor Wolman's skills of typesetting and proofreading music, along with typesetting and proofreading Hebrew, are rare, and he has made invaluable contributions to the global Jewish community through his commitment to making Jewish music, Hebrew, and translation accessible for all.
Cantor Wolman has performed throughout North America, Israel, France, Italy, Poland, Prague, Russia, and Ukraine.
Along with his passion for music, Cantor Wolman has a strong love for Israel, film, the outdoors, coffee, and the Hebrew language.
He and his wife Malka live in Deerfield, Illinois, with their three children - Aviv, Bina, and Elie, and cats Giuseppe, Jürgen, and Boba.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Cantor Wolman grew up in Congregation Shaarai Shomayim's youth choir and led religious school services since becoming a Bar Mitzvah. He studied Music Education at Temple University in Philadelphia and, upon graduation, entered the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Cantor Wolman was fortunate to spend two years of his cantorial studies in Israel, serving Kehillat Bavat Ayin in Rosh Ha’ayin as their student cantor. He was an active leader and organizer of the Riding4Reform cycling fundraiser, which benefited the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, the Reform Movement in Israel.
In May 2007, he was ordained as a Cantor and is a proud member of the American Conference of Cantors. Cantor Wolman has previously served Congregation Sukkat Shalom in Wilmette, Illinois, Congregation B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim (BJBE) in Deerfield, Illinois, and Temple Chai in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cantor Wolman has spent his summers as a chaplain at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia, on staff at the URJ’s Kutz Camp and OSRUI, and NFTY in Israel. As an ordained cantor, he spent six summers on faculty at OSRUI and seven summers on faculty at URJ Camp Newman, where he served as Faculty Dean for his two-week session. He is a past president of the Reform Cantors of Chicago and has proudly served the Alumni Association of Hebrew Union College’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Cantor Wolman serves on the Executive Committee for Transcontinental Music Publications, the largest publisher of Jewish music. Cantor Wolman is also the Founder and Co-Chair of AZ Jews for Pride, a state-wide coalition of Jews in Arizona who advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Cantor Wolman has published compositions with Transcontinental Music Publications in The Complete Jewish Songbook for Children Volume III, Mikraei Kodesh Volume I, Mikraei Kodesh Volume II, and Shabbat Anthology Volume X. He was on the Selection and Executive Committees for numerous songbooks, as well as the Executive Committee for the anticipated publication of The Complete Shireinu Volume II, expected summer 2025. This is a landmark follow-up to The Complete Shireinu songbook, considered by many to be a primary resource for Jewish communal music. Cantor Wolman's skills of typesetting and proofreading music, along with typesetting and proofreading Hebrew, are rare, and he has made invaluable contributions to the global Jewish community through his commitment to making Jewish music, Hebrew, and translation accessible for all.
Cantor Wolman has performed throughout North America, Israel, France, Italy, Poland, Prague, Russia, and Ukraine.
Along with his passion for music, Cantor Wolman has a strong love for Israel, film, the outdoors, coffee, and the Hebrew language.
He and his wife Malka live in Deerfield, Illinois, with their three children - Aviv, Bina, and Elie, and cats Giuseppe, Jürgen, and Boba.