Rabbi Vicki L. Axe is the founding Spiritual Leader of Congregation Shir Ami, a Reform congregation serving Lower Fairfield and Westchester Counties.  Prior to the founding of Shir Ami in 2003, she served congregations in New York, Connecticut, and Ohio for twenty-five years as cantor since graduation and investiture from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she has served on the faculty.  Rabbi Axe holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, and in 2008 was awarded a Doctor of Music, honoris causa from HUC-JIR, and Rabbinic Ordination from the Mesifta Adath Wolkewisk Rabbinical Academy of America.

 

Blessed with the gift of voice, her greatest joy is teaching and pastoral care, which she offers from the bima, in the classroom, at a hospital bed, or on a stage.  Known for her talent and passion in the areas of Jewish education, conducting, and creative programming, as well as liturgical art, Rabbi Axe has served on the faculty of the North American Jewish Choral Festival since 1997, teaches cantorial and rabbinic students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Academy for Jewish Religion, presents workshops on Jewish music and Jewish life for public schools, civic groups, and the Union for Reform Judaism, has directed national and regional choirs for the Union for Reform Judaism, as well as interfaith and intergenerational choirs, both adults and children, and has visited many congregations as Scholar-in-Residence.

 

As a performing artist, Rabbi Axe has delighted audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel.  She appeared as guest soloist with the Connecticut Chamber Orchestra, was soprano soloist with Dave Brubeck in a performance of his cantata, The Gates of Justice which she also produced, and performed with Marvin Hamlisch and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra with a choir that she prepared for the concert.  Rabbi Axe feels comfortable with an audience of preschoolers or seniors, in the concert hall with a symphony orchestra, or in a classroom with learners of all ages and backgrounds.  Her repertoire is richly Jewish, and it has been said that “her glorious voice and charisma invite an awakening of the Jewish heart and the human spirit.”

 

A national leader in the Reform Movement, Rabbi Axe is a past president of both the American Conference of Cantors, and the HUC-JIR School of Sacred Music Cantorial Alumni Association, served on the Board of the Union for Reform Judaism, and currently serves on the School of Sacred Music Advisory Board.  She also serves her community as a member of the Jewish Educators and Teen Professional Councils of Greenwich and Stamford, the Greenwich JNF Health and Healing Center Advisory Council, the Greenwich Hospital Clinical Pastoral Education Professional Consultation Committee, and is a past officer of the Greenwich Fellowship of Clergy.  Her greatest role is as wife to Dr. Harold Axe, and mother to their four sons, Judah, Noah, Gabriel, and Daniel, all twenty and thirty-something.

 

 

IN HER OWN WORDS

"In my 25+ years serving as a congregational cantor, my goal, whether through worship, study, singing, chanting, cultural and community events, has been to open the hearts of our people to Jewish life and experience so that they can make informed choices about their Jewish identity. My role within the synagogue has always gone well beyond the expected realm of music, spending as much time engaged in the musical life of the synagogue, as in teaching, counseling, healing, advising, and managing.

As a cantor, I believe that music is the very soul of Jewish life and experience. The music we have shared with countless cultures in our wanderings throughout history is the story of a religion, of a people, of a culture. One could tell the entire history of the Jewish people through music — the music of biblical chant, the music which tells the story of the Maccabees, the story of the Exodus from Egypt, the Expulsion from Spain, life in the shtetl, life in the ghettos and camps, music which sings the birth of Israel. Music is the beautiful thread woven through the tapestry of Jewish holidays, of Jewish prayer, of Jewish life.

Music is at the very center of Jewish worship and prayer as well. The musical settings of prayers in contemporary Reform Synagogues draw deeply from a vast and rich well of melodies, modalities, textures, and styles, all linked to who we are as Jews. We maintain a loving relationship with our past while embracing a vision for new paths to bring people closer to God, and God closer to people's hearts through music.

 

As rabbi and cantor, teaching is at the very center of everything I do. Synagogues today have become an environment of Life Long Learning, and my goal has always been to bring the world of Jewish life, culture, history, practice, and language to learners of all ages.

As a cantor I have the privilege of giving voice to God's words and teachings through the music, and as both cantor and rabbi I can bring a unique passion and energy to all areas of synagogue life. It is my sacred task to draw people into the synagogue for the spiritual nourishment they so desperately need as together we all face the challenges of the 21st century."

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT RABBI AXE

"Rabbi Axe is one of the outstanding spiritual leaders of our time. Her vision and unique abilities bring one to a great sense of spirituality."
                                Cantor Scott Colbert, Executive Vice President
                                American Conference of Cantors

"Master teacher and conductor, Rabbi Axe blends creativity and experience to invoke spiritual uplift."
                                Cantor Alane S. Katzew, UAHC
                                Director of Music Programming

"Rabbi Axe brings her creativity and organizational skills to every community she touches. She can bring together singers from varying generations and skills and create an ensemble that both mirrors and inspires the congregation."
                                Rabbi Daniel Freelander, Vice President,
                                Union of American Hebrew Congregations

"Her glorious voice and charisma invite an awakening of the human spirit."
                                Rabbi Mark Goldman
                                Rockdale Temple, Cincinnati, OH

"Her talent as singer, choral conductor, and teacher is only surpassed by her warmth and dedication."
                                Dennis Gilbert
                                Chair, UAHC Commission on Synagogue Music

"Rabbi Axe is blessed with a talent that lights up the bimah. As she shares her music and her love of Judaism she touches the heart and soul of a congregation."
                                Ruth S. Gruber
                                Executive Director, Jewish Educational Consultants

"Rabbi Axe's unique contribution is her ability to bring community together for celebration and learning. She is warm and inviting and always makes everyone feel included."
                                Peri Smilow
                                Singer/songwriter