Some might call it beshert. For Rabbi Shira Singelenberg, the road to her first pulpit started with an ad she saw posted seeking a rabbinic student to lead High Holiday services for a small Reconstructionist community in St. Louis.

“As a rabbinical student, I knew I wanted the experience of leading High Holiday services, something that felt like a given for a rabbi-to-be,” she recalled. “When I saw a post from Shir Hadash looking for a student rabbi to lead their services, I thought this could be fun – a chance to gain skills and add to my rabbinic toolbox, with the bonus of travel to a new city.”

Little did she know at the time that replying to that post would set her on a trajectory toward becoming Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community’s next rabbi. Three years later, following her ordination in May from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in Philadelphia, Singelenberg was named rabbi of Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community.

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After leading those initial High Holiday services in 2022, Singelenberg and the members of Shir Hadash felt an immediate connection. One could even say it was love at first sight. She returned to lead High Holiday services again in 2023, and during her final two years of rabbinic school, she served as a rabbinic intern at Shir Hadash through RRC’s immersive field education program. The initiative places fourth- and fifth-year rabbinical students in intensive, two-year internships with congregations throughout the country. 

The first year of the program was a hybrid experience with a combination of virtual and onsite visits to lead services, teach and provide pastoral care.  For year two Singelenberg relocated to St. Louis so she could devote more time to the congregation while completing her final year of rabbinic studies online.

“From the beginning, Shir Hadash felt like home, a place where becoming a rabbi in real time was not just a theory, but a practiced reality,” she explained. “That’s why this moment feels so powerful: a new year and a new rabbi, but a familiar face. It is a rare gift to move from intern to rabbi with such clarity and belief, and I am deeply grateful that my first rabbinic home was already waiting for me before I even graduated.”

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Likewise, the leaders of Shir Hadash are thrilled to have a “new” rabbi who already knows the congregation and its members so well. “We could tell from that first High Holiday service that she led that we had someone very special,” said President Rob Kodner. “It was a joy to see her grow and blossom as our rabbinic intern. Now we are excited to see what the future holds for us under Rabbi Shira’s leadership.”

The case could be made that Singelenberg has been preparing for the rabbinate since childhood. A native of Bethesda, Md., she grew up immersed in Jewish life at Ohr Kodesh Congregation. Shabbat dinners at home fostered curiosity, questioning and joy. Singelenberg earned her bachelor’s degree in history, with a minor in medieval and early modern studies from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. She developed a particular focus on architectural history and sacred spaces, which coincidentally, is a passion she shares with Shir Hadash Rabbi Emeritus Lane Steinger, who has become a cherished mentor to her.

In addition to obtaining her rabbinic ordination at RRC, Singelenberg also completed a master’s degree in Hebrew Letters. Her rabbinic training included work in diverse settings including Hillel at West Chester (Pa.) University, Lions Gate retirement community in Voorhees, N.J. and a chaplaincy placement at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa. 

At her ordination, Singelenberg received the Rabbi Kenneth Berger and Aviva Berger Memorial Prize in Practical Rabbinics, an honor awarded annually at graduation exercises to a fourth- or fifth-year student who exemplifies those qualities of rabbinic service that enhance the quality of congregational life. 

“The Shir Hadash community can attest to the many ways in which Singelenberg has enriched congregational life,” noted Kodner, “through her lively and uplifting services, her love of Torah and teaching, and her profound compassion for our members.” 

As Singelenberg has lead High Holiday services for the first time as rabbi of Shir Hadash, she finds it very fitting that the same season that first brought her to St. Louis now marks the beginning of her rabbinate. “As I begin my first year as a rabbi, the High Holidays feel both new and familiar, a season of fresh beginnings in a community where I already feel at home,” she said.