Justin Pellis
Airbender, Soul-Reader, Music-Speaker
Justin’s mission, as a community leader and a musical artist is to carry the torch of Jewish culture by inspiring people of all generations, through meaningful services, diverse concerts, and music education. He is pursuing Cantorial Ordination and a Masters in Sacred Music at JTS, and is honored to carry the torch of his people’s musical tradition.
In Justin’s other life, he was a butterfly. While he hasn’t figured out how to fly in this one, he has done some other cool things. Prior to cantorial school, he acted and played piano in dozens of theater, musical theater, and jazz performances, including at Theater for the New City and Baltimore Improv Group. He attended Goucher, a quirky liberal arts college in Baltimore, MD, and was active in Hillel and Beth Am Synagogue of Baltimore. He spent his spring semester at Hebrew University with the Nachshon Project, where he honed his interests in Jewish communal leadership.
Since beginning his journey to become a cantor, Justin has held a wide array of job titles, from song leader and musical-theater accompanist at Ramah Wisconsin, to Hospital Chaplain in White Plains, NY. Justin’s experience as a chaplain deeply impacted his understanding of the human condition, and it shifted his perspective on what spiritual leaders do. It inspired him to continue cultivating his own spirituality so that he can more naturally help others learn about their own.
Justin serves as Cantorial Intern at Temple Israel Center of White Plains, NY. He is proud to have completed an immersive gap year at Mechinat Nachshon, where he learned to speak Hebrew fluently, and has since studied Arabic (Spoken Levantine) and plans to study Yiddish this summer at YIVO!