It just lifted me up, it made something happen for me. As gifted as Cantor Lash is, her experience is actually far from unique. While there are precious few laws and customs the different branches of Judaism agree upon, it seems all Jews adore their cantors. While the demand for cantors has always outstripped the supply, the shortage suddenly has become acute, according to cantor Scott Colbert, executive vice president of the Reform movement's American Conference of Cantors. The cantor shortage exists in the Conservative and Orthodox movements as well.
Jewish leaders cite several reasons for the shortage.
For one, the booming economy has enabled more synagogues to hire full-time cantors, said Reform cantor Judith Rowland of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. And more and more synagogues want them. I think spirituality is still an 'in' word. People are searching for something. Apparently many are fulfilling those mysterious longings by listening to the prayers sung by their cantors.