Cantor Sara Anderson is a proud alumna and ordinee of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. Raised in Los Angeles, she cultivated a deep love for Jewish music through her lifelong involvement at her family’s synagogue, Stephen Wise Temple. Her passion for music led her to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts—home to the nation’s only high school operatic studies program—and continued through a B.A. in Vocal Performance from UCLA and an M.M. from Mannes School of Music at The New School.
At HUC-JIR, Sara was a Tisch-Star Fellow and the recipient of the Rabbi Rick Jacobs Award in Innovative Worship. She served communities across the globe, including Beit Tefilah Israeli in Tel Aviv and East End Temple in Manhattan. In 2020, she trained as a chaplain intern at Los Angeles County Hospital during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, deepening her commitment to pastoral care.
Sara joined the clergy of Temple Emanu-El as Cantorial Intern during her final two years of study and became Assistant Cantor in 2022. She is married to Rabbi Peter Young, and together they are the proud parents of their daughter, Goldie.
Music
Oseh Shalom | Cantor Mo Glazman, Cantor Sarah Anderson, and Josh Nelson | January 30, 2026
Sermons
Guardians of Hope: Reflections on Jewish Motherhood | Cantor Sara Anderson | May 9, 2026
