Shalom, friends!

Madeleine LeBeau is a cantorial student at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. Her love of Jewish music and passion for the Jewish community took root in her home congregation, Temple Rodef Shalom in Northern Virginia. From age four through her graduation from high school, Madeleine took every opportunity to be engaged with Jewish life, from singing in multiple choirs to performing in Purim Shpiels to taking on leadership opportunities in her synagogue community. Through these experiences, Madeleine began to appreciate how building community – a true sense of connection and belonging – is essential to sustaining Judaism.

Madeleine views the cantor’s role as threefold: building and sustaining community, teaching, and leading meaningful song. With experience as a cantorial soloist at Har Sinai Temple in Pennington for three years, High Holy Day cantorial soloist at Temple Micah in Lawrenceville, cantorial soloist at Temple Rodef Shalom, and Clergy Intern at Temple Emanu-El, she leads services with intention, fostering a connection to G-d and community through song. Her goal is to create an inclusive and spiritual atmosphere where congregants feel uplifted.

Madeleine believes that learning is the heart of Judaism. At Princeton, she created and taught a Saturday morning liturgy class for college-aged students and conducted a fundraising campaign within Princeton’s academic and co-curricular communities to bring Tony-Award winner Alex Edelman, to educate students about antisemitism in an accessible way. While serving as the Clergy Intern at Temple Emanu-El in New York City, she developed a curriculum for a course for adult b’nai mitzvah students. And for the past five years, Madeleine has tutored b’nai mitzvah students in chanting Torah and Shabbat prayers.

On entering college, Madeleine found a home in Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life. There, she worked to revitalize its Reform Jewish community by championing inclusivity, developing new student activities and traditions, and strengthening relationships with university leadership. She led weekly musical Shabbat services and holiday services, compiled translated and transliterated machzorim and song supplements in order to make services accessible to all students, and served as the music director and arranger for Koleinu, Princeton’s Jewish a cappella group.

Madeleine graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a major in History and minors in Judaic Studies, Vocal Performance, Music Theater, and Theater. Her senior thesis, Hymns and Hers, explored the role of women in authoring Reform American Jewish hymns, earning the C.O. Joline Prize in American History and the Carolyn Drucker Prize in Judaic Studies. She also served as a Research Fellow for the Princeton Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, exploring the intersection of faith and community. After graduating, Madeleine served as a chaplain intern at Princeton-Penn Medical Center from 2024-25, completing a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education, where she provided spiritual care to patients recovering from surgery.

In her free time, Madeleine enjoys playing guitar, writing and arranging music, following Broadway theater, hosting meals and game nights, and tackling escape rooms. As she continues her cantorial training, she aspires to serve as a cantor in a synagogue, where she can inspire and unite communities through music, teaching, and spiritual leadership, ensuring the vibrancy of Jewish tradition for generations to come.