Alison Wissot

Rabbi Cantor

Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot is best known for her joyful spirit, her soulful singing, and her passion for Jewish learning. As one of a handful of people in the nation who have been jointly ordained as Rabbi and invested as Cantor, she is dedicated to revitalizing worship and integrating the ancient sounds of Jewish tradition with contemporary music.  With a rich and varied background in both Judaism and theatre, she brings life and a unique energy to all of Temple Judea’s programs.  Alison's deepest mission is as a teacher, and as such she strives to make the beauty and joy of Jewish text and liturgy accessible to all.

Rabbi Cantor Wissot received a Masters of Sacred Music and a Masters of Hebrew letters, as well as her double ordination, from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. She received a BA from Wesleyan University and a Certificate in Theatre Arts from the British American Drama Academy, and trained in theatre at the William Esper Studios in NYC. 

Rabbi Cantor Wissot is passionate about Israel and serves on the board of RabbisUnited, a branch of StandWithUs, and AKLA, an organization promoting pride in Jewish identity among teens.  She is an active member of the Cantors Assembly, American Conference of Cantors, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, having chaired and planned countless conventions in the past 21 years. Prior to joining the Temple Judea clergy team, Rabbi Cantor Wissot was cantor at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue in New York, was the rabbinic intern at Kehillat Israel in the Pacific Palisades, and led High Holy Day services as cantor in Singapore. Prior to her cantorial career, she worked as an actress in New York and London, and was awarded a Spielberg Fellowship to teach Jewish theatre at the Reform Movement's flagship camp, Camp Kutz. Rabbi Cantor Wissot is a mom of three teens and a native of the San Fernando Valley, where she still resides with her husband and children.