Gail Ilene Posner Karp (born in the mid 1950s in Detroit, Michigan) served as the

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

of the

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

synagogue Temple Emanuel in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

from 1987 - 2016. She is also employed by the Department of Defense.

Early life and education

Karp attended the

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

- Jewish Institute of Religion, Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music in New York City (HUC-JIR), where Gail was ordained as the fourth female Jewish Cantor in 1978, and subsequently received a master's degree in voice performance and musicology from University of Nebraska in 1980. She became a member of the professional women’s music fraternity,

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...

, while a student.

Early career

While in seminary, Gail Posner Karp served Temple Beth Torah on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

as their first cantor in the late 70’s. In the years that followed, she was affiliated with Temple Israel of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

and Congregation B’nai Jeshurun of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

in Nebraska, Temple Beth El of

Aptos Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and S ...

and Temple Emanuel of San Jose. She was the first credentialed, licensed cantor to serve these congregations.

Advocacy

In 1986, the Karps’ middle child, Joshua, was diagnosed with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

at the

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) is an 811-bed public teaching hospital and level 1 trauma center affiliated with the University of Iowa. UI Hospitals and Clinics is part of University of Iowa Health Care, a partnership that inclu ...

, Division of Child Psychiatry. The diagnosis resulted in a second career that included local, state and national leadership roles with the Autism Societies of the Quad Cities, state of Iowa and nationally from the mid-80’s until the turn of the century. During this time, Gail Karp was also appointed to the Iowa Governor’s Task Force on Autism, worked on the establishment of the

Autism Tissue Program Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...

, and consulted with numerous other funded special projects of regional and national significance (SPRANS grant programs) that impacted the lives of persons with disabilities. Cantor Karp has served on the editorial boards of The Journal of Information and Referral Services, The Advocate (a quarterly publication of the Autism Society of America), and the Iowa COMPASS. In 2003, she received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew Union College, citing her work on behalf of this special population. The Jewish value of

tikkun olam ''Tikkun olam'' ( he, תִּיקּוּן עוֹלָם, , repair of the world) is a concept in Judaism, which refers to various forms of action intended to repair and improve the world. In classical rabbinic literature, the phrase referred to leg ...

(repairing the world) continues to serve as a theme in her life.

Private life

Karp is married to Rabbi Henry Karp, rabbi emeritus of Temple Emanuel in Davenport. They have three children. According to Henry Karp, he and Gail Posner Karp were the first Rabbi-Cantor clergy couple to become engaged and married during their seminary studies at HUC (1973–1978).

Fund Development

Shortly after the initial diagnosis of her son, Karp expanded her efforts to include improving the quality of life for all persons with autism (and, as time progressed, persons who experience disabilities with both related and disparate diagnoses). The skills she developed as a Jewish cultural arts event initiator and organizational leader of volunteer organizations enabled her to transition seamlessly into the fundraising profession. Karp had been affiliated with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (including service as a Chapter President) and met the requirements for a professional designation as a Certified Fundraising Professional (CFRE) in 2000. Additional certification included a Grant Professional Credential (GPC). Other professional memberships have included The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (formerly the National Committee for Planned Giving, where she served as a local council past president) and the

American Conference of Cantors The cantor ( he, חַזָּן ''Hazzan'' or ''Hazan'') in the Reform movement is a clergy member who fills a diverse role within the Jewish community. Cantors lead worship, officiate at lifecycle events, teach adults and children, run synagogue m ...

(both as a past board member and as a member on numerous committees).

Publications and writings

* The Aleynu: A Missinai Melody as sung by the Jews of Blois, France], ''University of Nebraska – Lincoln'', (1980) * The Evolution of the Aleynu, 1171 to the present], ''Journal of Synagogue Music'' 12, no. 1 (1982): 3-23 * Muslim-Jewish Dialogue Activity Guide * Devar Torah

Other activities

* Interfaith Education Forum on Human Trafficking * Detroit Arsenal Holocaust Observance * Lehrhaus Judaica Instructor, Stanford University * Interfaith Peace Rally

References

Sources

Quad City Times Retirement Tribute May 30, 2017Jewish Post,Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 June 1985The Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Nebraska 6 November, 1977

Jerusalem Post, 4 April 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karp, Gail Living people Hazzans Women hazzans People from Detroit American Jews Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni University of Nebraska alumni Year of birth missing (living people)