Some people walk into services for the High Holy Days out of a sense of obligation, expecting an excessively long service with aspects that feel disconnected from modern life. Shir Kadosh was built to be the opposite.
Founded last year in Woodland Hills, Shir Kadosh is a Reform congregation whose name means “Sacred Song,” a choice made with great intention. Here, music is the heart of worship, and spiritual connection is the soul of the community. Services are led by Rabbi Cantor Kyle Cotler, a rare and vibrant leader who serves as both rabbi and cantor, so teachings and music are thoughtfully interwoven.
There is a real ancestral lineage behind that experience. Rabbi Cantor Cotler is a fourth-generation cantor and a first-generation rabbi. One of the most special parts of Shir Kadosh’s services is hearing Kyle sing side by side with his father, Grammy Award-winning Jewish composer Cantor Doug Cotler. Some melodies were written by Doug himself, making the service not only beautiful but deeply personal. Accompanied by the full Shir Kadosh choir, orchestra, and other soloists, their music carries both history and heart. The result? High Holy Day services that feel ancient yet alive: familiar, sacred songs threaded through fresh interpretation. Music that moves the soul.
You are not expected to know every prayer or understand every aspect of the service. Teachings draw on popular culture, psychology, science, and the world we actually live in, expanding the tradition rather than confining it to a box of expectations. The point is not only to breathe new life into what we have inherited, but to help you know yourself, and the people beside you, a little more clearly.
If you are unaffiliated, between communities, or simply looking for somewhere that will meet you where you are this year, the High Holy Days are a fitting time to join them. You will find a spirited, welcoming congregation still writing its own story, and glad to have you co-author it. No pedigree required, no audition needed. Just you, among open hearts and minds, and a room full of new friends.
Find tickets and event details at ShirKadosh.org or email RabbiKyle@shirkadosh.org. He’ll save you a seat.
