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Birth
I was born in Manchester, CT on 09/29/1995. My parents found the name Kochava in a Jewish baby naming book. They thought it was the most beautiful name, a star being born. I love my name, however, it is a hard one for most non-Jewish people to pronounce. Every time someone asked my background, I would tell them that Kochava means star in Hebrew. From birth, I could never hide that I was Jewish, leading me to become very active in the Jewish community. -
Joined Beth Shalom in Manchester, CT
My father is a cantor, and as you will see in the rest of my timeline, we moved around a lot based on his job. I attended synagogue every Shabbat and grew up hearing my father lead services and musical programs. This led to my love of music, liturgy, and nusach. -
Solomon Schechter Day School
My first Jewish schooling was attending preschool at Solomon Schechter in West Hartford, CT. I began learning Hebrew letters and ideas at a very young age, leading to my proficiency in the Hebrew language. -
Ezra Academy
In Kindergarten-2nd grade, I attended Ezra Academy (a Jewish day school) in Woodbridge, CT. I made some wonderful friends here and loved learning Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Having my first memorable/positive Jewish learning experience at a young age made me want to continue being active in the Jewish community. -
Moved to Florida/ Joined Temple Torah
In 2001, we moved to Florida for 5 years. Now that I was a bit older, there were certain expectations of being a cantor's daughter: basically, behave during services and be a strong Hebrew student. I mostly behaved, but I have this memory of bringing my bouncy-ball collection to shul and bouncing them across the lobby with friends- the ushers were not happy! I continued loving to be a part of services and this led to me wanting to be a cantor. -
Meyer Academy
My next experience at a Jewish Day School was at Meyer Academy in Palm Beach, FL. Unlike the previous schools, as a 3rd grader, I got a ton of homework. I remember that it took me at least 2 hours each day to complete work after school. After a year and a half of this, I was so stressed out that I decided to transition into a public school. I transferred in the middle of 4th grade which was difficult. Even so, it was interesting to see the difference between private and public schools. -
Moved to New Jersey/ Joined Marlboro Jewish Center
In 2007, I moved to New Jersey where my father became cantor at Marlboro Jewish Center. This synagogue is where I first led services and read Torah for a congregation. I was able to put all the skills I learned over the years into practice. There was a sizable Jewish community in that area and it felt nice to make many Jewish friends. -
Solomon Schechter Day School of Monmouth County
For 7th and 8th grade, I attended Solomon Schechter Day School. This would be my last private Jewish schooling as I then attended a public high school. We had a very small class of 12 students so it was lovely that each teacher knew us on a personal level. I greatly enjoyed my time there and the information I learned added to my Jewish foundational knowledge. -
Camp Ramah in Palmer, MA
I went to Camp Ramah from 2008-2012, a Jewish sleep-away camp. I have many fond memories, especially learning the true meaning of RUACH and singing Shabbat songs as an entire camp together. In addition to making some wonderful friends, I learned many new Tefillah melodies and enjoyed Ramah services. In my last year, I was asked to lead the final Friday night service before camp ended. It was an honor and beautiful experience. -
Bat Mitzvah
For my Bat Mitzvah, I led the entire service- from Pesukei DeZimra through Musaf. I felt so proud to demonstrate my learning and publicly chant from the Torah from the first time. I had many family members attend and I felt a wonderful, spiritual connection. From then on, I volunteered to lead services/read Torah at my synagogue for many years. I felt that I had found a purpose and happy place for myself. -
Hebrew School Student
Since I went to Jewish Day Schools growing up, my first true experience with Hebrew School was when I was in 9th grade. It was not the best experience for me as I had not been with the students over the years and there were already cliques formed. Even so, the last two years of high school, we had Hebrew Chai School where we met at a Kosher deli once a month to talk about Jewish topics with the Rabbi. I enjoyed those sessions and the yummy food! -
HaZamir
For 3 years I was a part of HaZamir, the Jewish International Teen Choir. This is where I formally learned how to sing choral music at a professional level. Under the conducting of Mati Lazar, we were able to perform in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, to a sold-out auditorium. Truly an amazing experience which instilled in me a deeper love of music. -
Hillel Leader
After high school, I attended the University of Hartford in CT for college. Immediately, I became active in Hillel and ended up being their president of ritual. I planned/led Shabbat services, created holiday programming and led lunch and learns for faculty and students. As a shy person, my confidence grew so much in these years. I became a successful leader and connected with many Jews on campus. I also met my husband through Hillel!! -
Religious School Music Teacher
In my first two years of college I was the music teacher at Beth El Temple in West Hartford. I improved my guitar playing and sang with kids of all grades/ages. In addition to previous Hebrew tutoring I had done, this work continued to instill in me a love of teaching. -
Impactful Jewish Educator
One of the most impactful Jewish educators in my life was University of Hartford's Hillel director, Jason Oruch. He encouraged me to lead monthly lunch and learns about pertinent Jewish topics. I got a lot of positive feedback and felt proud of myself for doing something that I never would have done the prior year. With the help of Jason and other students, I also learned to implement creative services- more English, poetry, new melodies, and themed Shabbatot. -
Birthright
I went on Taglit Birthright the winter of my first year of college. As one of the only Shabbat observant Jews on this particular trip, it was interesting to learn the meaning of "culturally Jewish". My favorite memories are riding camels, climbing Masada, and eating at delicious Israeli restaurants. I love how the roads are quiet on Shabbat and hearing Hebrew being spoken around me. I have a lot of family in Israel so this was not my first time there. Each trip has been special and memorable. -
First time leading High Holidays
In college I majored in mathematics and secondary education. At first, I was set on becoming a high school math teacher. Then, in the middle of junior year, I was hired at my husband's (then boyfriend's) synagogue to lead their HHD services. That experience solidified in my mind that I wanted to become a cantor. It was so moving bringing the liturgy to life and hearing the congregation harmonizing. This was the path intended for me. -
Ohavi Zedek Synagogue
After college, I was hired by Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington, VT to be their cantorial soloist. I led Shabbat and holiday/HHD services each week, tutored b'nei mitzvah students, taught in the Hebrew School, led music for the preschool, taught adult education courses and co-officiated life cycle events with the rabbi. After 2 years of loving this work, I decided that I wanted to attend cantorial school to get the proper education and ordination. -
Wedding!
In May of 2018, I married Jacob Munro. We met our first weekend of college and stayed together ever since. Jake's father is from Scotland (he later converted to Judaism) therefore, Jake and his groomsmen wore kilts to the wedding! We had Scottish dancing as well as Klezmer music. It was a unique and memorable day!! -
Hebrew College Cantorial School
And now I have reached the present day! My upbringing, schooling and friendships have all led to this moment. I absolutely love being a cantorial student and feel that HC was the right decision for me. The community is incredibly welcoming, the faculty knows everyone personally and the Jewish life in Boston is superb. I look forward to getting ordained in a couple of years as well as getting my Master's in Jewish Ed.
