Rabbi Samuel L. Spector
rabbi@conkolami.org • 801-484-1501
Rabbi Samuel L. Spector has been the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami since 2018. He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He attended the University of California, San Diego, where he was an active brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Rabbi Spector graduated with Cum Laude honors with a B.A. in Judaic Studies and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Masters in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.
While in rabbinical school, Rabbi Spector served as the student rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim in Merced, California and as a member of the Chaplain Candidate Program for the United States Navy.
Prior to coming to Congregation Kol Ami, Rabbi Spector served as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Judea in Tarzana, California. He is currently a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and serves on the advisory board for the Salt Lake Chamber and the Christian Center of Park City.
He is an avid fan of baseball, Jewish history, and traveling, having been to over 60 countries. He is conversational in Hebrew and Spanish. In his free time, you can find Rabbi Spector playing with Nezek, his Brittany Spaniel, and Walter, his Chocolate Lab. Rabbi Spector is married to Jill, an Idaho-native, who works in hospitality; they are proud parents of their daughters, Miriam and Esti, and host parents of Yasamin, a high school student from Afghanistan.
Cantor Adam Davis
cantor@conkolami.org • 801-484-1501
Cantor Adam Davis is a musician, composer, and spiritual leader with a passion for connecting people to Jewish heritage and community through music, arts and culture. He has served Temple Beth-El of Great Neck in New York, having also done so for communities in California, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.
With a deep understanding of Jewish music, liturgy and ritual, Cantor Adam provides spiritual and musical leadership on and off the bema. He enjoys working with students of all ages, from those rising in preparation for B'nai Mitzvah to couples preparing for marriage and experienced adult learners.
Cantor Adam is a graduate of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music.
Cantor Davis has composed many original songs and musical settings of Jewish prayers. His Uvchein was published in 2023 by Transcontinental Music Publications as part of High Holy Days Anthology, Volume II.
Beyond his musical accomplishments, Cantor Adam believes in the power of love, compassion, and unity, and strives to spread these values through his music and spiritual leadership.
Whether leading a congregation in prayer, composing a new piece of music, or connecting with members of the community, Cantor Adam Davis brings an uplifting sense of joy for being Jewish.
Prior to his pulpit work, Cantor Adam founded KFAR Jewish Arts Center, a leading voice for new Jewish culture in Chicago. Under his leadership, KFAR produced and presented dozens of concert events and engaged thousands of attendees in cutting edge Jewish cultural and musical experiences.
In 2005 he was named a “Trailblazer” of the Jewish Cultural Renaissance by B'nai Brith Magazine. He has been featured in The Forward, Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Na’amat Magazine, Chicago Jewish News and Washington Jewish Week. Cantor Adam is a proud member of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC).
Rabbi Emeritus Frederick L. Wenger
Rabbi Frederick L. Wenger was born in Davenport, Iowa and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. He received his AB from the University of Chicago and his Rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio. He served as a U.S. Army Chaplain in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and Vietnam. After his discharge from military service, Rabbi Wenger served as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Emanuel-El B'ne Jeshurun, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There he met and married his wife, Rochelle in 1973.
After leaving Milwaukee, Rabbi Wenger and Rochelle studied in Israel for a year, after which Rabbi Wenger accepted the position of Rabbi at B'nai Shalom Congregation, Huntington, West Virginia. Their two children, Haim and Miriam, were born in Huntington. Over his extended career, Rabbi Wenger progressed to pulpits of increasing responsibility at Temple Beth-El, Overland Park, Kansas and Temple B'nai Israel, Skokie, Illinois.
The Wenger family moved to Salt Lake City in 1987 after Rabbi Wenger assumed the pulpit at Congregation Kol Ami. Rabbi Wenger has served on the boards of major organizations in the Jewish and general communities. In 1994, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Rabbi Wenger retired from Congregation Kol Ami in 2003.
Following his retirement, Rabbi Wenger and Rochelle volunteered four months a year for several years at Hadassah Neurim and Nahalal Youth Villages in Israel. He also served as Rabbi-in-Residence at Congregation Beth Sholom, Anchorage, Alaska from 2004 to 2007. Rabbi Wenger has been teaching World Religions at Westminster College in Salt Lake City since 2001. He also served on the faculties of Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia and Brigham Young, University, Provo, Utah. Rabbi Wenger currently teaches and provides rabbinic services to Congregation Kol Ami, the place the Wengers call home.
Cantor Emeritus Laurence D. Loeb
Cantor Loeb has been in the Cantorate for over 50 years. He was the youngest graduate ever from the Cantor's Institute at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He continued graduate study at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Ethnomusicology and received a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University.
Using his background in Jewish music and anthropology, he studied the music and culture of the Jews of Iran. Based on that study, he published a book titled, 'Outcaste: The Jews of Southern Iran'. His subsequent anthropological research involved a Yemenite Community which now resides in Israel.
A member of organizations which reflect his interests in Jewish music, Anthropology, and Jewish culture, he has written and spoken extensively about these subjects.
After serving as Cantor for ten years on the East Coast, Laury moved to Utah, with his family over 40 years ago. Cantor Loeb retired from the University of Utah where he was a faculty member of the anthropology department and served as Department Chairman for six years.
At Kol Ami, Laury is grateful to have been able to serve as Cantor of the Congregation for over 40 years. He finds special joy in having taught over 400 successful B'nai Mitzvah.
Cantor Loeb is married to Nomi. Their three children grew up in Salt Lake City and graduated from our Religious School. Their daughter Roni lives in Israel with their four children. Their son, Gabi, lives in California with his family. Their youngest daughter, Adina, lives in Washington, D.C. with her family.