Cantor Ilana Mulcahy

Cantor Ilana Mulcahy is thrilled to be joining the clergy team at Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, New Jersey as the congregation’s new assistant cantor. She received her cantorial ordination from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2026. She also earned her Master of Sacred Music degree in May 2025. As a student, Ilana held cantorial internships at Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, New Jersey from 2023-2026 and Temple Israel in Ottawa, Canada from 2022-2024. Additionally, she completed a chaplain internship at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 2025. During her time as a cantorial student, Ilana served as a Weitzman Fellow with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

Ilana grew up on Long Island in Roslyn, New York, and now resides in Metuchen, New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and her teaching certificate from Rutgers University in 2015. Upon graduating, Ilana worked as an elementary music teacher in the New Jersey public schools. She later earned her certificate in Human Resource Management from Rutgers University in 2018. Ilana spent several years working in human resources, account management, and recruitment prior to earning her Master of Business Administration degree from Montclair State University in 2021.

Outside of her professional and academic endeavors, Ilana enjoys dancing, traveling, skiing, and spending time with her husband, Ryan, and dog, Benny.