Cantor Sara Kheel has been a staff chaplain at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital since 2023. She hails from Los Angeles, CA. She began her involvement in the Jewish community early in life, attending Jewish day school and spending her summers at Habonim Dror Camp Gilboa. She grew up at Temple Judea in Tarzana, CA, where she also sang and led services as a young adult. It was there that she began her trajectory toward the cantorate. She received her B.A. in 2007 from the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Theater and Performance Studies and minoring in Spanish Language and Literature. Prior to enrolling at cantorial school, Cantor Kheel worked as the Programming and Engagement Director at Hillel at Pierce & Valley Colleges. She was a founding board member of Jewish young professionals’ organization Valley Ruach and the Assistant Director and President of Los Angeles-based Jewish a capella group Shir Ba’ir. She spent several summers as a camp counselor, songleader, and educational professional.

Cantor Kheel was ordained from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2017. During cantorial school, she held pulpit positions in Garden City, NY; Fairbanks, AK; Annapolis, MD; and York, PA. Immediately following ordination, she spent a year as a chaplain resident at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn. She then spent five years as the cantor at Temple Beth Shalom in Vero Beach, FL. Cantor Kheel was also the chaplain at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital.

At SMRH, you can find Cantor Kheel bedside providing spiritual care for patients and families of all faiths, supporting staff, leading Jewish programming, and of course singing. In her spare time, Cantor Kheel enjoys going to the theater, trying new recipes, winning at trivia, and spending time with her two cats, Penelope Garcia and Emily Prentiss.