Testimonials

Thank you again for everything. Our goal was to try to make the ceremony as inclusive as possible and you helped us accomplish that. We’ve received so many compliments from both of our families and our friends on how beautiful the ceremony was. Some of my Jewish friends even said they finally learned what some of the Jewish wedding traditions meant! Family has always been important to each of us and we knew we had a bit of a challenge in front of us with our wishes for an interfaith ceremony. It was a beautiful ceremony that represented both of us, brought both families together, and set a great tone for our family life moving forward.
Caroline and Anthony Buniel

Thank you so much for creating and implementing our wonderful interfaith ceremony. Both you and Reverend Israel worked flawlessly to organize a unified ceremony where both our families felt comfortable about celebrating both religions. We really appreciate all the time you spent with us both in person and over FaceTime to guide our discussions and work through issues. It has been a pleasure getting to know you and we wish you all the best.
Chelsea and Zach

I worked with Laurel for my Bar Mitzvah. She made the lessons fun and interesting and she made vocal tracks so I could learn my portion with ease. I always looked forward to my lessons with Laurel and she made learning my portion fun, exciting and easy!
Greg Davidson

Having a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not just about one day in the life of a 13 year old, it involves months of studying, practice and preparation. My daughter met with Cantor Barr once a week for approximately six months where she not only learned the prayers, songs and most importantly her torah and haftorah portion, but also the importance and meaning of each of these important parts of the service.
My daughter and I have amazing memories of her Bat Mitzvah, not just the “day”, but the entire process, and we both have Cantor Barr to thank for contributing to these memories.
Jodi Katz

Dear Laurel,
We cannot thank you enough for how warm and lovely you made the kids wedding ceremony.  Both Becky and Craig are as appreciative as we are. I can’t even count the number of friends and family who said it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies they have been too. Everyone loved your sense of humor and those both Jewish and non Jewish loved your explanation of the parts of the service. Thank you again so much for being a part of our daughters day and making it so special.
Sincerely,
Marilyn and Carl Schusterman. (Parents)

My family reached out to Laurel as we were beginning to embark on our own unique Jewish educational journey. Laurel was receptive to working with us at our own pace and within the areas we wanted to study. She approached our Jewish study together with an open attitude and a lack of judgment. Laurel has a special way of infusing Jewish education into all of our discussions and challenging the adults and children in our family to think about ways that Judaism is already present in what we do and how we can take more steps to create stronger connections to Judaism in our home and in our everyday lives.
We feel grateful for the Jewish educational experience we are receiving from Laurel Barr.
Lauren Raff

We would like to thank you for all you did to make our wedding so special. Even though we only met you in the last year, you made our ceremony so intimate and personal that it seemed like you had known us for years. We just watched the video of our ceremony and got to truly enjoy your beautiful voice.
Thank you for everything.
Julie and Aram Loeb

Dear Cantor Barr,
Thank you so much for co-officiating our wedding. The ceremony was just beautiful and we could not have been happier with how everything turned out. It was a pleasure working with you and we’re so glad you were able to preside over our special day.
Daniel and Grace Platt

Dear Laurel,
Steven and I can’t thank you enough for making our wedding day perfect! Your light hearted ceremony was truly a reflection of our personalities. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.
Love always,
Ashley and Steven Pack

Michael and I were so excited that you were able to officiate our ceremony. It meant so much to me especially since you had been such an important person in previous life events, such as my bat mitzvah! It meant so much to Michael and I that you were able to incorporate what we wanted into a BEAUTIFUL and FUN Jewish ceremony without making anyone, (us, our parents, the wedding party, or guests) feel uncomfortable since Michael is not Jewish. We are still hearing about how wonderful it was and how interesting a Jewish wedding could be for those who had not been to a Jewish wedding before…….
I would say that looking back at our special day, it was worth every minute of the planning and craziness, and Michael and I are so grateful to have had you as our officiant!
Thank you for EVERYTHING!
Lindsey and Michael Bobak

We chose to work with Laurel Barr to prepare our son for his Bar Mitzvah in Israel. She was very organized, very knowledgeable, flexible, and our son actually looked forward to his lessons. Working with Laurel is always a lot of fun for the student as well as the parents. She has worked with all three of our kids and each of them have loved her. We know many families that have worked with her, and she gets to know the unique talents of each child and brings out the best in all her students. We love her sense of humor and style. Our family also approached Laurel this year to help with a special musical event, a fundraiser for our son’s camp-mate who was badly injured from a lightening strike. Laurel helped our son and the entire group of students orchestrate a fantastic benefit concert which raised in excess of $7,000 in our community to help with the family’s medical expenses.
Elliot and Natasha Davidson

Dear Laurel,
We wanted to thank you for doing such a beautiful job at our ceremony. We got numerous compliments on how lovely it was. You definitely helped to make it something we will never forget.
Ashley and Ted Riolo

Laurel did a wonderful and beautiful ceremony. Played to rave reviews from all. My father-in-law even said that ours was the most beautiful wedding he had been to in his entire life!
Michael and Sheryl Rudolph

Laurel,
Thank you SOOO much for spending the most important day of our lives with us and making us officially husband and wife! We got so many compliments on our ceremony, everyone loved it and you in particular! A lot of our friends from Boston and West Virginia had never experienced anything like that with the Jewish faith added in and they were impressed. And of course all of my families’ Jewish friends and families just loved you already!! I couldn’t have asked for a better ceremony! And thank you for dealing with and getting through to Fr. Bob. I knew it would turn out perfectly in the end. Tom was telling people he is now “a quarter Jewish!” haha, we will just let him keep thinking that! 🙂
Thanks again for everything!!!!!
Kelly and Tom Clark

Hi Laurel,
Thank you for officiating our wedding!  We had so much fun getting to know you and the ceremony was so beautiful and personal. We thought you did such a fantastic job. Our guests were very complimentary of you and enjoyed the ceremony as well.
Thanks again for everything.
Robyn And Michael Doris

Dear Laurel,
We would like to thank you on behalf of NCJW Evening Branch for doing an awesome job at our Seder. You helped to make a special night even more spectacular! Your voice and choice of props added so much warmth and fun to the seder.
It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all.
Sandy and Arielle, Co-Presidents.
Women’s Seder, April 2013

Dear Laurel,
You have been an incredible teacher, mentor and friend preparing Greg for his Bar Mitzvah. We feel so fortunate to have had you on the case during these challenging months. We will think of you frequently as we tour Israel, and you will be with us in spirit the morning of the Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem. Thanks again for all your patience, understanding, humor and inspiration!
Elliot, Natasha, Greg, Hallie and Zach

Laurel tutored all of our kids for their B’nai Mitzvahs. She is warm and funny and built a relationship with the kids and family that went beyond the B’nai Mitzvahs. Cantor Barr also has an amazing personality and an incredible voice that made each of our celebrations personal and memorable.
Ken Perelman & Ann Kocks
I had a great time with Cantor Barr during my lessons. She incorporated fun into learning.
Senna Perelman