Cantor Sheri Allen
Sheri Allen (she/her) is the Cantor and co-founder of Makom Shelanu, an inclusive, affirming synagogue in Ft. Worth, Texas. She is a member of the Cantors Assembly, serves on their Ethics Committee, and is the 2024 recipient of the Yehudah Mandel Humanitarian Award.
Sheri is co-chair of the LGBTQ+ working group of the Social Justice Commission, (SJC) of Conservative/Masorti Judaism, and chair of the LGBTQ action team of Justice Network Tarrant County, a consortium of twenty faith congregations actively engaged in social justice work. She is also a member of the IFC, (Inclusive Faith Coalition) a group of LGBTQ+ affirming clergy in Tarrant County, and on the speakers bureau of Interfaith Alliance, a national organization of faith leaders striving to build an inclusive democracy based on justice, religious freedom, and the protection of civil and human rights for all human beings.
An ally and advocate for LGBTQ rights, Cantor Allen has been a guest panelist for the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) presentation, “Y’all Means All: Don’t mess with Texas LGBTQ+ Jews,” has served on the Transgender Rights Leadership Committee of the RAC (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism) and participated in the Texas Freedom Network’s seminar, “Countering Hate in the Transgender Community.”
Cantor Allen lives in Ft. Worth with her husband Richard. They are the proud parents of three queer adult children: Jeremy, Emily, and Preston.
Before we were Christians, we were Jews. Think about that for a moment. We share the Torah (the first five books of our Bible) with the Jewish community. We share building space with the Makom Shelanu Congregation co-founded by Cantor Sheri Allen. And this Sunday, Rev. Aliza and Cantor Sheri will share the pulpit in a joint exploration and dialogue of the similarities of our faiths, finding commonalities with our neighbors in this Christmas and Hanukkah season.