In her first career , Stanton was a psychotherapist . She specialized in grief counseling , and was asked to speak to people in Columbine after the 1999 high school massacre . Before preparing for the rabbinate , she sought to become a cantor , but heard that Jewish leadership positions were not available to women . When she finally saw a female cantor , she decided to pursue the studies necessary to become a rabbi
high school massacre
Columbine High School massacre
Alysa Stanton