On Saturday evening, November 14, a cantorial concert was held at Congregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck. The concert comprised cantorial classics performed by master chazanim. Cantor Yaakov Motzen and Cantor Yanky Lemmer performed magnificently, accompanied by the acclaimed and world famous cantorial accompanist, Cantor Daniel Gildar. Both cantors performed individually and in duets. Rabbi Yosef Adler, of Congregation Rinat Yisrael, introduced each composition with a history of the piece, its composer, when and where composed, and the cantor who made each composition famous and classic.

Compositions were performed from cantorial greats such as Rosenblatt, Sirota, Schorr, Yardeni, Ganchoff, Roitman, Rumshinsky and Malovsky. It was truly an evening of classic chazanut, classic masterpieces and a classy musical event. The music filled the synagogue with warmth, feeling, radiance, spiritual beauty and meaning for all in attendance. No microphones were used for the performance and the rich tenor voices colored the synagogue with tones of spirituality and religious warmth.

The synagogue was filled with rabbis, cantors from many synagogues local and remote, cantorial aficionados from near and far and patrons and sponsors for the event. The evening was well attended and magnificently arranged and presented.

I. Akiva Wulkan, MD, FACR, is a practicing physician and radiologist in New York and resides in Englewood, NJ. He is chairman of the Cantorial Committee at Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, and is an avid lover, student and performer of chazanut, song and voice in its classical and traditional style and mode, and a physician by profession and a chazzan by passion.

By I. Akiva Wulkan, M.D., FACR