Cantors In Prague for 12th Convention!

Our prague convention in November 2018 was a great success!

Cantor Naftali Herstik, Chief Cantor Emeritus of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem and programme Director Hirsh Cashdan devised a stunning few days of study and sharing, combining the old with the new for the High Holydays.

Naftali’s topics included 7 ways to sing Ata Nigleta, and 3 composers of Un’tane Tokef: Lewandowsky to Rosenblatt to Rosenbloom. Naftali also led a session with the fabulous Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute Choir on Yamim Noraim repertoire. They were also the stars of the Gala Concert and the core of the choral and cantorial Shabbat services in Prague’s beautiful Spanish Synagogue on Shabbat Parashat Vayishlach.

Guest presenters included Professor Mark Kligman, (Micky Katz Professor of Jewish music at the University of California, LA) on American trends and Daniel Rudas on how it is done in Hungary. Cantor Beny Maissner of Toronto's Holy Bossom Temple looked over his intrepretation of the Yamim Noraim liturgy. Cantor Yehudah Marx of Manchester analysed rare recordings of Kol Nidre, Daniel Katz tackled the technically intense subject of Meshorerim, and Michael Jollies previewed his soon to be published work on a history of British Chazanim Past and Present

Then there were the outstanding musicians and accompanists Raymond Goldstein and Yotam Segal

There was wonderful cantorial music in both the Friday evening and Shabbat morning services, an intimate concert on the Thursday evening and a gala concert at the Spanish Synagogue on the Saturday night, featuring (among many others) Gideon Zelermeyer from Montreal and Greg Nogradi from Budapest.

And being Prague, which has a weighty Jewish past, on Friday afternoon, Rabbi Michael Dushinsky acquainted us with all the history and took the group on a tour of historic Jewish Prague

The convention was also a financial success and we express our deep appreciation to our co-organisers :ICJW, Czech Affiliate

and to our DONORS & PARTNERS
Under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Daniel Meron, Ambassador of The State of Israel to The Czech Republic
HULYA/CER, A.s.b.l., www.hulya.lu With the encouragement of Hulya/cer
MATANEL, www.matanel.org
With the encouragement and the support of Matanel Foundation
and
Jewish Community in Prague & Rabbinate of the Jewish Community; The Ministry of Culture, Government of The Czech Republic; Federation of the Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic
Chabad-Lubavich Center, Prague; Jewish Museum, Prague
Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute, TACI; International Council of Jewish Women Czech Affiliate, ICJW
Jewish Music Institut, JMI-SOAS, University of London; Franz Kafka Centre, Prague; Peregrine, Israel; Inbar s.r.o., Prague
Ulrich Hartmann, Switzerland; Evan Lazar, Prague; Yoram Abraham, Prague; D.K., Prague; Dr. Daniel Espitia, Republic of Colombia - Prague; Jacob Schimmel, London - Jerusalem
Dr. David Lifschitz, Jerusalem; Rabbi Boaz Shear-Yashuv, Adv., Jerusalem

Our special thanks to ECA Convenor and Conference Organiser, Alex Klein Programme Coordinator, Hirsh Cashdan Hospitality Barbara Rosenberg
Prague Coordinators, Alice Gruenfeld-Vesela, Rabbi Dr Michael Dushinsky

Last Updated 23rd November 2018