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Brooklyn Jewish
Historical Initiative

THE BROOKLYN CANTORIAL PROJECT

In partnership with the the American Society for Jewish Music, the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative has developed this exhibit of the history and singing by important Brooklyn cantors, from the “Golden Age Cantorial Singing,” in the early and middle 20th century, to the present day. 

Drawing on the resources from its Charlie Bernhaut Collection of Jewish and Cantorial Recordings, the American Society for Jewish Music provides not only capsulized biographies and photographs, but also musical examples as well as links to existing videos of cantorial singing from both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. Important Brooklyn synagogues associated with the various well-known cantors are also highlighted, as well as cantors mentored trained in Brooklyn but who made their professional reputations elsewhere.

The Brooklyn Cantorial Project

Current-Day Cantors Trained in the “Golden-Age Tradition”

Yossele Rosenblatt, Mordechai Hershman, David Koussevitsky, Moshe Koussevitsky,
Moshe Ganchoff, and Richard Tucker

Ashkenazic Cantors from the “Golden Age of Cantorial Singing”.

Jack Mendelson, Benzion Miller, Yitzchak Meir Helgot, Yanky and Shumel Lemmer

Sephardic Cantors from the Syrian Community

Menachem Mustacchi, Gabriel Shrem, Yosef Raphael Yair Elnadav, and Meir Levy.

See more on the Golden Age of Cantors: