By Cantor Maissner. Watch the short clips of videos and pictures to feel the electric atmosphere among the young children and adults who were present. Sam Glaser is a unique Jewish musical talent who devotes his life to bring renewed energy into our young people and adults alike. Sam was nominated by Moment Magazine as one of the top ten Jewish folk and popular singers. Sam has over 24 CDs and albums. His storytelling and teaching of Jewish Read more »
National Yiddish Theatre’s Soul to Soul: Yiddish and African-American Musical Celebration. Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 8 p.m. From the power of song to overcome persecution to the celebration of life through spiritual music, the African-American and Jewish people have many shared traditions. In the spirit of unity, we honour Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Paul Robeson, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway and countless Read more »
By Cantor Benjamin Maissner. Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration in Toronto has become a special event in the life of our city since the arrival of Consul General Amir Gissin. It is now a permanent feature to see the Israeli flag rise with pride and friendship over the Ontario Parliament building at Queen’s Park. Parliament members of all Parties gather outside in solidarity and devoted friendship to our Beloved State of Israel. I have witnessed Read more »
By Cantor Beny Maissner. April 9, 2012. 17 Nissan 5772. Dear Friend of Jewish Music, I am excited to share with you the news of Toronto’s inaugural acappella Festival, part of Sing! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, that takes place on April 13th -15th 2012 at the Harbourfront Centre. The festival includes the best in Canadian and international acappella groups including the world-renowned UK vocal sensation Swingle Singers, the 2011 Juno Read more »
Dear Friends, In anticipation of the Big Happening on April 22nd, our SRUL IRVING GLICK MEMORIAL CONCERT, I am privileged to introduce to you my dear colleague and friend, Cantor Efraim Sapir, former Cantor of Beth Tikvah Congregation, who worked closely with the late Srul Irving Glick z’l for eighteen years. His reflections and thoughts will shed personal anecdotes and memories of the creative times he and Srul worked together. I hope you enjoy Read more »
Sunday, May 13 at 11:00 a.m. Sam is a master of creating community through music. Holy Blossom Temple is proud to be bringing this popular singer-songwriter to Toronto. Grandparents and not-yet-member friends are welcome! Click the accompanying image for details. Read more »
As we anticipate the Memorial Tribute Concert in honour of Srul Irving Glick z’l with great excitement, I am thrilled to share with you a work in progress. Sunday April 22, 2012 at 8 pm three choirs will gather in our beautiful sanctuary to remember and celebrate the music of our beloved Srul Irving Glick z’l. It is ten years since we lost one of the great Jewish composers of our times. Srul Glick z’l was a dear friend, mentor and teacher Read more »
By Cantor Benjamin Maissner. Dear Friends, A good numbers of years ago I had the opportunity to produce a CD with Songs of Haggadah. It was a labour of love and I know that over the years many people, friends, colleagues and congregants have commented how joyful their Pesach Seder was with the help of the CD recording. You can download and listen to a sampling of the joyous melodies here: Songs of Haggadah You can purchase the CD by Read more »
By Cantor Benjamin Maissner. Dear friends, How privileged I feel to be invited to participate in this multicultural concert to be held at Koerner Hall where my 30th Anniversary Tribute evening took place less than two years ago. This is a demonstration of goodwill and belief in the possibility of peace between all people, not only between our people in Israel and the Palestinians. Participants are people from all over the Middle East – Read more »
Srul Irving Glick Memorial Concert Musical Heritage Concert Series Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 8 p.m. When the complete history of 20th Century Jewish music is written, Srul Glick will be considered among the giants of synagogue music. Glick’s 10th Yarzheit will be marked on April 22, 2012 with a memorial concert sponsored by the Holy Blossom Temple’s Musical Heritage Concert Series, with an evening of Glick’s musical compositions. Srul Read more »
By Cantor Massiner. “SRUL IRVING GLICK REMEMBERED” A Memorial Concert April 22 at 8 p.m. Holy Blossom Temple Dear Friends: I cannot believe it is ten years since we lost one of the great Canadian and Jewish composers, Srul Irving Glick. It is as if he is eternally with us and his musical “Neshamah” radiates almost weekly within the walls of our Temple. His music enhances our services more than occasionally since I am so deeply Read more »
PRE -TOUR OPTION TO HANNOVER JUNE 24 – JUNE 27. I would like to let you know that Hope and I are planning another informative meeting about the trip we will be leading this summer. Together with Cantors and congregants across North America the Cantors Assembly will be travelling to Germany exploring and reliving our rich musical German tradition. We have already gathered an impressive group of people who are eager and interested travelers Read more »
The Glory of the German Jewish Musical Tradition February 3rd at 6 pm and Saturday, February 4th at 10.30 am Sermon in Song and Lecture after Kiddush at 1 pm With this short slide presentation we can experience the glorious audio sounds and visual structure of the once incredible community of German Jewry and its tradition which emanated from that corner of the world. Imagine the royalty of the music, its dignity within the structure of Berlin’s Read more »
SHABBAT SHIRA February 3rd at 6 pm and Saturday, February 4th at 10.30 am Sermon in Song and Lecture after Kiddush at 1pm The intense sounds fill our Sanctuary as we enter our preparations in high gear for Shabbat Shira. Witness our Temple Singers as they are fully engaged and enveloped in the original sounds of our German Musical Synagogal tradition. This short clip demonstrates the intensity and seriousness of mastering the music of Read more »
SHABBAT SHIRA FEBRUARY 3 & 4, 2012 This Shabbat Shira is dedicated to pre WWII German Jewry and is directly connected to the Cantors Assembly Mission “A MUSICAL JOURNEY OF HERITAGE AND HEALING” which I will be leading this coming June 28th – July 4th 2012. The haunting melodies of our synagogal chants have, throughout the centuries, exercised powerful enchantment on our people’s minds and hearts and contributed substantially Read more »
SHABBAT SHIRA KABBALAT SHABBAT FEBRUARY 3, 2012 AT 6 PM CANTOR MAISSNER & LINDI RIVERS AND OUR HBT SIMCHAH BAND The Passion Of Chassidic Music “Mitzvah G’dolah Lihiyot B’simchah” Chasidic doctrine emphasizes that the greatest Mitzvah is to “Be In Joy”. Its expression through song and dance have been important values of the Chasidic movement since its beginnings in the second half of the eighteenth century. This idealization Read more »
Our new Siddur “Pirchei Kodesh” has been received very favourably by many of our worshipers. Friendly, informative, scholarly and full of surprises makes the Siddur a viable addition to our life at Holy Blossom. There are a few new passages throughout the Siddur which perhaps are not immediately familiar or recognizable. It is for that reason that I am happy to provide some learning tools — I am recording sections of the new passages which Read more »
A work in progress – a video clip demonstrating our accompanist, Nadia Adler, and myself researching original music of the German Jewish Tradition. Friday Night Live: with our Simchah Band “The Passion of Chassidic Music” Shabbat Morning: Origin and discipline of German Ashkenaz tradition. The Sahbbat in which we read (chant) the Song of Moses (Exodus Ch 15) sung at the crossing of the Red Sea is celebrated across the world with special Read more »
Track Listing: 6. HANSHAMAH LACK 7. HAVEIN YAKIR LI EFRAIM 8. MIZMOR L’TODAH 9. LO TEDA MILCHAMAH 10. OSE SHALOM Read more »
The Three Ms Nostalgic Memories Concert – November 8th 2011 – was indeed amazing. With a packed house a warm and welcoming sympathetic audience, the three of us – Yossi Malovany, Yakov Motzen, and myself, shared with the public our life stories in songs, of early years growing up in Tel Aviv of the 50’s. We saluted and remembered with warm feelings our mentors and teachers, our beloved Hazzanim Shlomo Ravitz Z’L and the one and only, the Read more »
The Three Ms Nostalgic Memories Concert – November 8th 2011 – was indeed amazing. With a packed house and a warm and welcoming audience, the three of us – Yossi Malovany, Yakov Motzen, and myself, shared with the public our life stories in songs, which our mentor and teacher, the beloved Hazzan Shlomo Ravitz Z’L had entrenched in us. This Cantorial selection is but one of the many prayers we studied as children way back then in 1950’s Read more »
Dear Friends, I thought you might find this interesting – when asking or being asked, Why Germany? My beloved Cantor’s Assembly mission being held this coming June to Germany poses serious questions. In response to these questions, our current President, Cantor Jack Chomsky has responded. “How can I ever go to Germany?” “This was a reasonable feeling to have about the “Poland experience” — and a feeling that was worth overcoming. Read more »
The Three Ms Nostalgic Night was indeed a triumph for our Temple, for our community and for us — The Three Ms — who love each other, admire our accomplishments, remembering our past and the days growing up in that little village of Tel Aviv of the 50s. Our mentors groomed us and shaped us to be what we have become through our life’s journey. For this reason we honoured our great teachers and were inspired to share our message of unity and Read more »
As is our custom at this time, our Music Committee and I are thrilled to announce our Musical Heritage Concert Series for the coming season. Keeping with our tradition we have kept the themes and the events of our concerts in sync and harmony with our mission statement, namely the promotion of Jewish art and in particular the awareness of Jewish music. I have tried to keep the content and venues both exciting as well as somewhat personal. Read more »
Enjoying three of the leading Hazzinim on the scene today; revisiting the German Jewish musical tradition; remembering the work of the composer Srul Irving Glick; and celebrating the shared musical and religious experiences of the early modern Yiddish and African-American worlds. Ashreinu, matov helkeinu! How fortunate we are for this broad array of musical events. Broad in total, each special in particular. Malovany, Motzen and Maissner Read more »
