Yaakov Lemmer

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Yaakov ("Yanky") Lemmer
יעקב לעממער
YaakovLemmer2.jpeg
Background information
Birth nameYaakov Lemmer
Also known as"Yanky" or "Yanky Lemmer"
Born (1983-11-06) November 6, 1983 (age 41)
Brooklyn, New York
GenresHebrew Liturgy, Yiddish folk, Opera, Broadway, Israeli, Hasidic
Occupation(s)Singer, Head Cantor, Special Education Therapist
InstrumentVoice
Years active2005-present
LabelsNigun Distributors, International Music Company
Website www.cantorlemmer.com

Yaakov ("Yanky") Lemmer (born November 6, 1983) is an American Chazzan (Jewish cantor) and performing artist. Lemmer performs traditional Hebrew liturgy, Yiddish folk, opera, Broadway, Israeli, and Hasidic music.

Contents

Lemmer currently serves as Head Cantor of Lincoln Square Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox congregation in New York City.

Early life and education

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park, Brooklyn.jpg
Borough Park, Brooklyn

Yaakov Lemmer was born on November 6, 1983, in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood Borough Park, New York. The grandchild of Polish Jews, Lemmer grew up listening to Jewish music and radio which inspired him to become a cantor. [1]

Lemmer first received formal cantorial training in 2005 at Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park, under cantor Benzion Miller. He later went on to train privately with cantor Noach Schall. Upon high school graduation, Lemmer received a scholarship to the Belz School of Jewish Music at Yeshiva University where he studied with cantors Joseph Malovany and Bernard Beer. Lemmer graduated with a dual bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Aspen University and a master's degree in special education from Touro College in 2013. [2]

Career

Lincoln Square Synagogue in 2016. 2016 Lincoln Square Synagogue new building from north.jpg
Lincoln Square Synagogue in 2016.

Cantorial positions

Lemmer has held the position of Chazzan at four synagogues since the start of his career. He currently holds the position of head Cantor at Lincoln Square Synagogue and formerly cantored at Young Israel in Fort Lee, New Jersey, Congregation Anshe Sholom of New Rochelle, New York, and Congregation Ahavath Torah of Englewood, New Jersey.

”Misratze B’rachmim”

In February 2007, while participating as guest Cantor in a post-Tu Bishvat concert at Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park, Lemmer was recorded performing “Misratze B'rachmim.” This video was uploaded to YouTube. Soon after, Lemmer was invited to sing at the Jewish Culture Festival in Budapest, Hungary, where he sang with the Jerusalem Cantors' Choir as well as cantor Benzion Miller. Lemmer himself described YouTube as "the springboard" to his career. [3]

International performances

Lemmer has performed in concerts and ceremonies in Poland, England, Israel, Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, and throughout the United States.

Boston Jewish Music Festival

Yaakov Lemmer performing at the 2015 Richmond Folk Festival. Ahava Raba with Yanky Lemmer (21490553713).jpg
Yaakov Lemmer performing at the 2015 Richmond Folk Festival.

The Boston Jewish Music Festival holds concerts, lectures, and other educational events to promote Jewish culture. On March 12, 2011, the Boston Jewish Music Festival featured a concert, "Divine Sparks – Music to Ignite Your Soul: A Concert of Kavanah," in which Lemmer performed. Bill Marx, editor of The Arts Fuse, a Boston-based online art magazine, wrote:

"All of the judges found the concert ambitious and fascinating, a valuable step in expanding the creative and cultural boundaries of "Jewish music." The cantors were generally admired, with the recognition that they sang with great devotion, spiritual power, and a proud exuberance." [4]

Lighting of the National Menorah

Every year in Washington D.C., the National Menorah is lit on the first night of Hanukkah. On December 20, 2011, Lemmer joined cantors Yaakov Motzen and Jeffrey Nadel to sing traditional Hanukkah songs with the United States Marine Band. Lemmer has since returned to Washington, D.C., in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017 to perform at the same event. [5]

70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising

On April 19, 2013, the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Lemmer performed with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Zubin Metah) at the site of the old Warsaw Ghetto as part of a large event. [6] [7] [8]

Personal life

Lemmer resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and children, and works as a special education therapist. His brother is singer Shulem Lemmer, the first born-and-raised Haredi Jew to sign a major record contract with a leading label, Universal Music Group, under its classical music Decca Gold imprint. [9] The two brothers are second cousins once removed of Harvard Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz.

Significant works

"Rainbow in the Night"

In December 2011, Lemmer debuted the song and accompanying music video, "Rainbow in the Night". The song and video, written by filmmaker Cecelia Margules, a daughter of Holocaust survivors, depict a Jewish family in Poland before World War II. Margules collaborated with producer and director Danny Finkelman on the film to raise awareness about the Holocaust. The portrayed Polish family end up in the Krakow Ghetto, and finally in a concentration camp. Filmed on location in Krakow, Poland, and the Majdanek concentration camp, Margules described the film as the "first-ever music video depicting the Holocaust". [10] [11] [12]

The New York Cantors PBS Special

On September 1, 2008, Lemmer performed sacred Jewish music with cantors Azi Schwartz and Netanel Herstik as part of a PBS special titled, "The New York Cantors: Music of Memory and Joy." The PBS special is often aired regionally and nationally.

Discography

"Bkoil"

Released February 19, 2018, Bkoil is a compilation album by Mizmor Music. Lemmer performs one of the album’s seven singles, entitled "Halben Chato'einu." [13]

"Vimaleh Mshaloseinu"

Released January 27, 2010, Vimaleh Mshaloseinu is Lemmer's debut studio album and features 11 songs: [14]

  1. Ato Nigleiso
  2. Lo Tachmod
  3. Shema Yisroel
  4. Mein Zeiden's Chulem
  5. Misratze B'rachamim
  6. Av Harachamim
  7. Ma Godlu Ma'asecho
  8. Habeit Mishomayim
  9. Umipnei Chatoeinu
  10. Zol Shoyn Kumen Di Geulah
  11. Lemmer 1928 version

"Unity for Justice"

"Unity for Justice" is a single released by Aderet Music Corporation featuring over 40 singers including Lemmer. The single was created as a charity project to collect donations for a Jewish business owner. [15]

"Rainbow in the Night" single

The audio-only single from the "Rainbow in the Night" music video was released on January 25, 2012, produced by Sparks Production and distributed by Aderet Music Corporation. [16]

"It Is Shabbos"

Released September 19, 2014, Lemmer's second studio album, "It Is Shabbos," features 11 songs including:

  1. Mimkomcho by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
  2. Rozo D'shabbos by Pierre Pinchik
  3. Yismach Moshe
  4. Gut Fun Avrohom / Zul Nokh Zayn Shabbos
  5. Kehilos Hakodesh
  6. Mamele
  7. Ad Heino
  8. Shabbos Koidesh by David Prager
  9. Hamavdil
  10. Yedid Nefesh by Samuel Malavsky
  11. Zemiros Medley by Oscar Julius

Related Research Articles

<i>Hazzan</i> Jewish cantor

A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term also used in Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shlomo Carlebach</span> Jewish musician and rabbi (1925–1994)

Shlomo Carlebach, known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime.

Mordechai Werdyger is an American Israeli Chasidic Jewish singer and songwriter who is popular in the Orthodox Jewish community. He is the son of cantor David Werdyger and uses the stage name Mordechai Ben David or its initials, MBD. He is known as the "King of Jewish Music" and has released over 40 albums while performing internationally. He has headlined at charity concerts—including those of the HASC and Ohel. On February 27, 2022, he was inducted with the inaugural class of the Jewish Music Hall of Fame.

Shloime Dachs is an American Orthodox pop vocalist. He is also the founder of the eponymous Shloime Dachs Orchestra, which plays at weddings, concerts, and benefits.

David Werdyger was a Polish-American Hasidic hazzan and solo singer. A Holocaust survivor who was incarcerated in several Nazi concentration camps, including the factory run by Oskar Schindler, Werdyger moved to Brooklyn, New York, after World War II and began recording albums featuring the music of the Bobov, Boyan, Skulen, Melitz, Radomsk, and Ger Hasidic dynasties, recording 60 albums in all. He also established the Jewish record label Aderet Records, now managed and owned by his son Mendy Werdyger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yossi Green</span> Composer of contemporary Jewish religious music

Yossi Green is a Hasidic Jewish composer of contemporary Jewish religious music. As of 2013 he had written more than 700 melodies in the genres of pop music, classical music, liturgical music, Hasidic music, and show tunes. His songs have appeared on more than 120 albums and CDs. His clients include most of the superstars of the Orthodox Jewish music world. He has released four greatest hits albums titled Shades of Green, and a solo album, The 8th Note. He regularly performs at charity benefits accompanied by popular Jewish singers under the rubric "Yossi Green & Friends".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gad Elbaz</span> Musical artist

Gad Elbaz is an Israeli Jewish singer who has gained international success and recorded several albums.

For the purposes of this article, “contemporary” refers to the period from 1967 to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “religious” to refer to a strict adherence to Jewish law. For the purposes of this article, “religious” refers to the content and context of the music itself: liturgical or implicit references to the divine.

Abie Rotenberg is a prolific Orthodox Jewish musician, composer and entertainer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Mendy Werdyger is an American Hasidic singer, songwriter, and owner of the Jewish record label Aderet [Records] Music Corp. and its retail store Mostly Music in Brooklyn. In 2010, he released his fifth studio album.

Yaakov Dov (Yankel) Talmud was a Hasidic composer of Jewish liturgical music and choirmaster in the main synagogue of the Gerrer Rebbes both in Ger, Poland, and in Jerusalem, Israel. Known as "the Beethoven of the Gerrer Rebbes", he composed dozens of new melodies every year for the prayer services, including marches, waltzes, and dance tunes. Though he had no musical training and could not read music, Talmud composed over 1,500 melodies.

Shloime Gertner is a British Hasidic Jewish singer from London, England. He achieved international celebrity with his first album, Nissim (Miracles) in 2007. He often performs at Jewish weddings, and in concert and benefit performances with other top-billed Jewish singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Friedman (singer)</span> American Jewish singer (born 1984)

Benzion Hakohen "Benny" Friedman is an American Hasidic Jewish singer and a non-pulpit rabbi. Professionally trained in voice, he rose to prominence on the Orthodox pop scene with his first album in 2009. Singing mainly in Hebrew, Friedman tours extensively and also appears in music videos. He views his music as a shlichus (outreach) tool, with the goal of drawing Jews closer to Judaism.

Sol Zim is an American cantor. He lives in Queens, New York.

Ari Goldwag is an American Orthodox Jewish singer, songwriter, composer, and producer of contemporary Jewish religious music, as well as an author and teacher living in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel. He was a soloist for the Miami Boys Choir at age 10 and starred on five albums and three videos before his voice changed at age 14. He launched a music career after his marriage and move to Israel. He has released nine solo albums, and composes songs and produces albums for other artists.

Aryeh Kunstler is an American Orthodox Jewish singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zusha (band)</span> American Hasidic folk/soul band

Zusha is a musical duo blending electronic dance music with their traditional Jewish heritage.

Orthodox pop, sometimes called Hasidic pop, Hasidic rock, K-pop, Haredi pop, and Ortho-pop, is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music popular among Orthodox Jews. It typically draws stylistically from contemporary genres like pop, rock, jazz, and dance music, while incorporating text from Jewish prayer, Torah, and Talmud as well as traditional Jewish songs and occasional original English lyrics with themes of faith and positivity. The genre was pioneered in the 1970s by artists like Mordechai Ben David and the Miami Boys Choir, who incorporated secular pop and dance influences into their music in contrast to the more traditional Jewish music of the time, and has had continued success in the modern era with singers like Yaakov Shwekey, Lipa Schmeltzer, Baruch Levine, and Benny Friedman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eitan Freilich</span> English Orthodox Jewish singer

Chazan Eitan Freilich is a British Cantor, chazzan, performer and singer from London, England. His first album, Am Yisrael Chai was released in 2016. Freilich performs at Jewish weddings, concerts, and other dinner events. Freilich has been performing at camps and concerts worldwide including Camp HASC, Las Vegas, Turnberry - Scotland, and a sold-out concert with Avraham Fried and Beri Weber.

Shulem Lemmer, known professionally simply as "Shulem," is an American Belz Hasidic singer from Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City. He is the first born-and-raised Charedi Jew to sign a major record contract with a leading label, Universal Music Group, under its classical music Decca Gold imprint.

References

  1. ""מאמענט" - וועכענטליכע אידישע מאגאזין - בלאט 123 - אידישע וועלט פארומס". www.ivelt.com (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  2. "Yaakov Lemmer bio".
  3. "16_LiryDram". www.lirydram.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  4. "Judicial Review # 6: "Divine Sparks" (Boston Jewish Music Festival Concert at Berklee): How Hot a Flame?". artsfuse.org. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  5. "National Menorah Lit in Washington" (Blog). Gruntig!. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  6. Israel Philharmonic plays Warsaw Ghetto Uprising tribute, Polskie Radio S.A, 18 April 2013, retrieved 6 December 2013
  7. Koncert kantorów na inauguracji festiwalu "Warszawa Singera", Polska Agencja Prasowa (PAP), 25 August 2013, retrieved 1 December 2013
  8. Mtom, Gasd (19 April 2013), Koncert w 70. rocznicę wybuchu powstania w getcie, Polska Agencja Prasowa (PAP), retrieved 1 December 2013
  9. Prince, Cathryn J. "Signed to major label, Belz Hasid singer Shulem Lemmer lives 'The Perfect Dream'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  10. Jspace Staff (31 January 2012), The First Ever Holocaust Music Video is Released (VIDEO), Jspace News, retrieved 30 November 2013
  11. Campbell, Kay (23 April 2012). "'Rainbow in the Night' Holocaust music video captures horror of World War II persecution". Living. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  12. Cecelia Margules (Writer), Danny Finkelman (Producer/Director) (25 January 2012). "Rainbow in the Night" Official Music Video (Youtube). United States: Sparks Next. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  13. "Bkoil: By Various Cantors (Main)". Product Information. 718Getasong Corp. 19 February 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  14. "Yaakov Lemmer: Vimaleh Mshaloseinu: by Yaakov Lemmer (Main)". Product Information. 718Getasong Corp. 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  15. "Unity For Justice: by Avraham Fried (Singer), Mordechai Ben David or MBD (Singer), Lipa Schmeltzer (Singer), Yaakov Shwekey (Singer), Benny Friedman (Singer), Mendy Werdyger (Singer), Yisroel Werdyger (Singer), Shloime Taussig (Singer), Berry Weber (Singer), Dovid Gabay (Singer), Aaron Razel (Singer), Ohad Moskowitz (Singer), Shloime Gertner (Singer), Shloime Dachs (Singer)". Product Information. 718Getasong Corp. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  16. "Rainbow in the Night: By Danny Finkelman (Producer, Main), Yaakov Lemmer (Singer)". Product Information. 718Getasong Corp. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2013.