Yom HaShoah Lecture Recital at Eastman

Yom HaShoah is observed as the Jewish day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who were murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, as well as for the Jewish resistance during that period. In 1951, the commemoration was scheduled to be held a week after Passover, which itself was the inspiration for the Warsaw Ghetto uprising on April 19, 1943.
In a unique fusion of faith and peoplehood, synagogues hold memorial services on this day that integrate traditional prayers with contemporary poetry and song. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Jewish congregations in America have been actively involved in creating new settings, and the Shoah has been a recurring theme for composers and lyricists.

This lecture recital by Hannah Harnest, a PhD student in Musicology, will be structured according to the order of the Yom Hashoa service. The recital will showcase compositions by Cantor Samuel Rosenbaum (1919–1997) from Temple Beth El in Rochester, who was a prominent figure in the American Cantorate. It will also include works by Eastman alumnus and composer Michael Isaacson (b.1946) and Eastman Professor Emeritus Samuel Adler (b. 1928), and Lazar Weiner (1897-1982), one of the most important creators and advocates of Yiddish art song.

 
The recital will feature Eastman students and local artists, and guest tenor Jonathan Kohan,  Argentinian Cantor from Temple Beth-El.

More information on the Eastman webpage.