VIENNA (JTA) — As many as 100 cantors from North America, Israel and Europe are on an unprecedented concert tour of Poland.
This week’s trip is part of a Cantors Assembly mission called "Poland to Israel: A Journey Through Time," and the group will go on to Israel after its Poland engagements.
Appearances in Poland kick off Tuesday with performances in Warsaw at the National Opera House and at the site of the Warsaw Ghetto during the ceremony kicking off construction of the new Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The cantors also will sing at the Nozyk Synagogue, the only Warsaw synagogue to have survived World War II intact.
Cantors Ivor Lichterman of Tucson, Ariz., and Joel Lichterman of Denver, the sons of Nozyk Synagogue’s last prewar cantor, are part of the group.
The cantors will lead a memorial service Thursday at Auschwitz-Birkenau before heading to Krakow for the annual Festival of Jewish Culture. They also will perform July 5 at Krakow’s Philharmonic Hall to celebrate American Independence Day.
Nathan Lam, chairman of the Cantors Assembly of the United States and the senior cantor at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles, is co-chairing the mission. Support for the tour also comes from the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture.
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