THE CONCERT OF A LIFETIME…THE AFTERMATH

As you may have heard by now, the November 1st concert to honour Beth Sholom’s former Hazzan David Bagley was an unbelievable success. Who would have thought that a concert filled with heavy Cantorial music would not only draw a sell out crowd but also throngs of people looking for scalped tickets at the door.

As the organizer of this event, one of the most important achievements is that it managed to offer Cantor Bagley a renewed sense of purpose in his life. The world’s greatest Cantors sang their hearts out in tribute at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. One of the most touching moments of the evening was the closing number – a video of Hazzan Bagley singing Ani Maamin on the big screen to an assembled congregation in Moscow, 1989 while the world’s greatest cantors stood on stage in Toronto, 2005 serving as his choir. He was front and centre, sitting in his wheelchair and conducting the assembled talent. The image of seeing what can happen to a person in the prime of his career was emotional and humbling. The combination of witnessing life’s frailty and the emotions conjured by the music left few, if any, dry eyes in the concert hall. It also reaffirmed the power of music. A concert that I feared would overstay its welcome, lasted three and a half hours and saw all one thousand people to its conclusion.

One Cantor suggested that a yearly Cantorial Festival should take place in Toronto. While at first I dismissed the idea as foolish, there has been an outpouring of people, many whom are not religious at all, that have volunteered their assistance both financial and otherwise, to build on this year’s concert. The art of the cantorate is alive and well – this music touches the soul of our people.

Music in our tradition dates back to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Beis HaMikdash was filled with music. Our daily recitation of Psalm 150 highlights the instruments used in the Temple period of history. “Praise him with the blast of the shofar, with lyre and harp, drum and dance; praise him with organ and flute, with clanging cymbals; praise him with resounding trumpets.”

The world’s greatest cantors evening brought the music of our people to Toronto on November 1. The miracle of Hanukah is based on the courageous battle between the mighty Maccabees and the enemies of ancient Israel. Upon defeating the enemy, the remaining oil burned in the Temple for far longer than expected – eight days instead of one. We at Beth Sholom experienced a different miracle on November 1st. We bore witness to the courage of the human spirit and the miracle that a few devoted individuals could pass onto an entire community. Representatives from a broad spectrum of Jewish organizations have contacted our shul to acknowledge their gratitude for being a part of such a historic evening. Beth Sholom Synagogue is being praised around the world for achieving this monumental task. While the concert lasted for just a few hours, the glow of its music will last a lifetime as the most inspiring Cantorial evening our community has ever experienced.

Happy Chanukah,
Cantor Eric Moses