SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival will present “A Cantor’s Tale” on Sunday, July 16, followed by a panel discussion of the film. The documentary film will be shown at Temple Sinai, 509 Broadway Saratoga Springs at 6 p.m. Following the showing there will be a brief intermission with the discussion to begin at 7:45. The discussion will be available live and by Zoom.
This feature length documentary, produced and directed by Eric Greenberg Anjou, according to organizers, takes the audience on a musical voyage that spans the Atlantic from Borough Park, reaches all the way to Jerusalem, and provides a nostalgic journey through family, neighborhood, and tradition.
A promotional image for “A Cantor’s Tale” film.
“Think of how music fans got passionate about the merits of the Beatles versus the Rolling Stones, or Norah Jones versus Madonna,” Phyllis Wang, coordinator of the Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival,
said. She added, “ Once upon a time, in 20th century American cities, Jews became that fanatical about cantors.”
The documentary explores this “golden age” of chazzanut (Jewish liturgical music) and its star performers in the Brooklyn of yesteryear, while also profiling one of the form’s most significant latter-day advocates, Jacob (Jackie) Mendelson. Mendelson wanders around his old neighborhood pointing out sights and locations, engaging older passersby and merchants in impromptu chazzanut sing-alongs.
Celebrities such as Alan Dershowitz and Jackie Mason are among those who share their memories.
Clips from old Yiddish language films of legendary cantors, both local and European, many of whom died in the Holocaust show their soulful, distinctive styles and operatic voices.
Registration is required at [email protected] for both on site film and panel discussion or Zoom.
A $5 donation is requested. Information may be obtained at www.saratogajewishculturalfestival.org or www.saratogasinai.org.
