While today observers perceive Judaism as a religion, Jewish culture is not focused on individual belief and worship so much as on an entire community and its collective relationship with God and its history.Īs a scholar of Judaic studies, I believe these are core, galvanizing elements of Jewish civilization that the Days of Awe bring into relief, making the High Holy Days a focus of congregants’ cultural lives as Jews. The answer lies partly in the nature of Jewish civilization itself. Why, then, do so many individuals who rarely pray in a synagogue choose to do it during the dour Days of Awe, rather than on many of the joyful, celebratory feasts that the Jewish calendar has to offer? What is more, Yom Kippur is among the most somber and punishing holidays of the Jewish calendar. Only 1 in 5 American Jews attend services once a month or more. 24, Jews around the world will be filing into synagogues to mark their “Days of Awe” – the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.įor many who observe these holidays in the United States, the Days of Awe will be the only time that they visit a synagogue this year. Cantor Azi Schwartz’s tracks Bridge Over Troubled Water (feat.Members of the congregation sing during a Rosh Hashana service at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles in 2013.Īnne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imagesīy David L. Noa Schwartz, and they have four children.
#AZI SCHWARTZ PROFESSIONAL#
He has released nine studio albums containing traditional and newly commissioned Jewish liturgical music.ĭedicated to cultivating the next generation of cantors, Azi serves on faculty of all major cantorial schools, and serves as Treasurer for the Cantors’ Assembly, the largest professional organization for cantors.
#AZI SCHWARTZ MOVIE#
He plays the cantor’s role in Richard Gere's movie Norman, and performs in concerts and interfaith missions around the world. During Pope Francis’ visit to New York in October 2015, Cantor Schwartz represented the Jewish people at the multi-religious service at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. In 2018, Azi was featured in a PBS special entitled, The New York Cantors, which brought cantorial music to millions of viewers across the US and in Europe. Passionate about bringing Jewish liturgy to the broader world, Azi has performed at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, Madison Square Garden, the US Capitol Rotunda, and the Israeli Knesset. As PAS Music Center's Director, Cantor Schwartz creates, records, and publishes new liturgical music, as well as hosts world-class guest artists for concerts and worship.
This journey brought Azi to New York, where he leads Park Avenue Synagogue (PAS), the largest Conservative community in NYC and the flagship of Jewish liturgical music in North America.
After graduating from Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute and studying under the top cantors in the world, Azi continued studying music with a Masters in Classical Singing and Conducting from Mannes School of Music. His grandfather, also a cantor, inspired Azi to pursue his passion and inclination for singing and music. His craft of Jewish liturgical music has been described as emotionally moving, spiritually uplifting, and artistically dynamic.Īzi grew up in a traditional community in Israel.
Cantor Azi Schwartz is the Senior Cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, and is a world-renowned vocal performer and recording artist whose music reaches Jewish and interfaith audiences internationally.
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