A Kvetch

[debka_notion]

"Dear friends,

I know that camp Hilulim is coming up soon, directly after Rosh Hashanah.

For those of you who might be at Kutchers before the camp, I thought you
might like to know that Dudu Fisher will be the Chazzan for services at the
resort.

Dudu is an awesome performer and knocked out audiences when he was in
Australia last year with his incredibly polished show, great onstage
presence and sense of humour."

OK, all good for the first two paragraphs- and then what happened? Since when is a chazzan (a cantor) a performer dealing with audiences in his/her role as a chazzan? Let alone a show and a stage. I was rather shocked. I mean, for a chazzn to also be a performer is far from unusual and not necessarily a bad thing. But for that to be how a cantor is described to people as positives for his ability to lead a good, meaningful service? Even if no one in the congregation says a word out-loud, I feel like the cantor in the context of worship is leading prayer and should be regarded as leading prayer. If ornate music helps that, then fine, but if it's just a performance then he/she isn't praying and the congregation isn't praying, nor is anyone even being prayerful. So what's the point?

Comments

[gimmelgirl.livejournal.com]

A biographical description of Fisher has to include that, though; he is word-renoun for his performing. He has done a ton of musicals on the Israeli stage, including originating the role of Jean Valjean in the Israeli Les Miz, and has played the role on Broadway as well. He's released a number of showtune cds and has done concerts, as well.

I also think that leading a meaningful service has everything to do with connecting with the kahal, which is in some ways very similar to what a good stage performer does.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

I wasn't thinking much about this gentleman as an individual- it was the assumptions made in the writing that got to me.

Oh, I very much agree that it's similar- but connecting to people you're leading in prayer versus connecting to people you're performing in front of/for are different sorts of connections...

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

1. What gimmelgirl said.

2. The trend in much of observant America and in Israel is to love "hazzanut" as long as it doesn't get anywhere near a synagogue. Concerts sell out, but if someone davens like that everyone complains.