A film by Erik Greenberg Anjou
A Cantor’s Tale: The Story behind the Making of the Film
Multi-talented writer and filmmaker Erik Greenberg Anjou decided several
years back to re-explore
his Jewish roots, and began studying hazzanut (cantorial
music) in New York City. A short while down that road he bumped into "Jackie"-
Cantor Jack Mendelson, that is. Cantor Mendelson is, to quote Erik, "a one-man
hazzanic ball of fire, encapsulating so much artistry, humor, musicality,
compassion, care and dynamism…a virtual walking trove of tradition." He began
visiting Jack’s home synagogue in White Plains, New York, to experience his
Sabbath prayers first-hand. The seeds of a unique friendship, as well as that of
a very special film, began to take root.
The filmmaker readily identified his task: to make an elegant picture about
one man’s mission to be the carrier of a sublime tradition- and to not step away
from the personal pain and conflict that were part and parcel of that journey.
Jackie’s conflicts were the actual impetus for his idealism. They were deeply
embedded in both his love for cantorial music and his choice to make that music
his life’s work. Erik and his talented film crew traveled with Jackie back to
the "old neighborhood" in Boro Park, Brooklyn, where once upon a time
hazzanut reigned supreme. The film was shot in several stages, which allowed
for some very fortuitous "accidents." For example, during one break in
production, someone at Jackie’s synagogue announced that he was a close friend
of Professor Alan Dershowitz from their Boro Park days; Dershowitz in fact grew
up singing in High Holiday choirs. So off to Cambridge the film crew went to
speak with Professor Dershowitz about the Golden Age of Hazzanut and the unique
tradition
that both he and the Cantor had grown up with. Mendelson has carried
that tradition both onward and back to his alma mater, the Hebrew Union College
in New York, where his mission as a "transmitter" manifests itself most
strongly. The deeply talented vocalist and hazzan spends one day a week there,
rolling up his sleeves and literally sweating to keep this music alive. While
back at his synagogue’s pre-school in White Plains, guitar in hand, the Cantor
mesmerizes the children with his song and smile. It’s Cantor Mendelson’s special
gift; he reaches everyone.
A work-in-progress version of A Cantor's Tale won top awards at film festivals in Warsaw and Tel Aviv. Recently completed, the film is now entering the world in earnest. It is the filmmaker’s hope that this picture will speak to both Jews and non-Jews alike about the value and sometimes difficult lessons of tradition; and that it will help keep the unique and beautiful art form of hazzanut in the vanguard of Jewish prayer and liturgical song.
Production Photo Credits: Katie Wedlund
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