Jack’s the real dealIn a world full of talk, Jackie has the walk (and that’s not because of his trousers). His technical ability in chazzonos is off the charts and his passion for the art is contagious. Alas, many Chazzanim today are great exponents of the craft but are morally lacking. Jack Mendelson has always been, and is, a true, strong and loyal friend and most importantly, a mensch. That is an enduring quality, which obviously resonates with his countless students. I continually learn from this master Cantor. He is simply “the Chazzan’s Chazzan…”
An inspiration to be treasuredJack Mendelson on the bimah is a joy to behold and an inspiration to be treasured. He invites the kahal into the tefillah—a sheliah of the tefillah to the tzibbur, as it were, as much as the sheliah of the tzibbur to the Kadosh Barukh Hu. When Jack calls a congregant up to join him in prayer, the rest of the congregation accompanies them. When he modulates between a traditional melody and a new riff of his own design, he enacts what we are meant to do with our tradition: make it ours, animate it with our lives, fill it with our music and devotion. Thanks, Jack! And let me add, as chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary, my thanks for all the teaching and mentoring that you have given our students over the years. You made them better hazzanim, better leaders, better shelihim of tzibburim that we cannot yet imagine.
A larger-than-life talentCantor Jacob Mendelson, one of the preeminent Hazzanin of out time, has a larger-than-life talent that embodies a form of Hazannut that is inspiring, spiritual, and fun, all at the same time. He both touches and teaches, and to bring his extraordinary voice and neshama into your community is to bring greatness into your community.
