The Hannover German Connection

Although my mother and father got married in Palestine during the British Mandate, the families are from Germany and Austria. My father’s family is from Hannover; my mother’s from Vienna. My maternal uncle, Israel Alter, was the Oberkantor of Hannover from 1925-1935. He was the last chief Cantor before the war. I was privileged to study under him, to learn from him, and to sustain his illustrious legacy. One of my most important and meaningful projects was to help revitalize the European Jewish musical tradition, in all of its richness. I republished Cantor Alter’s original recordings, in a three-CD set, donated the original plastic recording and his scrapbook to the European Center for Jewish Music in Hannover, and gave many performances and interviews for the purpose of reconciling relationships between Germans and Jews. For these efforts, I was awarded the Cross of Merit from the German government, an honour beyond measure.