[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

 IN HONOR OF DAVID LEFKOWITZ, FOR HIS 25 YEARS OF SERVICE AS CANTOR OF 
                       THE PARK AVENUE SYNAGOGUE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2001

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
David Lefkowitz, who will celebrate his 25th anniversary as Cantor of 
the Park Avenue Synagogue this month. Mr. Lefkowitz will celebrate the 
anniversary alongside members of the synagogue at a morning choral 
service and evening formal dinner-dance on May 5, 2001. Mr. Lefkowitz 
has served as the Cantor and music director (or hazzan) for the Park 
Avenue Synagogue since 1976.
  One of Mr. Lefkowitz's most notable accomplishments is his playing of 
classical masterpieces of Jewish history. He has also premiered 
hundreds of new compositions and, in order to preserve a record of 
liturgical Jewish history, also created 44 volumes of Friday evening 
and Shabbat morning music. He has also restored and adapted long-
obscure yet important compositions.
  Mr. Lefkowitz, the son of a cantor and composer, was born in 
Cleveland, OH, and received his musical training at the University of 
Pittsburgh, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Julliard School. 
Prior to his work at the Park Avenue Synagogue, Mr. Lefkowitz served 
two other prestigious congregations, Paterson, New Jersey's Temple 
Emanuel and the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center in Brooklyn. With great 
success, Mr. Lefkowitz has performed in recitals, concerts, operatic 
roles and as a soloist with choruses and orchestras in oratories and 
premiers of new Jewish musical works.
  Mr. Lefkowitz is a former president of the American Society for 
Jewish Music and is the current president of the David Nowakowsky 
Foundation. He is also a faculty member of the School of Sacred Music 
at Hebrew Union College.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize Mr. Lefkowitz 
and his outstanding work in my district. His enormous talent has 
provided the Park Avenue Synagogue with original worship music that has 
great cultural significance. In fact, many of these compositions have 
become the favorite selections of the many members of the Park Avenue 
congregation.
  I am happy to congratulate Mr. Lefkowitz on his 25 years of service 
and recognize the many contributions he has given to the Park Avenue 
Synagogue.

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