Spirituality

Voice

tures prayer and song with both cantori-
al and Yiddish music. Her favorite part
is `'when the cantor does his special song
f you ask Cantor David Gutman
(of the week) for us."
what he does when he is not
The cantor wants the group to know
singing at Congregation Beit
that "the music is not just a song," but
cc
Kodesh, he'll likely tell you he's
a tune put to a prayer.
singing in concert or at a bar or bat
An important moment is the Mi She-
beirach (a prayer for healing), said for
mitzvah or social event.
Or, he might be leading the weekly
those attending or for their friends or
relatives.
oneg Shabbat at the Jewish Community
Center in Oak Park.
Lillian Zellman often accompanies
the cantor on piano.
Marking 40 years of involvement at
the Jimmy Prentis Morris Building of
Serving the JCC since 1959, when
the JCC, Cantor Gutman continues to
the main building was at Meyers and
direct the Friday afternoon oneg.
Curtis in Detroit, Cantor Gutman says
Typically attended by 12-20 partici-
he founded the old Cantorial Hour,
pants, he describes them as "seniors who
"inviting a different chazzan every time."
don't go to synagogue on Shabbat or
He remembers trying to play records,
weekdays." He serves to "bring the syna-
but soon learned people "wanted the
gogue to them. "
real thing."
Sharon Goldenberg, the JCC's senior
Before becoming a cantor, he sang in
adult program coordinator, says most
choirs and performed in plays.
seniors come to the Oak Park building
Following a performance at the old
for the morning meeting with Temple
JCC, he says he was "approached by the
Kol Ami Rabbi Emeritus Ernst J.
late Cantor Jacob Barkin, who said I
should be a chazzan."
Conrad and then stay for lunch, which
is followed by the oneg.
A week later, he answered an ad in
the Jewish News for a temple soloist at
But some come only to hear Cantor
Gutman. They're people like mother
Temple Beth El in Windsor, where he
and daughter
remained for 3'/2
um
Celia and Phyllis
years. Studying
*owns
F
Engler, who walk
at Congregation
the few blocks
B'nai David,
SI ktk;
from their Oak
then in
mit M
Park home to the
Southfield, he
Cantor David Gutman, who leads
JCC. Although
joined the choir –
the two belong to
the weekly JCC oneg Shabbat,
and met for sev-
Congregation
eral years with
does much, much more.
B'nai Moshe in
the late Cantor
West Bloomfield,
Chaim Adler,
Phyllis Engler says that they, like most of who became his teacher.
the others at the JPM Building, do not
A cantor since 1971, the Oak Park
attend regular Shabbat services. That
resident listened to "recordings of the
makes the oneg led by Cantor Gutman
great chazzanim, taking from the styles
"their only connection with the
of the famous, beautiful-voiced cantors,
Sabbath."
who sang with kavana (meaning)." He
She says the 45-minute oneg, where
also performed with Cantor Shabbtai
her mother often lights the candles, fea-
Ackerman and the late Cantors Pierre

SHELLI DORFMAN
Staff Writer

1

f.2

Community benefits from cantor's
lifetime of song.

Cantor David Gutman at the Jewish Community Center.

Pinchik and Rubin Boyarski.
"Learning all the tricks from them,
taking the best from each and then
doing my own music with what fits
me," he says, "I learned from the mas-
ters of the trade."
Cantor Gutman grew up singing and
was the chazzan of his United Hebrew
Schools class at age 10. A member of the
Cantors Council in Detroit, he was
born in Poland, where he lived until age
6 or 7. He was raised in Detroit. Locally,
he has performed in synagogues, at a
variety of events and with the Civic
Light Opera Company at Masonic
Temple in Detroit.
The lyric baritone says, "I stay busy
singing — between my own synagogue
and the JCC, which is my second home.
They call me their chazzan, and that's an
honor."
Oneg participant Phyllis Engler says,
"fie-is very happy to give of himself. He
enjoys -itfrom his heart."
Cantor Gutman gives 12 concerts a
year locally, performing -Yiddish songs,
Hebrew show tunes, cantorials,

operettas, even some Russian songs.
On becoming a chazzan, he says, "I
think it was destiny. I always loved it but
never believed I would become one
myself. But now, this is what I do. I
love what I'm doing." ❑

Cantor David Gutman's oneg
Shabbat takes place 12:45 p.m.
every Friday at the Jewish
Center's JPM Building in Oak
Park. No reservations are required
and there is no charge. For infor-
mation, call (248) 967-4030.
A Chanuka concert by Cantor
David Gutman, accompanied by
pianist Rose Morgan, is sched-
uled 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec.
8, at the Fleischman
Residence/Blumberg Plaza in
West Bloomfield. There is no
charge. For information, call
Myrna Katz, (248) 661-2999.

12/3
1999

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