Avraham Moshe Bernstein

Abraham Moshe Bernstein
Born	Abraham Moshe Bernstein July 21, 1866 Shatsk, Belarus
Died	June 16, 1932 (aged 66) Vilna, Lithuania
Nationality	Russian
Occupation(s)	Chazan, Composer, and Educator

Abraham Moshe Bernstein (July 21, 1866 – June 16, 1932) was a distinguished Chazan and composer. He was among the Chazanim who made an effort to revive the ancient melodies in place of Western Jewish music that had been incorporated into sacred services and had become contaminated with Christian melodies. In 1927, he released a compilation of Jewish folk tunes from Eastern Europe.

Despite his significant contributions to modern Cantorial music, his name remains relatively unknown today, even among Chazanut aficionados, largely because he left no recordings.

Early Life

Born on Tisha B'Av in 1866 in the small town of Shatsk, located in what was then White Russia, Bernstein grew up in an ultra-orthodox household. By the age of nine, he had already gained considerable knowledge of Gemara. At the age of ten, he made the bold decision to leave Shatzk and journey to Minsk to pursue his studies at Yeshiva there.

While there, the esteemed Chazan of Minsk, Israel Minsker, accepted Bernstein into his choir as a chorister. However, feeling out of place among the other choristers due to their coarse behavior, he decided to leave.

Bernstein then moved to the Mir Yeshiva (Belarus), where he studied for two years. After his time in Mir, he traveled from town to town, eventually arriving in Kovno. There, inspired by a deep desire to daven and sing, he met the renowned Kovner Chazan, Raphael Judah Rabinowitch, who became his mentor and close friend.

Career

When Bernstein was twenty-two years old in 1888, he was appointed Chazan in Bialystok’s "Adat Yeshurun" synagogue. He stayed there for eighteen months before moving on to become Choirmaster of the Great Synagogue of Riga, Latvia, where the illustrious Chazan Baruch Leib Rosowsky (1841–1919), presided.

In 1893, Bernstein accepted the Chazanship of the Vilna "Chor-Shul," also referred to as the "Taharat Hakodesh”. He served in that capacity for thirty years. It was the only synagogue in Vilnius not destroyed during the Holocaust, and still stands today.

Zionist Activism

In 1899, Bernstein became actively involved in the clandestine B'nei Moshe organization, led by Ahad HaAm. This movement attracted a wide range of young intellectuals, from Yeshiva students to university scholars, and emerged as a significant presence in the Jewish community. It stirred a strong sense of national pride, aiming to foster a deep love for Zion and a profound appreciation for Jewish heritage among the youth, and rejected the idea of submitting to the challenges imposed by their Gentile surroundings.

Notable Works

Bernstein wrote a large body of work that was collected into three volumes called "Avodat Haboreh." Additionally, he edited the "Musikalisher Pinkus," which is a compilation of Chassidic and Zemirot melodies as well as several Hebrew and Yiddish "lieder," including the well-known pieces "Zamd un Shtern" (words by Frug) and "Hemerel, Hemerl, Kiap" (words by Raizen).

One of his most well-known compositions is "Yismechu v'malchuscho" for Cantor and Choir, which was a part of the repertoire of Europe's most illustrious synagogues before the Holocaust.

Death

He died on the tenth of Sivan in 1932, at the age of 66.