Events

Eulogies for Cantor Kraus (1922-2023) at his levayah on May 30, 2023 in Ottawa

Tom Gussman

Chazzan Moshe Kraus was a remarkable man of many achievements, not the least of which was his cantorial excellence and compositions of Chassidic melodies.

But you have heard much about that extraordinary aspect of his life already. I want to share a few anecdotes about Moshe the man. I had the privilege of walking with him to and from shul for 23 years – right after Natalie and I moved into Rio Vista. In 2000, I was elected president of congregation Beth Shalom, and Moshe said to me one Shabbos on the walk home: “they don’t give courses on how to be a synagogue president, so I will teach you.”  He was 75 then, and I was but 50. He was in top physical shape, and when my back was sore he would tell me not to worry if I had to stop for a minute -he would be happy to wait until I was ready.

I would say that Moshe could outpace me until he was 92 or 93, when he had to stop and catch his breath for a minute during the walk. When we arrived at our building, we would sit outside the garage on Daly Avenue and wait quietly until a motorist exited or entered the garage, because we could not use our fobs to open the door. Then we waited again until someone opened the door in the hallway. If Rivka asked what took so long, he replied simply that we were waiting in the garage.

One of my most memorable moments was the memorial event we held at Beth Shalom for Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was brutally murdered by terrorists. I asked Cantor Kraus if he would say a few words and he readily agreed. Since time was tight, I asked if he had prepared notes and he showed me a small index card with a few words on it. Perfect, I thought, because Reb Moshe was a renowned storyteller and economy of words was necessary in this instance. Well, the cryptic words led to a 35-minute story which was of course very interesting but completely outside our agenda.

But today, as we mourn this remarkable man, my most recent memory, which will become my most precious, goes back to this last Shabbat, the second day of Shavous. Mark Honigman normally took Moshe up to the Torah for aliyot, but could not stay because his mother had injured her back. So when Adam Peters called out Moshe’s name, I walked him up to the bima and he said his brochos and then I walked him back to his chair. That is a moment I will never forget.

I have no doubt that Reb Moshe Shimon will regale the audiences in Shemayim with his hundreds of fascinating Chassidic stories. I am grateful that I am among those privileged enough to have heard those stories here in Ottawa.

Good bye, my dear friend – may your soul be bound up in eternal life.

Adam Peters

Often, when someone great passes away we say it’s the end of an era. We proclaim it like things will change, or our lives will be different. The passing of Moshele Kraus is not the end of an era. He marked the end of eras! He eulogized and memorialized those eras, and he was our last living link to those eras. Moshele was a constant in my wife and her family’s lives. They celebrated simchas together and navigated all the trials and tribulations of the downtown Ottawa community together. My father-in-law, Heshel Teitelbaum knew him for 45 years. To this day he quotes Moshele’s stories almost verbatim because he was present for so many recountings over the years. Moshele and Rivka served as surrogate grandparents to my wife and her siblings, who spent many Shabbos meals at their table. My own kids were heartbroken at the news yesterday. They always took any opportunity they could to visit the Kraus’.

I had the privilege of knowing Moshele for the past 19 years, barely 1/5^th of his life, but it was a very special time. It’s not always that one has the experience of watching a lifetime of adventure, tragedy, comedy and even romance transition from reality to mythology. But that is exactly what we at our little shul on Rideau St were witness to for the past 2 decades. He had stories from his youth, stories from the holocaust, his courtship and early marriage to Rivka, and of course his many adventures as a world renown chazzan after the war. Some of his stories seemed true until he finished off with a hilarious punchline, and you realized he was a master comedian who probably could have made a career of it had the whole singing thing not worked out. His stories were not always funny, though. Many were tragic tales of family members murdered or of the horrors he experienced in the camps. We all know that his nickname, Moshele Der Zinger was not a term of endearment from friends and family, but a nickname given to a young man who tried to bring comfort to his fellow Jews, many of whom would not live to see the morning after his performance.

Of course, as Jews, who often speak about great rabbis and their Torah as if they are in the room. Moshele was a talmid chacham, a fact he kept quiet most of the time. However, he was known to interject some fairly obscure Torah idea into a conversation from time to time, which would reveal the depth of knowledge he held on so many torah subjects. Moshele was a wealth of first-hand knowledge and stories of great Rabbis and personalities, and their traditions. From his youth in the Chassidic courts of Hungary and Romania (he was a Carpathian, he would proudly declare when someone asked him why he wasn’t bundled up in the dead of winter), to his experiences in the DP camps and the early days of the state of Israel, Moshele seemed to encounter all the gedolim. These stories often resembled Chassidic tales from centuries ago, but you knew they were first-hand accounts.  He was especially prolific with the stories of his beloved Rebbe, the Minchas Elazar of Munkatch, in whose home he grew up. From his Rebbe he heard first hand accounts of an even earlier generation of great Rabbis and their wives and families, each with its great torah or moral lesson. I was inspired tremendously by these stories as I embarked on my own journey of teshuva.

At the same time, we can never forget the monsters and villains that he encountered too, may Hashem erase their names. Moshele was a survivor and witness of the holocaust. Like many survivors, he told the stories that we could comprehend, and left the ones we couldn’t to his memories and nightmares. He spoke out about his experiences and contributed many testimonials to not just those terrible events, but to the lives and the communities that were destroyed. He felt the loss of his family deeply up until the end. Any story about any family member lost in the holocaust always ended with “and he was killed along with his wife and X number of children.” The X was seldom a small number, and there were always tears in his eyes.

Following the war, Moshele had an illustrious career, with his beloved and devoted Rivka by his side. Not just as a chazzan for a particular shul, but giving concerts all over the world! Like Moshele, I could never keep the dates and places straight, but if anybody wants to know where he was and when, just do what he did, and ask Rivka!

In his 90s, Moshele entered into a well deserved retirement. He told me it was no longer easy for him to prepare his voice for a large concert in front of thousands. Moshele was larger than life to many. He davened or performed in front of thousands before the war and after the war. But he was just as at home in our little shul as he was in front of those crowds. I never saw him perform in front of one of those massive crowds, but I assume he knew how to make himself the centre of attention, and to make sure that all eyes were on him. But he never led the davening at our shul. He was just part of the minyan, quietly davening from his teeny tiny siddur, that we all assumed was completely redundant as he knew the davening and the torah reading by heart. However, he was always ready to answer a question on halachas of davening if some strange situation came up. He would also provide unsolicited critique of someone’s davening from time to time. I eventually came up with a way to avoid any criticism. Before I would daven Hallel, one of his favourite tefilos, I would ask if he would like to lead. When he would decline, I would always say,  “so now you can’t complain.” He would smile, knowing he’d been beaten, and I would come away unscathed. Although, I always felt bad that he had to endure my singing.

We in our shul were devoted to him and Rivka. There are two similar mitzvos in the Torah, honouring Torah Scholars and honouring the elderly. Often these two go together. One could ask, why do we honour people who must have the wisdom to try to avoid honour? After all, pirkei avos tells us to run away from honour! Why make it harder for them to avoid the negative trait of gaivah, haughtiness. It’s very simple really. Honouring others has several components. It’s not just throwing fundraising dinners in their honour or naming awards after them. That’s the easy part! Showing honour in the Torah sense is serving that person to show your subservience to their wisdom and experience. In other words, it gives the honourer a chance to do chesed and at the same time learn and benefit from the wisdom and experience of the honoree. At our shul, we were truly privileged that Hashem gave us the opportunity to honour and serve Moshele. In the last few years the stories disappeared, but our devotion to Moshele didn’t wane. Our shul community, as well as the wider Ottawa community, rallied to meet his needs and to support Rivka. The opportunity for chesed and the opportunity to honour and serve a Talmud chacham and a zakein was the greatest gift he could give us, even more so during the darkest days of Covid lockdown, when nobody was allowed to visit, and their only outings were our weekly trips to Loblaws. His passing has taken away the opportunity for so many mitzvos and gemilus chassadim, and leaves a terrible void in all of us.

Of course, we’re left with his stories. We’ll never forget his stories. How can we? Hashem granted him so many years in which to tell them to us! And as the life of Moshele Der Zinger ends, his stories become legend and myth, recounting the eras that he witnessed, including all the amazing and terrible events and personalities that he encountered and experienced. Most of all, Moshele was the once present, now missing link to our past. It was a privilege to know him, it was a privilege to learn from him, it was a privilege to serve him. It was my great privilege to be the last one to utter the words “Yaamod, Harav Moshe Shimon Ben Harav Meir” this past Shabbos when I called him to the Torah. One last opportunity to honour a great man.

Bram Bregman

I will begin by reading some words from Barbara Crook, a dear friend of Cantor Kraus and Rivka, and I will then share a few reflections of my own. This is from Barbara:

Dearest Rivka, dear friends,

I am so sorry that I am away from Ottawa and am unable to be with you in person. But I am honored to pay tribute to Moshe from afar.

I first met Moshe on the Holocaust Remembrance Committee in 1999, and soon got to know his lovely wife, Rivka. I enjoyed his stories, the twinkle in his eyes, his elegant, old-school manners. And I knew that he was a famous cantor.

But it wasn’t until 2005, when I joined him in Germany for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, that I truly realized how many lives he had touched. We were with survivors from around the world, and everywhere we went, people came up to him, shook his hand and reminded him of something he had taught them or done for them.

They remembered him as Moshele der Zinger, whose beautiful voice, sacred music and Yiddishkeit had kept their hopes alive in the living nightmare of the Shoah.

It was a solemn occasion, but he loved it when I called him “Moshe Kraus, Superstar!”

And I witnessed the true power of his talent and his faith when he sang the El Malei Rachamim, the Jewish prayer for the souls of the departed, among the mass graves at Bergen-Belsen. 

I felt as if he was expressing the collective anguish of those who had been murdered by the Nazis. He was speaking to the Eternal on behalf of those who had no one to speak for them.

One of my other great memories of Moshe is when Eli Weisel of Blessed Memory came to Ottawa for a speaking engagement in 2005. The first thing he asked me when I met him at the airport was when he would be able to see the Krauses.  As we sipped tea on the Krauses’ balcony on a balmy September afternoon, it was clear that this famous writer and humanist, the world’s leading spokesman on the Holocaust, still looked up to Moshe, who had been his cantor, teacher and choirmaster in the Transylvanian town of Sighet, now part of Romania.

Finally, I can’t talk about Moshe without talking about Rivka, his wife of 72 years. She was his helpmate, his inspiration and his biggest cheerleader. In the last few years, she has also been a remarkable caregiver, sometimes under very difficult circumstances. She is so strong, but now it’s time for us to be strong for her.

When I last visited Moshe and Rivka four weeks ago, just before I went to Israel, Rivka was showing me the wonderful tributes Moshe had received from dignitaries, and heads of state, to commemorate his 100th birthday. Moshe joined us. He still wanted to be part of everything, to be engaged. And he never lost that twinkle in his eyes.

Rest in peace, Moshele, dear friend. You continue to inspire us, and your light continues to shine.

——————

Thank you, Barbara. For myself, if I can sum up Cantor Kraus in one word, it would be “fortitude”. Oxford defines fortitude as “courage in pain or adversity”, and Cantor Kraus epitomized this with his strength of mind, body, soul, and heart.  

Cantor Kraus emerged from Bergen Belsen with a determination to rebuild his life in a world that had abandoned people like him. This took fortitude. But where Cantor Kraus demonstrated his greatest fortitude was in his devotion to the victims of the Shoah, whose stories he told with unwavering dedication to the unspeakable pain they endured.

Cantor Kraus was a Holocaust survivor, one who bore the burden of the living. It was not easy for Cantor Kraus to tell the story of Bergen Belsen. In fact, it was incredibly difficult and painful. To tell his story was to relive the darkest and most desperate moments of his life. But to not tell the story would have been to forsake the victims of the Holocaust to the fading effects of time.

Cantor Kraus never allowed that. He mustered the courage to share his story — to relive his story — with audiences of men, women, and children who gathered by the hundreds to help Cantor Kraus fulfill this dedication, this mission, this mitzvah, to the victims of the Holocaust.  

Cantor Kraus would say: “When people ask me, I can’t say no. Thank G-d I’m still alive, so I tell them the story. I will tell it as long as I can speak and I have the opportunity to travel.”

And he undertook this duty until only a few years ago – including flying to Winnipeg with Rivka at age 95 to speak at a high school after an antisemitic incident. At this event, not even 5 years ago, he said:  “My father was 42, my mother was 38 — two sisters, seven- and six-years-old, 32 uncles and aunties – burned. One hundred and forty of their children burned and I have a question, ” Cantor Kraus said, fighting back his tears. “Why did I remain alive?”

I believe Cantor Kraus remained alive to tell their stories. To inspire generations to come with his words and his beautiful melodic voice. To ensure that people heard first-hand accounts of survivors to fight Holocaust deniers. And to educate the Jewish people to be proud of their long heritage. But to do all of this – required fortitude.

And much of this fortitude came from his dear wife of 72 years, Rivka. Anyone who witnessed them together saw the mutual love and respect they had for one another. Rivka was always by his side – a true life partner in his mission to inspire the world.

I would be bereft if I did not share Cantor Kraus’ wit as, despite the pain he carried around, he understood that life should be full of joy and humour. There is one story that stands out for me. One Shabbat morning after services, Cantor Kraus came home to Rivka and said “Rivka, you must call the police!”. Rivka said, “What happened?!”. Cantor Kraus said “There was a murder in shul”. “A murder in Shul! Oh my G-d” replied Rivka. “Call the police” said Cantor Kraus again. Rivka asked, “Moshele, please tell me what happened!” Cantor Kraus replied “I will tell you what happened. One of the members of the choir murdered his solo, call the police!”.

Thank you, Chazzan Kraus, for your fortitude, for making us smile, and for inspiring us.

You may view a video of the entire 90 minute Shloshim memorial service at the following link. But we have also provided the text for most of the eulogies below:

Barbara Crook

Distinguished Rabbis, Chazzanim, Ambassadors and emissaries, Rivka and dear friends,

It is such an honour to be able to pay tribute to Cantor Kraus, especially since I was out of town and unable to join you in person for the funeral.

Moshe Kraus, of Blessed Memory, was a tough act to follow.

And I mean that literally.

Several years ago, I was asked to sing O Canada and Hatikvah at the War Museum on National Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The “important person” from Toronto couldn’t come, so I was a last-minute replacement. And it was a real honor.

I opened the ceremony with O Canada, and knew that I would be singing Hatikvah at the end of the event. But I hadn’t realized that my rendition of the Israeli anthem would come right after Moshe was to sing the Kel Malei Rachamim.

If you’ve read my introduction to Moshe’s autobiography, or heard Bram read my eulogy at Chazzan Kraus’s funeral, you may recall that hearing Moshe sing the Kel Malei among the mass graves at the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 2005 was, and continues to be, one of the most moving experiences of my life.

As I said at the time, I felt as if Moshe’s voice had captured the collective anguish of those who had been murdered by the Nazis. It was as if he were channeling the souls of the dead in his prayer to the Eternal.

In those days, I could barely get through Hatikvah without choking up. How was I going to hold it together after hearing Moshe’s prayer?

His interpretation of the Kel Malei at the Holocaust event was beautiful, as I expected. And it was indeed hard to keep my emotions in check.

But then I thought, “Here is the wunderkind from the former Czechoslovakia, survivor of the Shoah, who escaped death by singing German lieder to Commandant Joseph Kramer, ‘the Beast of Belsen,’ and whose singing inspired other prisoners to try to live another day.”

He was also the first Chief Cantor of the Army in the new State of Israel.

And then I had a revelation . . .

I felt as if my role that day was to close the circle. To remember, as I sang the beautiful words of Hatikvah, what he and the other prisoners had gone through — their bravery, their faith, their determination to build a Jewish state out of the ashes of the Shoah —  and as a realization of the dream for a Jewish homeland.

He was my inspiration that day. Indeed, every time I sing Hatikvah, his life, his experience, his voice continue to inhabit the words.

Yes, Cantor Kraus was — and is — a tough act to follow. And we continue to mourn his loss.

But I would like to think that he continues to inspire us with his wisdom and compassion, to challenge us to serve Hashem and to honor the martyrs, and to remember the stories that are such a rich part of our Jewish heritage.

And those are acts that are truly worth following.

Thank you.

Ambassador Robert Hage

          Have you ever thought yourself lucky to meet someone who is so unique that you will never forget them?   I consider myself one of those lucky ones in meeting Moshe Kraus.

          In the summer of 2004, I became Canada’s Ambassador to Hungary and Slovenia.  In November, I received a message from headquarters that Cantor Moshe Kraus from Ottawa, accompanied by his wife Rivka, would be visiting Budapest to light the Hanukkah Menorah in front of the magnificent Parliament Buildings. I was pleased to be invited to attend.

          I remember the cold evening when I met Cantor Kraus and Rivka in a small tent near the Menorah.  What surprised me, and I believe Moshe, was the height and size of the Menorah.  Moshe would have to be lifted to the candles in a “cherry picker” holding a flaming taper. 

          I remember looking up and watching this rather elderly man in a gusty wind lighting the middle candle followed by the one for first day on Hanukkah.  He would dutifully repeat this each of the eight evenings of Hanukkah.

          When Moshe descended, he had a smile on his face and said: “I never thought I would ever see a Menorah in front of the Parliament Buildings in Budapest.”  His ongoing visit including the meals we had together and visits to the Great Synagogue and its surrounding Jewish quarter, areas he knew well.  I remember his voice ringing out as he stood before the Ark in the Synagogue.

          He recounted his upbringing in Uzhhorod, Czechoslovakia where he was the eldest of nine children.  The discovery of his “golden voice” and, starting from his early years, requests from synagogues to serve as their cantor.  He told me of a Friday when Jews were required to register in Sighet, Hungary.  He asked an officer to allow him to leave to prepare for the Sabbath. He was met with a blow which knocked him unconscious.

          He left Sighet to become Chief Cantor in Budapest.  It did not last long.  He was marched with other Jews through the streets of Budapest to start their journey to a labour camp in Yugoslavia and finally to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.     

          I learned how singing saved his life at Bergen Belsen, how he went on to become the First Cantor for the new Israeli Army and met and married an Israeli girl, Rivka, his life partner. 

          Despite the horrors that Moshe endured, I also learned from him how to forgive. I heard him tell others to put aside any animosities and respect others.  Throughout, Moshe lived the words of the Hebrew Scriptures: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. 

Moshe Shimon Reichberg

AN OPEN LETTER

I know that over the years I have been part of your events honoring my late uncle the great Chazzan Moshe Shimon (Moishele) Kraus ז״ל We were always very close as he was my mother’s תיבדל לחיים טובים only surviving sibling (2 others lived in Israel and passed
away many years ago), both of whom experienced the horrors of
the Holocaust and came back to build fulfilling lives.

I would have loved to be part of the events in memory of and paying tribute to Moishele. However, with my wife and myself living together with my dear mother תחי׳ these past 7 years, it has become increasingly more difficult to do so.

At this time it is impossible for me to travel to Canada and be away from her for any length of time.

I trust that you will understand me and accept my brief words which will be presented in my name.

May we meet on joyful occasions and may משה שמעון בן מאיר Moishele’s memory be for a blessing. – ע״ה

Moshe Shimon and Gitty Reichberg
Brooklyn, NY

בס״ד

A SPECIAL PRESENTATION BY MOSHE SHIMON REICHBERG,
ד׳ פנחס, תשפ״ג • BROOKLYN, NY JULY 5, 2023
AT AN SPECIAL EVENT IN MEMORY OF CHAZZAN MOSHE KRAUS
IN OTTAWA, CANADA

Good afternoon. We are gathered to honor the memory of Chazzan Moishe’le Kraus – ע״ה – my uncle.

My mother, his sister Rivka תחי׳, and I were always very close to him, and תיבדל לחיים טובים, and his dear wife Rivka תחי׳ . We would speak to them weekly, and always hear this from him: “I want to give you the blessing my Rebbe, The Minchas Elozor of Munkacz – זצ״ל –
said to me : “Zolst veren Elter – Nisht Alt!” – meaning to say “Age gracefully – but never become old”. This is indeed a statement which could have been said about Moishele himself.

No matter how much pain and suffering he went through during his life, he never became old! He spent the postwar years warming and stirring the hearts of Jews worldwide, and educating the Jewish and non-Jewish world to learn from the mistakes of the past, that the horrors of hate should not be allowed to flourish again in today’s world.

In this weeks Parsha of Pinchas, we read about the Yomim Tovim, and we remember the glorious Yom Tov Tefillos with which Moishe’le would inspire us all. Everyone who ever met him or heard him sing or pray will never forget him. May his good deeds and zechusim ensure his exalted soul peace and comfort, and may Hashem grant my aunt, his dear wife, Rivka תחי׳ the health and strength to continue her good deeds עד מאה ועשרים שנה

His Yahrtzeit falls on the 9th of Sivan. Since he left no children, all are requested to pray and study in memory of
משה שמעון בן מאיר ע״ה
תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים – יהא זכרו ברוך

Chashuve Rabbonim, Honoured Ambassador of Hungary, prior Ambassador to Slovenia, First Secretary at the Embassy of the State of Israel, staff of the Embassy of Germany, family, friends of Moshe Shimon and Rivka Kraus, and friends of Ohev Yisroel, I am an ordinary Jew.  I was born just after the War and, since my father A”H was a survivor, I have always been sensitive to the Holocaust experience,  So, I always felt an affinity to Chazan Kraus.  Nevertheless, I ask myself who am I to give a proper tribute to this exceptional man?   There are great people all over the world who would be better suited speakers – Rabbis, cantors, world leaders etc.  But what I say comes from the heart.   Chazan Kraus’ life story is well-known, and you have probably already read the essentials of his life, either online or in newspaper eulogies or in his autobiography.  So, I will skip most of that and, instead, provide a personal perspective, having known the Chazan for 45 years. 

He was Moshe Shimon ben R’Meir Kraus – most called him Cantor Kraus.  We, in his kehillah always called him Chazan Kraus.  His close friends called him Moisheleh, a name which stuck with him since his teens.  During the War he was called Moishele der Zinger, giving hope to his fellow concentration camp inmates with his joyful songs.  But I could never bring myself to call him by his first name.  After all –  a) he was much older than I am; b) he was a distinguished man in many fields, having received semichah from the Munkatcher Rov as a teen, and c) a master cantor – the Sabba Kadisha of chazzanus.  There is a certain degree of respect, we needed to give him. So, I shall continue to call him Chazan Kraus.

Career

Very briefly, Chazan Kraus’ formal cantorial career started out as the city chazan of Sighet in Hungary, once he became a Bar Mitzvah.  During the War he became the chief chazan of Budapest. After liberation he became the chazan of the Malbim shul in Bucharest, then the General Secretary of the Rabbinate of the Joint Distribution Committee centred in Germany, then the first Chief Cantor of the Israel Defence Forces during and after the War of Independence, then the Chief Chazan of Antwerp, followed by Johannesburg, then Mexico City and finally in Ottawa. Many, many adventures in between which you can find in his autobiography.

What I want to concentrate on here is what is not in the biography, and that is because there was relatively little drama in what he did after he retired from his last official position as the Cantor of the prestigious shul in downtown Ottawa, Beth Shalom.  After retiring

1. He helped to run the services at the Old Age Home (Hillel Lodge) in downtown Ottawa along with a few other volunteers, myself included.  I think that he wanted to bring joy and vigour into the lives of the elderly, making them feel important to be in the presence of someone who could communicate with Hashem by song.  They looked forward to the services because of this attitude, making them feel special.  I was the gabbai in that shul on Shabbos.  Chazan Kraus would often lead the services with his inimitable style, even though there were maybe a maximum of 20 congregants in that chapel.  It didn’t matter to him how many congregants or what their background was:  he davened (prayed) to Hashem, not to the crowd. To emphasize that he was davening not to those in attendance but rather to Hashem, he would modestly emphasize that he was actually a Shaliach Tzibbur – someone chosen by the kehillah to represent their prayers to Hashem.
2. After the Old Age Home moved away from downtown Ottawa, and after the main orthodox shul voted for mixed seating there was no other Orthodox shul for this elderly and distinguished gentleman to walk to on Shabbos. So, together with a handful of mostly elderly Jews who had no other place to daven, and others who felt abandoned, we established a shtiebel, called Ohev Yisroel.  The name of our shul befitted Chazan Kraus because he was makpid (insistent) on Ahavas Yisroel – loving kindness to fellow Jews.  This shul serves the downtown population as well as the University students nearby, tourists and travelers who come here for business or conferences.  After all, downtown Ottawa is a major tourist destination, and that’s where hotels and B&B’s are located. That was 21 years ago. So, again, with maybe 20 men, max, Chazan Kraus had a nice place to daven.  Remember, in his prime he would lead 2,000 people in prayer.  But  again here, he would give his all whenever he davened for the amud.  By this time, he was well into his in his 80s; but he did not lose his powerful voice nor his powerful style.  We members were privileged to be in his presence, because he brought us into the presence of Hashem (God).   He kept leading the service into his 90s, ie. until his eyesight weakened and until he started to have a little difficulty hearing near the end.  Until his 90’s he spent plenty of time traveling and talking to youth all over the world about the Holocaust in his authoritative style, inspiring them to not lose the memory of the Holocaust.  He would also still give concerts all over the world.  Every year he would go to lead the services in the main shul in Budapest where he had been the chief cantor during the War (until he was caught by the Nazis). He would also travel on every occasion to the Bergen Belsen memorial service for the victims of the Jews in that camp.  His Kel Maleh Rachamim and the “great” Av HaRachamim” prayer were famous for bringing Jews (especially Holocaust survivors) to tears and for even getting some Jews, who had lost their faith, to return to Yiddishkeit.   He would go faithfully to our little shul, Ohev Yisroel, on Shabbos until his dying day.  He passed away 2 days after the holiday of Shavuos.  

Still talking about his Ottawa activities  — Gala celebration

I will say a few words about the gala celebration which we held one year ago on the occasion of our shul’s 20^th anniversary and simultaneously on occasion of Chazzan Kraus’ 100^th birthday.  It took us a month of intense preparation and advertising and soliciting.  We easily found 200 people who wanted to participate (it was a ZOOM webinar).  It was a major undertaking with several committee members playing many roles simultaneously.  In the end, we were amazed and heart-warmed to see so many people who loved Chazzan Moshe and Rivka Kraus participating and sending greetings from all over the world.  There were politicians from all levels of government, the Prime Minister of Canada, foreign ambassadors, the Queen of England, the President of Germany, Emunah Canada, Chazzan Kraus’ colleagues from the world of Chazanus and, of course, friends and family of Chazan Moshe and Rivka Kraus.  A reunion between Chazan Kraus and his siter in NY was a highlight. 

Now, I shall say a few words as an introduction to Chazan Kraus’ personality. 

Influences in his life

1. Chazan Kraus had told us that he almost lost it during and just after the War. He described himself as being a “wild” man after the War – a strange word to us, but he meant that he couldn’t control his emotions.  It was probably his marriage to Rivka which eventually calmed him down.  But there were other prior influential figures:
2. R’Boruch’l Rabinovitch (the successor to the Munkatcher Rov) and the Klausenberger Rov, each survivors, each helped him to come to the realization that he could, despite all the pain, he could have true Emunah in Hashem.  They convinced him that there were no answers – merely unanswerable questions. 
3. And, of course, his beloved mentor, the Munkatcher Rov himself, was always in his mind, guiding him in the path of holiness, ever since he became a Ben Bayis in his home until the Rov’s death in 1937.
4. It might sound strange, but I think that one of the main influences in his life was his step-grandfather, Yeshayaleh Kerestirer, who died when Chazan Kraus was only 2 or 3 months old.   R’Yeshayaleh was much revered by Hungarian Jews and by the Hungarian peasantry because of his passion for providing bread for the hungry passersby.  To this day there is an annual pilgrimage of throngs of international visitors to Kerestir on the occasion of his Yahrzeit.  It is becoming as, if not more, popular than pilgrimages to Uman. Chazan Kraus had always been told by his father about R’Shayaleh’s generosity and the famous pledge given to Chazan Kraus’ grandmother, that such Hachnossas Orchim (an open door policy for guests) would result in blessings.  I suspect that this played a subconscious role in Chazan Kraus’ lifestyle.  Everyone who ever visited any shul where Chazan Kraus davened would be invited to the home of Moshe and Rivka Kraus for Shabbos or holidays.  I too benefitted from this generosity.  The very first Shabbos after I arrived in Ottawa while scouting for a home for my new wife, I didn’t know a single soul. I, a complete stranger, was immediately invited to the Kraus home. Not only was I wowed by the chazanus I had just experienced in the synagogue, but also by the warmth and sincere Ahavas Yisroel (love for a fellow Jew).  I was treated to Torah, singing and stories.  I had hit the jackpot!  Here in Ottawa, of all places in the world where I had landed, it was genuine Hachnassos Orchim in action.  Nobody came close.  True, as a descendant of the Ohev Yisroel, I was already previously sensitive to this middah, and as a single wanderer in Europe going from shul to shul in Europe every erev Shabbos during the 3 years before coming to Ottawa, I was always the one in need.  So, I knew first hand the value of Hachnossos orchim.   Over the years my family was often invited to the Kraus home, and we in turn made it a point to also invite guests for Shabbos in our own home.  In fact, we often competed with the Krauses for travelers when they showed up in town. 

Chazan Kraus was also influenced subtly by R’ Shayale Kerestirer’s brochoh (blessing) given to him when he was 2 months old.  Looking at the little baby boy, R’Shayaleh remarked oy a zisse piskele (what a sweet mouth).  Chazan Kraus’ parents assumed that he meant that the child was cute and that, with a sweet mouth he had the power to bless others.  People would come to his house to be blessed by the little child.  Only later, did Chazan Kraus realize that it was an actual brochoh to himself – may he be a sweet singer.  One time he told me, Oy did I ever have trouble from that blessing, meaning that he had an obligation to live up to that promise of becoming a sweet singer.

Storytelling

Chazan Kraus was a master storyteller.  Whenever he was among others he would tell a story or two about his past experiences, even about the War. He had developed this skill since his childhood.  Having traveled so much from town to town to perform at concerts and synagogues as a teenager, he would seek out great Rabbinic personalities, to learn from their attitudes and experiences, and he made sure to hear all their anecdotes.  On one occasion, at the age of 14, when he was in one of the Siebenburgen kehilos in Transylvania, which were not Chassidisch at the time, BTW, his host was a town elder who was a descendant of the great Noda BeYehuda (Yechezkel Landau, Rabbi of Prague, born in 1713.)  There was a standing challenge to any guest to recite any anecdote about that famous Rabbi which did not already appear in the book, Noda BeYehuda.  Chazan Kraus volunteered to recount one.  “Ah, but we already know everything about him” said the elder to the short teeanger.  “You can’t tell us anything new.”  “How much will you give me if I do tell you something new”?  They promised him 100 Czech kronen, or in another version which appears in the biography, 1000 pengen in local currency, about $200.  During the Great Deprression it was a fortune, which he did in fact earn by telling a story which they truly had never heard, but that he had had personally heard from his Rebbe, the Munkatcher Rov – a Chassid.

I will repeat this story now.  A slightly modified version appears in his autobiography. I had written down the following, about 20 years ago, when he told it to me and my son, Avromi.   I will try to imitate the drama that Chazan Kraus displayed when telling a story.  I hope I don’t mess up the punchline.

Yechezkel Landau (1713-1793), born more than 300 years ago, had just been elected as the Chief Rabbi of Prague at the tender age of 31.  This was the most prestigious community in Eastern Europe at the time.  There was one holdout in town (what else is new?) – a community elder named “Tzopf”, so-called because of his long hair tied up in a braided pony tail.   One Thursday, Tzopf challenged the Rabbi Yechezkel’s right to the Rabbinate because of his young age.  He says, I challenge you to explain a particular sugya in the Gemarah.  Here is the section.  Rabbi Landau is ready to answer immediately; but Tzopf says NO – one month from now.  I am giving you plenty of time.  If you answer correctly, I will give my personal approval for the Rabbinic position.  If not, you must leave Prague.  Now, Landau is ready to leave because it was a chutzpah and a humiliation.  Is it worthy for me to accept such a challenge?  On the other hand, if I leave now, then people will say that I am afraid or that I am ignorant in Gemarah.  So, he reluctantly agrees.  But he does not prepare until the night before, when he suddenly realizes – hey, this isn’t so trivial after all.  It involved a real Kashe – something that does not even necessarily have a good answer.   He pulls out all the reference books from his vast library.  But he couldn’t figure it out.  So, he is in a panic, but eventually he falls asleep poring over his seforim (books).  He dreams.  In his dream his father, Yehuda Halevi Landau, the erstwhile Rabbi of Apta, reveals to him that Tzopf is actually a Tzaddik nistar – a hidden Tzaddik.  Tzopf is the only one on Earth who knows the answer to the Kashe (the brainteaser).  But the answer is known in Shamayim (in Heaven), obviously. With permission from the impressed hosts in Shamayim, the father revealed the solution to Yechezkel.  The next day, in front of an assembly of all the elders of the community, Yechezkel Landau answered the question including the resolution of the underlying Kashe.  Tzopf closes his eyes for minutes, opens them, and then he addresses Landau:  “Prager Rov (i.e. Rabbi of Prague), I wanted to test YOU – not your father in Gan Eden (Paradise).  But since you were worthy of being addressed from heaven, I submit.  Bless me.    Isn’t that beautiful? I can still hear Chazzan Kraus saying this story with emotion and impeccable timing.  I surely did not do him justice.  But I had to try to show his style.

Chazzan Kraus would tell me, almost everything that he had experienced during the war. There was one episode, though, about which he said he could never speak.  (He doesn’t mention this in his autobiography.)  Several years ago, when he was thinking of writing his autobiography, and sensing that he would never have another chance, he told me that he was ready to tell me about that horrible story in Bergen Belsen, involving the camp commander (Kramer’s) weekly and beastly parties, which had traumatized him.  But, just as he was about to tell me, he broke down, and couldn’t bring himself to do it.  And, so the story will never come to light. 

I always felt that, as an “Od Nitzal min HaEsh”, an ember rescued from the fire, his Holocaust experiences colored almost everything he did thereafter.

Humour

Not only was Chazan Kraus a master story-teller; but his skills used for that were also the same he used to express his sense of humour.  There are hundreds of examples of his style which was a mix of sarcasm and stand-up comedy, marked by his timing.  Sometimes there was a key pause just before the punch line, and sometimes it was a spontaneous one-two punch.  I’ll give one example of the latter which Rivka just told me a few days ago:  While they were living in Johannesburg, and he was the Chazan at the Oxford St. shul, there was a guest Rabbi.  And whenever there is a guest Rabbi, the custom almost everywhere is to offer him an opportunity to give a mini-sermon on Shabbos morning.  The condition was that it should last no more than 5 minutes, just like the regular Rabbi’s time limit.  OK, so 5 minutes pass, another 5, and it took 15 minutes.  Since Chazan Kraus was next up in line, the guest Rabbi told the Chazan, I’m sorry – I realize that I spoke too long.  It’s just that I didn’t bring my watch.  Chazan Kraus didn’t blink an eyelash, and he immediately told him:  You don’t need a watch:  you need a calendar!

As a teacher of Kabbalah and Chassidus

We named our shul, Ohev Yisroel, in part, after a Chassidic Rebbe from the town of Apta in Poland, who was a lover of all Jews, and we wanted to emulate that trait.  One book which that Rabbi wrote was called “Ohev Yisroel”, and so this Rabbi was commonly called the Ohev Yisroel.  What better book to study than that particular one?  Chazan Kraus loved learning and teaching.  You heard the words of Steve Gordon —  Chazan Kraus would learn with anyone who wanted to join in.   There was a time when Chazan Kraus and I would sit down and study that book together.  It was rough going because there were a lot of acronyms and kabbalistic concepts.  Because of the Chazan’s attachment to this, I decided to compose a little script of gematriah to honour Chazan Kraus’ attraction to this concept.  It goes like this.  Every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical equivalent – like a code.  I took the three letters of his name Moshe, then the date that he died – the 9^th of Sivan.  9 plus the numerical equivalent of Sivan.  Added up it comes out to 470.  This number is the same as 400 plus 30 plus 40 which, when re-transformed back to Hebrew letters, it becomes Taf – Lamed – Mem, which is the acronym for Tefilah le Moshe, meaning a prayer for or about Moshe. That is not a coincidence.  The anniversary of the day that he died would be forever designated a day of prayer so that his soul could attain a higher level in Paradise.  In Hebrew we say – the Neshama should have an Aliyah. 

Davening style

Chazan Kraus’s main chazanus skill, aside from the beautiful and powerful voice, was his application of a style called parlando.  It is an Italian operatic term which literally means speaking in singing.  Just perfect for someone who is speaking to Hashem.  It is a conversational singing.  There are no operatic twirlies, no attempts to reach High C.  The rhythm of the phrases are incorporated into the melody.  It is just right for drama. and it employs rapid changes in volume and tone.   He told me once that it was the style, back in the days of his youth, among Chortkver Chassidim; and he thought it was the most appropriate form for a Shaliach Tzibbur to represent a congregation in front of Hashem.  Now, I’m not a singer.  People tell me that I am tone deaf or flat; but I have to give an example.  Otherwise, you won’t understand.  In most congregations – even orthodox ones – and I am not saying this to diminish other customs – the congregation would sing Yishtabah Shimcha la’ad Malkeinu ⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓, or Nishmas Kol Chai Tevareich es Shimcha da da da da da ⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓  .  Chazan Kraus would often criticize this, saying that such nussach (melody) was a North American invention.  The traditional way for the latter was not to even read it out at all.  One of the versions of the Kaddish has a similar melody; but that had to be sung.  So, how would Chazan Kraus say it?   YISGADAL VEYISKADASH SHEMEI RABBAH, as if it were (which it was) a command to the congregation, a call to arms, meaning “It’s time to elevate and make Hashem’s great name holy.  The stress on particular syllables could easily wake up anybody, emphasizing that they were witnessing a grand encounter with HaShem.  How could people resist saying Amen after hearing that introduction!  Even if you didn’t understand those Hebrew words, you would know the intention and meaning of the whole phrase.  This style is conducive to conversation, pleading, praising.  The words of the tefilos had to be said with a feeling that would transmit the meaning.  Chazan Kraus mastered this style.  He told me once that whenever great Chazanim would call on him to teach them this style, they would inevitably fail because they could not shake off their ingrained styles.  He said that you can fill up a cup with tea; but if the cup was already full, you couldn’t add anything to it.

When he was praying as a regular member, I would occasionally sneak a peek at how he was doing things.  For example, during the shemah one needs to take care to say the words precisely.  The phrase “uzechartem es kol mitzvos HaShem” You could hear Chazzan Kraus intentionally saying the word “uzechartem” quite audibly, emphasizing the sound ZZ – uzechartem.  There is a natural tendency to slur the Z and turn it into a soft S – usechartem; but the resulting word would have a different meaning.   

Among other things, I was impressed, for example, with how he kissed his tzitzis (the corners of the fringed prayer shawl).  There are a few times during the prayers on a weekday morning Shacharis, when you would hold one tzitzis from a corner of the tallis (the shawl) and then touch the tefillin shel yad (the arm tefillin), then switch to the tefillin shel rosh (the head tefillin) and then kiss the tzitzis.  During the recital of the Shema, you would take all 4 corners together and do the same at particular phrases – Ukeshartam l’os al Yadecha And you shall tie them as a sign on your hand – really the arm – , veHayu leTotafos bein Einecha (and they shall be a sign between your eyes).  Even if you followed this custom, there is a temptation to go through this operation in a jerky fashion.  Not so Chazan Kraus.  He would make the motions in a deliberate and calculated way with concentration, grace and elegance; he would do it slowly and smoothly – with love.  During the prayer Ashrei, at the phrase: “Poseyach es Yadecha uMasbiah leChol Chai Ratzon”. You are supposed to slow down and concentrate, open the left hand at Poseyach, until the word Ratzon.  That would force the meaning of what you are saying to sink in, namely Hashem opens up His hand and provides for everyone’s needs.  Chazan Kraus would do the same, of course.  But simultaneously he would hold one tzitzis in his right hand, and at Yadecha (meaning “your hand”) he would touch his arm tefillin with the tzitzis, and at Ratzon (meaning “needs”) he would touch the head tefillin with the tzitzis, and then kiss the tzitzis he had been holding.  In that way he would emphasize the meaning of the posuk (phrase); and only then would he slowly leave go of the tzitzis. He would do this at a controlled deliberate pace with class, unifying the arm and the mind – the body and the soul.  When he prayed, even privately, he gave his whole body and soul to Hashem.  At the phrase Vehaya lachem leTzitis u-reisem oso,  i.e. you should be able to see your tzitis in order to be reminded of the 613 mitzvos (commandments) –  when he got to the word u’reisem, ie. you should look – he would hold up the tzitzis and look straight at them in order to emphasize the meaning.  He never realized that I was studying him.  But I am an observer by profession.  Clearly, when praying in private, let alone in public, Chazan Kraus wasn’t doing this for show.  He did it because he meant every word that he said. 

During the Shemone Esrei, the silent Amidah when you would stand, he would not shokel.  He didn’t need to do that in order to concentrate.  He just stood, looking straight ahead, stiff as a ramrod, in a regal manner.  After all, he was addressing Hashem – the King of Kings.  “Dah lifnei mi Atah Omeid” (Know in front of whom you are standing.)  That was his motto.

During the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei for Shacharis of Shabbos, in shuls all over the world, people would sing some parts along with the Chazan.  For example, when he got to Yismach Moshe beMatnas Chelko, everybody would immediately join in.  It was a catchy tune.  Yismach Moshe beMatnas Chelko.  But how many of you know that it was he who composed that tune? And it’s sung all over the world.   During the repetition of the Shemone Esrei there were many opportunities for him to sing.  But he did not use up his whole repertoire every week.  He varied the choices of pieces to sing.  I suppose it was to keep people in suspense till the next time.  Except for Yismach Moshe.  That one he did all the time. (I like to think that he enjoyed that particular piece the most because, although it is referring to Moshe Rabbeinu, our prophet and teacher Moses, being content with his lot, it was coincidentally also expressing his own gratitude, beMatnas Chelko, for the gift that Hashem grants him – Chazan Moshe Kraus – that Moshe —  namely for his vocal talents, and for being left alive.   Yes, many people do not realize that Chazan Kraus was, not only a great singer, but also a great composer of Chazanus.  But think about it.  Here we have a Holocaust survivor, half of whose immediate family had been murdered – and he is grateful to Hashem?  But just like the Klausenberger Rebbe, whom we saw in the introductory video clip, had impressed upon Chazan Kraus after the War that he,  like all Jews, had a holy spark in him and that he should be aware that there is a purpose to the tragedy in his life directed by God, Chazan Kraus truly accepted that he had a mission in life for which he should be grateful.  UNBELIEVABLE!  By the way, this is the actual word and the tone that Chazan Kraus would utter whenever there was something incredulous.

Chazan Kraus asked me to record sessions when he was teaching my son chazanaus, so that my son could practice.   My favorite piece is part of a Psalm comparing a Tzaddik – a holy person – to the flourishing of the fronds of a date palm –  Tzaddik KaTamar Yifrach.  He sang the word Yifrach (which means flowering) with a flourish that made it sound like a plant opening up.  You can actually hear in your heart, so to speak, the date fronds rising up and expanding.  It’s a pity that my old recording didn’t come out too well.  But I do have a short piece recorded when he was teaching my son how to perform a crescendo.  Listen to this masterpiece where you can feel the swelling up followed by a suspenseful anticlimax.

https://youtu.be/oHOaTVKkriU

So, now you know, not only about his vocal skills but also about his teaching skills.

More about his personality

1. His singing, of course, had to be just right – not only the notes, but also the timing and the fluctuations of volume.
2. Although he was relatively short, his erect stature, his regal demeanour, his perfectly tailored clothing, his specially knotted ties, his meticulous grooming, the twinkle in his eye, all made him stand out in a crowd. People would turn in the street when passing by.
3. He was uncompromising in his ideals of religious standards and discipline.  He demanded perfection not only for himself, but also from others.  I will give a couple of examples of his principles:
4. I was a gabbai at the Old Age home, making the services run smoothly.  On Shabbos one usually gives honours to 8 men by calling them up to the Torah.  There were maybe a dozen men altogether to choose from.  How do you choose?  If I made the slightest mistake – say, I missed calling up someone for an Aliyah to the Torah two weeks in a row – boy, did he let me know it.  The same thing if I called up someone, a Yisroel, for the wrong numerical Aliyah.  He scrutinized every word in my concluding remarks too.  It kept me on my toes, for sure.
5. Another example – Chazan Kraus took a liking to my son, Avromi, when Avromi was around 8 years old.  Maybe he saw himself in Avromi at that age – I don’t know.  But in any case, he decided to teach my son Chazanus – cantorial arts.  It wasn’t ordinary BarMitzvah lessons; it was professional training using Chazan Kraus’ style.  Chazan Kraus told us that he had taught only 2 other young men in the past – ever – because they were empty teacups!  It was very flattering for Avromi to get this attention; but it was somewhat nerve-wracking for him because Chazan Kraus could be an intimidating and imposing perfectionist. He expected a lot from Avromi; and he couldn’t tolerate any lack of discipline and concentration.  On our shul’s website recording of the gala celebration for Chazan Kraus’ 100^th birthday, a year ago, you can hear Avromi giving an example involving, of all things, a blue shirt.  You should listen to it.  I, too, attended the learning sessions for an hour every Sunday for several years.  Not only did we learn Chazanus, but we also heard his life stories as well as Chassidische mayses.  By the end of each session, Avromi was quite stressed out.  But Rivka Kraus, realized Avromi’s sensitivity.  And as we were leaving the lessons on one of the first Sundays, she told Avrami: “Avremeleh, our apartment is small, and I could hear the whole lesson. Hearing you sing gives me goosebumps.”  God bless you, Rivka – may you live in health and happiness biz 120.
6. Sometimes Chazzan Kraus’ attitude rubbed people the wrong way.  But you have to train yourself not to judge Holocaust survivors. Because, after all – we don’t know how we would have reacted to life’s stresses after surviving those war years. And because he meant well, trying to get people to do things the right way.
7. I have to say that, B”H, he mellowed in his last few years. 
8. His Ahavas Yisroel –  he always tried to make people happy.  I remember once when one of the men who helped to run the services at the Old Age Home, Isaac B, was in his 90s and was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  He stared into open space. He couldn’t recognize his own family members.  Chazan Kraus made a point of visiting him.  (Visiting the sick is one of the most important precepts impressed upon Jews.)  In this case, it was a seemingly impossible mission to cheer up Mr. B.  But Chazan Kraus knew what to do.  He began to sing to Mr. B.   All of a sudden, Mr. B’s facial expression changed, and he blurted out – Mein Chazan, Mein Chazan.  The ideal of intentionally making a fellow human happy was ingrained in Chazan Kraus.
9. One more thing about Chazan Kraus’ character, and I will finish with this.  I am always up at the bimah as the Ba’al Koreh, the Torah reader, in our shtiebel, Ohev Yisroel.   It’s not an easy job, requiring a lot of practice because the words in the Torah scroll do not have vowels, let alone musical notes. So, the Gabbaim dutifully correct me when necessary.   Men are called up to the Torah one after the other.  When one man’s turn is over, the Gabba’im and the Ba’al Koreh – me – say “Yasher Ko’ach” ie. Thank you – may your strength persist.  But when Chazan Kraus got called up (always as Shishi – 6^th man, an honorable number for Chassidim), before I could say Yasher Ko’ach to him, he would immediately say Yasher Koach to me.   Knowing that I am not an expert Ba’al Koreh, he knew how to make me feel good and appreciated, just like he did to others. 

So, now, Chazan Kraus, since your neshama (soul) in Gan Eden can hear me on this thirtieth day, I say Thank YOU.  I, my wife, my family, Kehilas Kodesh Ohev Yisroel, the Jewish community of Ottawa – we are all eternally grateful to you for allowing us to be part of your life and for your being an indelible part of our life. 

Yehi Zichrecha Boruch.

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