Mark Wagman and Alan Goldberg, Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth, November 2024
AKSE Pays Special Tribute and Gratitude to Our Cantor for His 13 Years of Devoted Service to Our Community.
Cantor Yehoshua Redfern has now served Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth for 13 years. A celebration of his “Bar Mitzvah” year will take place on November 17 to mark this milestone. Cantor Redfern has served as both cantor and Torah reader (Ba’al Koreh) of AKSE since 2011. Born and raised in Chicago, Cantor Redfern received his Cantorial Certificate from the Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music, Yeshiva University, in 1977. While serving several traditional congregations throughout North America since 1974, he continued to study voice and Chazanut (cantorial singing) under Cantors Macy Nulman, Noah Schall, and Daniel Gildar.
Cantor Redfern is a soloist with Zemer Chai, the Washington, DC Jewish community premier choir. He has performed with the choir for years, including at Carnegie Hall and at the White House. Eleanor Epstein, Artistic Director of Zemer Chai, has noted “Cantor Redfern’s dedication to Chazanut and to the preservation and perpetuation of the Jewish tradition through the liturgy is unparalleled. His singing is filled with warmth and reflects a deep understanding and love of Jewish prayer.”
The cantor is also a teacher and lecturer on liturgical Jewish music. In 2011 he received the Dr. Karl Adler Memorial Award for the Preservation and Enhancement of Jewish Music Education from the Cantorial Council of America. AKSE congregants have benefited from his teaching over the years. He did not miss a beat during the pandemic, presenting several classes via Zoom focusing on particular composers and holiday music.
Cantor Redfern lives with his wife Roberta in Silver Spring, MD. He travels to Wilmington to co-officiate with AKSE’s Rabbi Abe Rabinovich at most Shabbat services. He also prepares and directs our High Holiday Choir.
Vivian Goldberg, V.P. of Religious Affairs at AKSE, notes that, when seeking input on the cantor’s performance, “I consistently receive comments of high praise on his role as prayer leader and Torah reader, as well as on his personal qualities. Moreover, Cantor Redfern is thought of as a true mensch. We are very fortunate to have a cantor of such high caliber.”
Vivian also points out that, despite being a part-time employee of the synagogue, the cantor maintains close ties with congregants, including with phone calls and visits. As one example, Cantor Redfern has worked intensively with congregant Art Cohen, the first visually impaired student he has had. He asked Art to join the High Holiday choir in 2017, and he has worked one-on-one with him to learn the choir repertoire as well as several solos. The cantor has also worked with Art to master leading parts of the Shabbat service and, remarkably, to chant an entire Haftorah.
In praising the cantor, Rabbi Abe refers to “the prayer of Hineni recited by the Chazzan before the Musaf service on the High Holidays, in which the Chazzan pleads before G-d: ‘Accept my prayer of one who is mature and experienced [in prayer], and as one who is respected . . . whose voice is pleasant, and who is pleasing to his fellow man.’ Cantor Redfern embodies all the wonderful qualities mentioned in the Hineni prayer. He is musically experienced, talented, well respected by all, has a pleasant voice, is pleasing to his fellow man, and I must add that he is an outstanding choir leader. We are so blessed to have our beloved cantor serving as the Shaliach Tzibur (messenger) of our community for the past 13 years uplifting our prayers to G-d.”
