May 19, 1977
On the one-year anniversary of his arrival at Park Avenue Synagogue, Cantor David Lefkowitz presented the Inaugural Concert of the PAS Chorale accompanied by a symphony orchestra conducted by Abraham Kaplan. The 70-member chorus, formed in December 1976, was led by Kaplan, an Israeli-born conductor-composer who was Director of PAS Choral Activities. With four soloists and the chorale, Cantor Lefkowitz performed classical liturgical works and newly arranged compositions to a capacity audience. The concert was the third in a series that included “Great Liturgical Classics Revisited” (March 12, 1977) and “Highlights of Contemporary Jewish Liturgy” (April 22, 1977). The May concert included compositions by Jacob Lefkowitz, Eugene Cines, Max Janowski, and Kaplan, as well as works by Schubert and Handel. One highlight was a choral version of “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” by Naomi Shemer, which became popular after the Six-Day War in 1967 and was performed, on this occasion, on the 10th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.