לשבת "שקלים" - "אשכול" מפי שלמה זלמן שבייד

Cantor Shlomo Zalmon Schweid

Cantor Schweid was born in Kosice,Czechoslovakia, into one of the most distinguished and respected families in Slovakia. He demonstrated unusual singing abilities as achild, and became a favoured prodigy of that city. In Vienna, he studied music and voice culture, and was trained in the cantorial arts under the world renowned Cantor of the Polish Synagogue of Vienna, Emanuel Frankel, where he was considered one of the most brilliant pupils. He frequently was invited by the greatest kehillos in Czechoslovakia and elsewhere, to serve in the capacity of guest cantor and to performat important funtions and celebrations. In 1939, he became the cantor of the Congregation Israelitische Religionsgeselleschaft in Basle, Switzerland. There, his popularity and fame grew daily, and even at the present time he cannot be forgotten in Switzerland. Cantor Schweid came to the United States in 1947, and rapidly achieved recognition as one of the outstanding cantors in America. He served the Washington Heights Congregation with destinction and he endeared himself to the community.