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Richard Kaplan
Richard Neil Kaplan (1948-2021) was a musician and synagogue cantor. He served for twenty-two years at the Oakland Conservative synagogue, retiring in 2018. An emeritus member of the Spiritual Advisory Council of Aleph, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, Kaplan received his cantorial smikhah (ordination) from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. He studied Ḥasidic music extensively over many years with Reb Zalman who joked that he was “downloading” his own tremendous knowledge of Eastern European spiritual music into Kaplan. His bachelor’s degree from UCLA was in ethnomusicology, which he continued to pursue for a masters degree at UC Berkeley. After working as a jazz pianist in Manhattan, Kaplan returned to California and taught music history in numerous colleges.קִינָה לְחֻרְבַּן גַּן עֵדֶן | Qinah leḤurban Gan Aden, an eco-lament by Richard Kaplan (2003)
Contributed on: 18 Aug 2023 by ❧
“Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden” was written by Richard Kaplan and first published as the fourth track to his album Life of the Worlds: Journeys in Jewish Sacred Music (2003). This work is under the copyright stewardship of the estate of Richard Kaplan and was republished here at the request of Barak Gale who made a recording of the song with the permission of Richard Kaplan while he was alive. . . .
