User:CantorMichaelStein
Hazzan Mike Stein is Cantor Emeritus at HaMakom, a newly formed synagogue merger. Hazzan Stein has been cantor at Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills, CA for 20 years. During that period of time he has created music programs and interfaith outreach programs involving many different communities—including the African Jewish communities in Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe. He has written original musical services in musical genres that include jazz, bluegrass/country, rock and roll, reggae, Middle Eastern and with Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, an African service with children’s choir and well known local African musicians.
Hazzan Stein’s community outreach and interfaith work is typified by being on the board of the Interfaith Solidarity Network of the San Fernando Valley. He has brought together Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and others for a service called “Voices of Unity,” which has been a huge success for 20 years. Mike also formed the Afro-Jewish Alliance which, through his community organizing includes churches from Compton and downtown Los Angeles. He is a regular attendee at LA Mayor Garcetti’s residence for the annual prayer breakfast. He works on issues such as homelessness and hunger.
He was recently honored at the Reagan National Library by the Jewish War Veterans for his service to country and the Jewish community. He was honored by the Federation of Jewish Mens Clubs and received the highest award from the Cantors Assembly, the Samuel Rosenbaum Award for Scholarship and Creativity.
Hazzan Stein has traveled to many different parts of the world to work with Jewish communities in need, including Poland where he directs a program to educate Jewish lay prayer leaders. His work in Uganda has included bringing a sefer Torah, teaching, fund raising, helping farmers and recording the music of the communities there. He also led a delegation to Uganda with the Cantors Assembly to help celebrate 100 years of the Abayudaya and show support for the community.
Mike’s journey has not been a straight line by any means. When he was a young man he was in the original cast of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway (appearing as Michael Jason, Actors Equity name) as well as two other Broadway shows. He was in the original touring company of Tommy. After his Broadway career, he worked for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington DC—stayed there, married his wife Kelley and had three children. While in DC he joined The United States Navy Band and worked in a White House support unit and played for four presidents. He retired from the Navy with the Navy Commendation, Navy Achievement and Meritorious Unit Commendation. He wrote a song in support of Desert Shield called “We Are With You” which is in the Greatest American Song Book, Hal Leonard publishing and played on 1,000’s of radio stations and at Military bases world-wide.
In 1999, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Children’s Music and received a Grammy Certificate for being a solo artist on the Grammy Award winning recording cELLAbration with Pete Seeger and others.
Mike is also a violinist who played violin on recordings for Eva Cassidy, Mary Chapin Carpenter. Tom Paxton and many others. He also was a regular on the Nashville Now Show and appeared on the Grand Ol Opry.
He has produced albums for Theodore Bikel z”l and the Lemba Jews of Zimbabwe.
Hazzan Stein also created and still directs a choir for youth and young adults with special needs called Kolot Tikvah, Voices of Hope.
His greatest achievement though is his family—three sons, Jacob, Justin and Jared who are all professionally involved in Jewish community both as cantors, teachers and musicians.