Sunday program at the 1996 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Area Narrative Stage) (Tape 7)

General Note/Comment

• One audio cassette tape. Tozzer served as emcee. Joel Fox, Cantor (of Jacksonville, FL), discusses Jewish sacred music, the "Festival of Wheats" and a cantor's responsibilities. He describes how he became a cantor, studying in Israel for three years. He also discusses languages and music. He cants the 23rd Psalm, which is used at funerals. He talks about his favorite pieces, bringing back traditional music and children's songs. A cantor (Latin for "singer") is often called a hazzan in the Jewish church. This person leads the synagogue in singing. Fox was from Dallas, Texas. As a teen, his family moved to Israel. While there, Fox attended the Rubin Academy of Art and Israel Institute of Cantorial Art. From 1989 to 1992, he served in the Israel Defense Force, then moved North Florida, where he became the Jacksonville Jewish Center's cantor.