In Memory of Cantor David
A Legacy

In Memory of Cantor David

David and Goldie

Cantor David Brandhandler, passed away on Thursday, June 2.   He was 102 years and 352 days old.  It was my honor to photograph and film him in his home along with Goldie, his loving wife, in January of this year.  Some of you may recall this earlier blog post about them – click here.  Such an amazing man.
(Included in this current blog post are photos that were not in the previous post from January.)
I didn’t meet David and Goldie until those dates in January.  However, after visiting with them and seeing/hearing the many responses I got after making the posting, I soon realized how important of a man he was.  He had such an interesting history and an impressive legacy.  I lost count of how many people told me he had touched their lives while serving at Ner Tamid Synagogue in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago from 1953 through 2003!

In Memory of David

David, the Cantor

I went to his funeral yesterday and learned more about this man.  And many of my observations about him and Goldie were reinforced there, too.  Friendly and full of joy.  With a love and devotion to family and music.  Some of the words I heard during the service repeatedly were:  Family, Kind, Friendly, Loving, Caring, Sense of Humor, Wisdom, Respect, Musical, and more.  You get the picture….  I did, too, when I was there at their home.  Look at his smile in the above photo.
I saw him and Goldie holding hands (which was mentioned several times during the service).  You can see that in the original post from January.
Click here to see and hear some videos with David chanting songs in Norwegian, English, and Hebrew.

In Memory of David

David and Goldie

I am grateful to my friend, Berit Engen, for introducing me to the Brandhandlers.  And I am grateful that my photography brought me into their world, for a short time…and them into mine for much longer.

-Stephen M. Levin
www.stephenmlevinphotos.com

 

SML Photography