Shmuel Shapiro ( he, שמואל שפירו, a French Jewish

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

, singer, composer, lecturer, and former Chief Rabbi of Meurthe-et-Moselle and Nancy, France, was born in Aix-les-Bains, France, on 26 January 1974.

Biography

His mother, Elisheva, is a musician and a lecturer in Judaism, and his father, David-Nathan, served as the rabbi of Clermont-Ferrand and Vichy. The family immigrated to Israel when he was nine years old. He studied at the Ohel Shimon Erloy yeshivot in Jerusalem where he placed second in a Talmudic competition at the age of twelve. He began composing music at the age of eleven, and by the time he was seventeen he was the principal cantorial singer in the Erlau Hasidic community. After completing his studies in psychology and Jewish philosophy, he taught Judaism at the French-speaking Or Gabriel yeshiva in Jerusalem. In 1994, he studied in a Kollel institute and taught in remedial education at the Tsafnat Panea'h school in Jerusalem. He studied hazanuth at Hechal Shlomo school in Jerusalem under the direction of his teachers Eli Jaffe and Benjamin Munk. He also developed his voice with,the cantors Moshe Deriginski Avraham Pressman, the opera singer Gee Flashter and the maestro Daniel Gildar in Jerusalem, New York City, and Paris. In 1998, he was sent to France by Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman for an educational mission at the

Ozar Hatorah Ozar Hatorah ( he, אוצר התורה, lit=treasure of Torah) is an organization created in 1945 to provide Orthodox Jewish education. It began by setting up schools in Mandate Palestine, and after the foundation of the modern Israeli state, it wen ...

school in

Sarcelles Sarcelles () is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Sarcelles is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department and the seat of the arrondissement of Sarcelles. In the south of the commun ...

and with the local Jewish community. In 2001, Shmuel Shapiro gave lectures on Judaism, music, and voice for the radio station Kol Haneshama, broadcast in Israel and the United States. He served as cantor of Rabbi Grossman's Migdal HaEmek synagogue in Israel. In 2005, he was an educational advisor for the Chneor institutions in Aubervilliers. From 2006 to 2020, he lectured and served as the hazzan at the synagogue of the rue de Montevideo in the

16th arrondissement of Paris The 16th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''seizième''. The arrondissement includes part of the Arc de T ...

. Shmuel Shapiro is a highly educated individual who gives courses, lectures and advice on a variety of subjects to the community. He was the rabbi of Nancy and its region until November 2020. His debut album, Seu Marom, was recorded in 2013 in France and Israel with arrangements by Didier Atlan. He composed the majority of the songs. In 2022, he moved to Monaco and presently serves as assistant rabbi and cantor at the Edmond Safra synagogue. He is married and has five children and three grandchildren.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

* 2013: ''Seu Marom (Of languages: Hebrew, French, English,

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

and Holy Tongue)

Singles

* 2000: Ko Amar * 2003: Écoutez la Torah * 2004: Ahavat Israel * 2011: The Key * 2012: Se'u Marom * 2015: Ahavat Israel II * 2016: Dos Yiddishe Lied

Collaborations

* 2002: Kel Mistater (Album: ''Otzrot Shabat 2'', David Honig) * 2005: Nitzotzot * 2022: Banim Lebaneicha (Album: ''Psalm songs'', The Goldin Project)

Music Videos

* 2011: The Key (for Gilad Shalit) * 2013: Se'u Marom * 2015: Ahavat Israel II