Moshe Cotel, z"l, Oct 24, 2008
posted by Haim Kaufman to the Jewish-Music mailing list on 12/17/2008. Stewart Cherlin wrote about Rabbi Cotel on the KlezmerShack several years ago: Moshe Cotel - Chronicles: A Jewish Life at the Classical Piano (Nov '04).
I thought it would be appropriate to post this information about Rabbi Moshe Cotel z"l on this list, since it was conspicuous by its absence. I first heard of Moshe's untimely passing from the following notice sent out to the Israeli folk dance community to which I belong:
Folk dance was one of the myriad of spiritual, artistic and humanitarian threads in the rich tapestry of Rabbi Moshe Cotel's inspiring life. An award winning composer, pianist and conductor of international renown—who had composed a symphony for full orchestra at age 13—he attended Rabbinical school several years ago and had been serving as Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. Concurrently, he was touring in performances of his one-man show, Chronicles: A Jewish Life at the Classical Piano and Chronicles II: More Teachings from a Jewish Life. For more about Rabbi Moshe Cotel and his remarkable accomplishments, see www.moshecotel.com
At Moshe's website, www.moshecotel.com, one can listen to live recordings as well as view many press clippings there.
Moshe's last interview on NPR (2nd on the page), Nov 6, 2008
The NY Times obituary: Rabbi Moshe Cotel, Composer, Dies at 65, by Dennis Hevesi, 2 Nov, 2008
I last spoke to Moshe at an Israeli folk dance session where he was dancing with his lovely wife Aliya the week before he passed away and when I heard the news it was hard to believe that he was gone. I am posting this information in the hope that some members of this list will benefit from Moshe's extraordinary contributions to Jewish music.
Haim Kaufman
New York City