Chazzan Moshe Kraus z”l

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Chazzan Moshe Kraus z”l.

Famous for his captivating, emotionally charged voice – respected and admired wherever he went – Chazzan Kraus traveled the globe during his long career as a world-class chazzan, serving as Chief Cantor for the Israeli Defense Forces, and living in such places as Belgium, South Africa, Mexico, finally settling in Ottawa in Canada.

Yet, many Bergen-Belsen survivors remember him as “Moshele der Zinger” (Moshe, the singer), whose beautiful tenor voice and trove of Yiddish and sacred music had kept their hopes alive – and in many cases restored their faith – during the living nightmare of the Holocaust.

He passed away last week at the age of 100 in Canada.

Moshe Shimon Kraus was born in Uzhhorod, Czechoslovakia (present-day Ukraine). He was an ainikel of Rav Shayele Kerestirer.

As a young boy, he studied in a yeshiva in the city of Munkács and learned chazzanus from Chazzan Leibush Miller. In 1939, he was appointed as a chazzan in the city of Sighet, and in 1940, he moved to Budapest to serve as a chazzan until the Holocaust.

During the Holocaust, he was sent to Bergen-Belsen, where he acquired the nickname “Moshele der Zinger.” The Nazi camp commander heard him singing and took him to the officers’ quarters. He ordered him to sing German songs to the Nazi officers, and in return, he would throw him a few crumbs of bread. That’s how Moshe escaped death.

After liberation, Moshe went to Eretz Yisroel. He enlisted in the IDF and began his career in the Sherutay HaYovel Corps until Chief of Staff Yigal Yadin heard him sing under the chupah of a friend and said to him, “I have enough commanders; we need a chazzan.” Thus, he became the first chief military cantor and conducted memorial ceremonies.

After his release from the IDF, he became an international chazzan and later served as the chief chazzan of the Antwerp Jewish community. He moved to South Africa and eventually settled in Ottawa, Canada, where he lived until his passing.

{Matzav.com}