Temple Aliyah Celebrates Hazzan Mike Stein

On June 25, Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills will be hosting a celebrity concert to honor Mike Stein, who will become Hazzan Emeritus at the end of June. Stein has been the cantor there since 2000. 

“It was the perfect shidduch set up by Craig Taubman,” Stein, 71, told the Journal. “I was playing fiddle in his band and working part-time as a cantor in Washington, D.C. when he told me that Aliyah needed a cantor. The rest is history.”

In addition to singer and composer Taubman, who is known for both his Jewish liturgical and contemporary music, guest performers include Peter Yarrow from folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary and award-winning singer, songwriter and teacher Neshama Carlebach.

What excites Stein most about this concert is that some of the most important players in his musical/artistic life are part of this event. Much of his musical journey began with Taubman, and Yarrow was his significant musical influence. Then, there’s the Carlebach family.

“As I journeyed into the world of Jewish music, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z”l was a massive part of my growth,” Stein told the Journal. “His daughter Neshama will be in the concert. It was her CD with her dad that still affects me emotionally to this day.” 

“I am delighted and moved to be a part of this incredible event honoring Cantor Mike Stein, his beautiful family, his incredible work, his generosity and kindness and his next great adventures,” Carlebach told the Journal. “This will be a truly epic day.”

Added Yarrow, “It is time for us to sing songs that demand a better world. We will join in song, hand in hand.That is what the world needs now.”

Stein is thrilled to have these artists at the show. 

“Neshama will sing my favorite Carlebach melodies, and Peter will sing the songs of the 60s and 70s struggle for freedom and social justice,” he said. “We will urge the audience to sing with us songs like ‘If I Had a Hammer,’ ‘Blowing in the Wind’ and ‘Light One Candle.’”

For Stein, this concert marks the end of a journey. When he was a young man, he performed on Broadway and traveled with the rock opera, “Tommy,” and the company of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He saw a “whole new world outside of NYC, where I grew up,” he said. “I wanted to create music and art that meant something to me.

After working in Washington, D.C., for the NEA, he stayed there, wrote new music and started a band. When he met his wife, Kelley, and had his first child, Stein joined The United States Navy Band, where he played fiddle for four presidents. 

“After my Navy career, I found meaning in becoming a cantor and returning to my Jewish roots,” he said. “This journey ended up in Los Angeles, where I became the full-time cantor of  Temple Aliyah.” 

Stein’s wife and three sons, Jacob, Justin and Jared, immediately became involved in singing and performing at the synagogue. “It was often remarked that Aliyah got five for the price of one,” he said. 

While at Aliyah, Stein became involved in interfaith and social justice work, while composing an entire library of Jewish music, including Jazz, Rock, Reggae, Bluegrass and African services. 

Among his many career-long accomplishments, Stein performed on  Ella Jenkins 1992 Grammy-nominated album, Dreamosaurus,” and he was one of the performers, alongside Seeger and Sweet Honey in the Rock, on “cELLAbration,” a 2005 tribute to Jenkins. He’s appeared on “The Grand Ole Opry” and “Nashville Now” many times, as well as season seven of “The Voice.” Stein is also the recipient of the coveted Samuel Rosenbaum award for Scholarship and Creativity from the Cantors Assembly. He directs a choir he created for differently-abled youth and young adults, Kolot Tikvah, Voices of Hope, sits on the board of the Interfaith Solidarity Network and is the creator of the Afro-Jewish Alliance.

With his retirement from Temple Aliyah, Stein has many meaningful projects to pursue. This is in addition to spending tons of time with his grandchildren; he has five, with another on the way.

He plans to finish writing, recording and publishing “The Mike Stein Songbook,” complete a musical he started 30 years ago and do musician in residence/concert weekends at other shuls. He also wants to work with other writers and create new music, as well as play music with his wife and sons. Stein will continue his work for social justice and  give a voice to those that need to be heard. 

“As I become Hazzan Emeritus, I will still be involved in the community,” Stein told the Journal. “It has been an honor to serve Temple Aliyah, and it is hard to leave my second home.”