Cantor Robert Kieval Z"L - Rochel Mevakoh

Dear Friends, It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share news of the passing of a distinguished past president of the Cantors Assembly, Hazzan Robert Kieval. He had few equals relative to his talent and knowledge of the cantorate. He was a magnificent hazzan, concert performer, lecturer, and teacher. The bulk of Hazzan Kieval's pulpit career was spent at B'nai Israel in Rockville, MD, and for the past number of years he has been a mentor to cantorial students primarily enrolled in the H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Notably, it was during his presidency, in 1990, that women were admitted to the Cantors Assembly. That was a historic and monumental achievement requiring utmost diplomacy. Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large new group of admirers became acquainted with Hazzan Kieval through his CA broadcasts of The Listening Room, a program focused on the very finest interpreters of traditional Hazzanut. May his memory remain a blessing to all who have been touched by his remarkable life. Hazzan Stephen J Stein Executive Vice President, Cantors Assembly