Daniel Singer, at The Blogs

Jun 3, 2026, 8:04 AM

One of the most formative experiences of my cantorial training took place during my final year as a student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, when I became the first cantorial intern in the history of Congregation Beit...

Mar 21, 2026, 9:57 AM

Sam Sussman’s Boy from the North Country: What Happens After the Awards

Sam Sussman, author of ‘Boy From the North Country’

‘Boy From the North Country’ Join Author Sam Sussman in Conversation with Cantor Dan Singer Tickets | Stephen Wise Free Synagogue On March 26, the literary world will gather for the annual celebration of the Jewish Book Council and its...

Nov 27, 2025, 5:50 AM

Jew Means Thanksgiving

The word Jew comes from Yehudi, a descendant of Yehuda. Yehuda is best known as the name of an ancient tribe and of the land of Judea, but the name itself, יְהוּדָה, comes from a Hebrew verb that means...

Nov 18, 2025, 5:36 AM

What’s in a Cantor’s Head?

Legacy, Learning and the Living Voice of Jewish Tradition Film and Reflection at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue — Thursday, November 20 at 6pm. What goes through the head of a cantor? A swirl of prayer modes, ancient motifs, and the heartbeat of...

Nov 4, 2025, 8:57 AM

When Prayers Precede Politics

I am not the political voice of my congregation. I am a spiritual voice. My calling is not to tell people how to vote, but to remind them that our prayers provide inspiration and meaning and that they tie...

Oct 9, 2025, 8:54 PM

Wisconsin Wants Its Pizza Back, Dave!

Dave Portnoy, I’m a big fan of your pizza reviews and this one’s for you. Jew-to-Jew. Michigan man-to-Michigan man (class of ’98, hail to the victors). You’ve built an empire on pizza reviews, and you reignited the greatest rivalry...

Sep 26, 2025, 11:01 PM

My Encore to Jesse Welles’ Fans: Art Should Be Debated, Not Silenced

At the Newport Folk Festival this summer and at Farm Aid last weekend, Jesse Welles closed his set with one of his most popular songs, War Isn’t Murder, a song I criticized, as his encore. This article is my...

Aug 21, 2025, 7:31 AM

Aiders of the Lost Ark

Route 66, The Original Dirt and Gravel Road. Photo Credit: Lauren Singer

Rediscovering the Litvak Shul of Superior, Wisconsin We left for Los Angeles on the weekend of Tisha B’Av, bound for another yearly family cross-country road trip — this time to New Orleans. Driving along the broken spine of Route 66,...

Jul 28, 2025, 2:00 PM

From Protest to Propaganda: Jesse Welles and the Theft of Jewish Folk Legacy

Why a viral “anti-war” singer is really singing Hamas' talking points—and erasing the Zionist roots of American protest music. Folk music has long been a battleground of conscience—a genre where the poet’s guitar strums truths too uncomfortable for political platforms....

Mar 22, 2025, 9:12 AM

Louis Armstrong & The Jewish Family: Antisemitism & Antimemetism

Internet memes and viral posts often replace serious scholarship and research, leading to exaggerated or inaccurate narratives. However, attempts to correct these inaccuracies can sometimes result in what I call "antimemetism"—the correction of minor details that distort or discredit...

About Me

Daniel Singer is the cantor of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on New York City’s Upper West Side. Drawing on a wide-ranging knowledge of Jewish music, Cantor Singer is as comfortable singing an 18th-century classical liturgical repertoire or leading the congregation in traditional Hasidic or Sephardic melodies as he is performing Jewish pop acapella with SIX13 or singing roles with the Yiddish Theater or opera.

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