65 years of service and song
“The pleasure the congregation has received from Lothar’s voice cannot be underestimated."
FOR 65 years, Lothar Prager was part of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation (MHC) choir, and last Friday – at a celebratory Kabbalat Shabbat – he was honoured for his dedication to both song and shule.
In 1954, three years after his bar mitzvah, Lothar joined the Toorak Shule choristers, but the songbird left the nest just before the pandemic started.
Paying tribute to Lothar, president of the synagogue, Quentin Miller said, “There are those who sing to the Almighty, and those who sing for the Almighty, our choir did both.
“To be blessed, to be able to do that for nearly 70 years, can only mean Hashem liked what he heard.”
Quentin continued, “From a personal point of view liking Lothar’s tenor role was intrinsic to enjoying regular Shabbat services, but more enjoyable were his singing of prayers and psalms on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“The pleasure the congregation has received from Lothar’s voice cannot be underestimated.
“We express our indebtedness and thank him for his very long service, and wish him well into the future,” the shule president concluded.
During his time at MHC, Lothar’s voice was heard by presidents of Israel, the chief rabbi of the British Empire, governors general of Australia and many other premiers and leading politicians.
Lothar told The AJN that one of the highlights of his time there was singing with the famous Jewish opera singer Jan Peerce.
Lothar also had the pleasure of singing with his grandson Hudson at last week’s celebration.
“I’ve always had an interest in music and that sort of thing,” Lothar said of his time as singer and soloist, adding that “I mean, I just enjoyed it.”
A valued member of the congregation, who was married at Toorak Shule, and watched his daughters tie the knot there, he added, “I know every nook and cranny in that place. If you go to a place for that long it becomes part of you.”
Lothar Prager and his grandson Hudson at MHC earlier this month.
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