Leonard Cohen’s love for Judaism was easily apparent in the letters he sent to Gideon Zellermeyer, the Cantor of the Shaar Shamayim Synagogue in Montreal. He would always sign his name Eliezer and would send the design of the spread out hands of the priestly blessings inside of a Star of David made of 2 hearts. He called it the ‘Unified Heart”. It was a family logo for years (Cohen means he came from the Cohanim, the tribe of priests in the temple).
Leonard’s love for Judaism was apparent in these letters but also in his songs and even more in his last album in which he asked that Gideon and the synagogue choir to participate in. But Leonard Cohen’s ties to Montreal go back over a century.
Leonard Cohen was born in the Westmount neighborhood of Montreal in in 1934. He died at age 83. His mother was the daughter of a Rosh Yeshiva in Kovno Poland, Rabbi Solomon Klonitsky-Kline. His Paternal grandfather was one of the heads of the Montreal Jewish community who was one of the founders of the Shaar Shamayim Synagogue, the largest Orthodox Montreal synagogue. A short time before his death Leonard Cohen told New Yorker magazine that he feels a tribal attachment to this synagogue and he grew up there. He appears as a young man in one of the Hebrew school pictures hanging in the synagogue.
Gideon Zellermeyer age 41, is the synagogue cantor at Shaar Shamayim for the past 13 years. Many various music lovers would frequent the synagogue to hear the cantor and one of Leonard Cohen’s relatives gave Leonard a disc of Cantor Zellermeyer singing cantorial pieces in the synagogue. Leonard enjoyed the disc immensely. This same relative then gave the cantor Leonard’s email address and encouraged him to write saying that Leonard would appreciate the correspondence. So he sent Leonard New Year greetings before Rosh Hashana over 10 years ago and that’s how they started corresponding.
Cohen responded with a pleasant e mail saying he was happy to hear from Gideon and happy that he’s keeping up the heritage of the synagogue. Before Passover Zellermeyer sent holiday greetings and Cohen responded with: “See you at Mount Sinai” and enclosed his unified heart logo along with his Jewish name Eliezer. Before Rosh Hashana 2 years ago Cohen sent the priestly blessings to Zellermeyer but instead of using G-d’s name in vain he each time replaced it with his ‘Unified Heart” symbol.
This correspondence was mainly before Jewish holidays. Cohen would always respond and bless Zellermeyer in Hebrew. In his blessings to Zellermeyer before Rosh Hashana 2 years ago Leonard wrote in Hebrew: “I wish for you that your voice will go up and reach the PLACE (alluding to G-d who is also called The Place’) and bring blessing with it.”
Two months after that Rosh Hashana Cohen wrote Zellermeyer with a surprising request. In his letter he asked “To find the tone of the Shaar Shamayim Synagogue” and he invited Zellermeyer and his choir to accompany him in what would be his final album. Zellermeyer explains that Cohen wanted to create a more spiritual and deeper sound in this album. As part of this spiritual atmosphere Cohen inserted words from prayers and verses like “Hineni” and “Yitgadal Veyitkadash” from the Kaddish.
Zellermeyer understood that this would probably be Leonard Cohen’s last album. Cohen was himself supposed to come to record with the choir and the cantor but he wasn’t healthy enough to make the trip. Adam Cohen, Leonard’s son who was producing the album told Zellermeyer that Leonard’s medical situation was complex and that he’s not doing too well. He also sent lyrics to Zellermeyer for the choir to learn for their accompanying background voices. The Jewish content of the lyrics jumped out at Zellermeyer like quoting the Selichot prayer “To you is greatness and to us is shame”. There was a feeling that Leonard Cohen was closing a circle with album.
Leonard’s instructions to Zellermeyer were very specific; to create the atmosphere of the synagogue in the songs they would sing. The choir themselves weren’t aware they were singing for the album until the last moment so the news wouldn’t leak out. Zellermeyer used various styles including the cantorial style which truly captures the style of prayer in the synagogue.
One song had a part which included words from the New Testament. After asking the Rabbi they got permission to use it. Zellermeyer composed an interesting mix in this song where the choir sings the priestly blessing in the beginning and the end with other parts in the middle trying to portray Leonard’s life as staring off Jewish, looking at other faiths in the middle and coming back to Judaism at the end.
Leonard loved the result. After concluding the recording he complimented Zellermeyer in an Email saying: “Your voice is clear and it lights up the song’s conclusion. I loved it very much.” He later sent a mail with the word “Hineni” in large on top and enclosed a recording of the IDF Rabbinate choir singing his “Halleluy-ah” adding a comment: “I hope you like this version of the young soldiers.”
Only at the end of the year Zellermeyer got the message that the recordings with the choir would be included in the album accompanying the songs.
A year ago Leonard sent a self-portrait to Zellermeyer done in charcoal and watercolor. Under the picture he printed the words in Hebrew: “To the mighty blessed G-d, they offer pleasant melodies” from our morning prayers. He included his Unified Heart symbol and wrote alluding to the angels of Jacob’s ladder: “Just to be one of them even in its lowest path.”
Leonard Cohen repeats the word ‘hineni’ a few times in Hebrew like in the binding of Isaac. He sings “I am ready G-d” accompanied by the synagogue choir. This became sort of his last will and testament.
Before the album came out Leonard sent Zellermeyer a special request: to visit the graves of his parents and ancestors in Montreal before the
Days of Awe’. Zellermeyer went as asked and sent back pictures of his visit to the graves.
Zellermeyer says Cohen was always connected to his Judaism even though he wasn’t religious. He was spiritual and very interested in philosophy. He learned other religions but never chose to replace his Judaism. He once told ‘The Guardian’ newspaper in an interview that he wasn’t looking for a new religion and that he was quite happy with his religion, Judaism.
Though they had corresponded a lot, Cohen and Zellermeyer met only once a few weeks before Leonard’s passing away. Cohen made a press conference in honor of his launching his final album and invited Zellermeyer to be part of it. Cohen entered the room after the album was played in its entirety and looked weak and pale according to Zellermeyer but at the same time dignified, effusive and humorous. They met personally after the press conference and Zellermeyer gave Cohen a unique and unexpected gift. A Yom Kippur Machzor (prayer book) which was given to Leonard’s late sister at age 12 for a prize in the synagogue for excellence in her Jewish studies. Leonard was very emotional upon receiving this special memento and told Zellermeyer it had a lot of meaning to him.
Less than 2 weeks before Cohen passed away Zellermeyer sent him a recording of a song he performed in the synagogue. He wrote Leonard saying he hopes Leonard’s great grandfather Lazarus also loves the song. Leonard wrote back: “He loves it, he is dead but we’re in touch” hinting that he felt his end is near.
Cohen’s manager called Zellermeyer to inform him of Leonard’s passing. He asked for spiritual guidance and informed him that Leonard expressed his wish that Zellermeyer along with Rabbi Shier conduct his funeral in traditional fashion without overdoing the speeches. Leonard Cohen was buried in his family plot alongside his father and grandparents in Montreal.
Zellermeyer stays in touch with Leonard Cohen’s family. Leonard’s daughter has a son named Leon after the founder of the Shaar Shamayim Synagogue. He also stays in touch with Adam Cohen and did a few music projects with him in Leonard’s memory. Adam’s son learns in a Jewish school which is something that would make Leonard proud. The tradition and religion he so loved continues through his descendants.