Cantor who just released debut album sings at MSG women’s basketball event

WNBA Enables Women Athletes to Realize Their Dreams

September 13, 2016 By Francesca Norsen Tate Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Cantor Shira Lissek sang “God Bless America” at a Madison Square Garden women’s basketball game last week. Photo courtesy of Cantor Shira Lissek

Share this:

Cantor Shira Lissek, a third-generation chazzan who served for many years as Congregation Mount Sinai’s cantor, had the chance to sing the time-honored patriotic song “God Bless America” at her first WNBA game with the women’s team, New York Liberty, at Madison Square Garden last week.

The New York Liberty “thrives on the crowd’s energy, and the fans leave the arena inspired by the game and these world-class athletes,” said Dr. James Goldman, a longtime mentor of Cantor Lissek and a Brooklyn resident. “The significance of the 20-year history of this team and the WNBA is that [the] WNBA gives a way for women and girls everywhere to live their dreams. Cantor Lissek’s beautiful rendition of Irving Berlin’s American patriotic song musically enriche[d] the event. In a multitude of ways, Cantor Lissek, beyond her stellar vocal virtuosity, is an exemplary role model for all girls and women throughout the world. Regardless of which team wins her singing is a win for all.”

The Brooklyn Eagle recently published a story about the release of Cantor Lissek’s debut cantorial liturgical CD album, titled “P’tach Libi (Open My Heart).”