Chaim Wasserzug

Chaim Wasserzug, chazan (cantor) and composer, was born in Sieradz, Poland, where his father too was a cantor. The boy’s talents were recognised early on, and as a chazan he quickly gained renown, at the same time courting controversy with his introduction of four-part choral singing. He was cantor of the Great Synagogue at Vilnius (Vilna) until 1863, when the establishment of the North London Synagogue in Lofting Road, Barnsbury, gave him the opportunity to come to Britain. Elected First Reader, he lived with his family at nearby 21 College Cross, until his death. 

As well as having a fine voice, he proved to be a prolific composer of liturgical music, which can still be heard today.

His son, David Wasserzug (1866-1918), would later become Minister at what was initially seen as a rival shul, Dalston Synagogue in Poets Road. By the time David took the post in 1903, however, both synagogues were thriving as a result of the continued expansion of Islington’s Jewish population, so it is unlikely the move caused any family friction.