About

Paul, a baritone trained in Bel Canto, discovered his passion for officiating as a junior Hazzan in Bogota, Colombia, under the guidance of his teacher and first mentor Rabbi Dr. Meir Gurevich z”l. He also sang with choirs, the Bach Chorale since age 14, madrigal choirs conducted by the renowned Amalia Samper z”l and himself conducted a Youth Choir briefly at the Sephardic Synagogue. Later, he continued his training in the German and Eastern Ashkenazic traditions under the mentorship of Cantor Joachim Preuss z”l and Chief Rabbi Alfredo Goldschmidt.

While working as a dentist with a degree from the Pontifical Xavierian University and a focus on Music Therapy, Paul took over a part-time cantorial position and founded a translation company specializing in medical translations. He furthered his studies in Jewish law, Talmud, Torah, Jewish thought, Liturgy, and voice lessons in Jerusalem, New York, Stockholm and London and decided to dedicate his life to religious ministry leadership and pastoral counselling since 1996.

Paul has served as a Spiritual Leader in various Synagogues across South America and Europe, including the Great Synagogue of Stockholm between 200-2011 and since 2013 at the Belsize Square Synagogue in London. He has performed at prestigious events in the presence of dignitaries, including royalty, Nobel Prize winners, and heads of state, and has been involved in milestone Holocaust memorial events at Westminster Abbey. He was for two decades a member of the Cantors Assembly and currently, the European Cantors Association and focuses on preserving Western European traditions in liturgical music, including works by composers such as Salomon Sulzer, Samuel Naumbourg, and Louis Lewandowski besides his strong affinity for Ladino and the history of the Sephardic diaspora. Beyond his pastoral responsibilities, Cantor Paul has presented lectures on synagogue liturgy and its historical development at several conferences, and performed at concerts worldwide, Paul has overseen the B’nei mitzvah program in all the communities he has worked at. Furthermore, he officiates funerals and weddings, and maintains a particular scholarly interest in the teachings of the Rabbi of Piaseczno and the practice of Hitbodedut, Jewish meditation.

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