Shalom Katz - El Malei Rachamim (Hymn To The Victims Of Auschwitz), 1941

“El Malei Rachamim“ is a funeral prayer used by the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The chazzan recites it, for the ascension of the souls of the dead, during the funeral, going up to the grave of the departed, remembrance days, and other occasions on which the memory of the dead is recalled. This funeral prayer is from Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras’ double album, “Jerusalem, City of Two Peaces,“ but it is a historic recording they simply included on their album. “The album’s most dramatic document is a historic recording by Shlomo Katz, a Jew of Romanian origin. Before Katz was to be executed in Auschwitz in 1941 he asked for permission to sing the hymn El male Rahamim (God full of compassion). Deeply moved by the magnificence, emotional depth and intensity of the music, the Nazi officer on duty allowed Shlomo Katz to escape. In 1950 Katz recorded the song as a lasting testament and hymn to the victims of Auschwitz. Exuding a moving sense of tragedy and grace in itself, the piece becomes a devastating m