Cantor-turned-jazz-singer reimagining the music of the fabled Yiddish Theater era and spreading joyful Jewish jazz 'round the world.

Yisroel Leshes started his singing career as a cantor.

Recognized for his modern and engaging approach to cantorial music, he joined Manhattan's iconic Lincoln Square Synagogue in 2016 as Cantorial Intern, where he received private direction from the synagogue's distinguished Founding Cantor Sherwood Goffin, faculty member of the Belz School of Jewish Music at Yeshiva University.

He was appointed Assistant Cantor of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in 2017.

In 2020, as New York City went into lockdown and synagogues closed, Yisroel turned his attention to researching the Yiddish Theater era of the 1920s - 1940s. Together with noted jazz arranger Adam Podd, he is reinventing and remolding the music into joyful, modern jazz; fusing these lost melodies with a fresh vibe and vibrant sound.

His groundbreaking approach lead to widespread press coverage, with his first single Younger World being featured in The Jerusalem Post, The Forward, the Times of Israel, The New York Jewish Week, and other newspapers.

Aiming to bring this music to a live audience, Yisroel opened The Mansion, a pop-up intimate live music house in Manhattan's Union Square with monthly performances. He is now working on releasing more music and launching his first tour.