Cantor Jacob Agar of Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park always loved music and Judaism, but it wasn’t until he sang at his grandfather’s funeral that he first thought about combining the two for a career.
“It kind of felt like a lightning bolt strike,” Agar said. “I’m an opera singer by training and I did opera for a short amount of time, but I realized that I wasn’t finding spiritual or artistic fulfillment in it. I felt like I wanted to do something more spiritual, something more like a Jewish leadership kind of role.”
Agar went to the H.L Miller Cantorial School at Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, discovered an opening at Beth Sholom, and six years later is serving as the shul’s cantor.
“When I came out for the interview to meet them, I really enjoyed meeting the people. They’re all very warm, very inviting. I felt like there was a welcoming, down-to-earth vibe here. Even in my initial, limited exposure, I realized that this would be a place where I would fit well, because it’s so welcoming and warm,” Agar said.
For Agar, music has been a lifelong endeavor and continues to be both inside and outside of the synagogue walls. In October, he released his first studio album, called “In Search of Silence.” The album is entirely in English, a departure from his previous work that has been in Italian, French, Hebrew and more.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been writing poetry and writing music, but I never really got the chance to bring them together, to write songs,” Agar said.
In addition to original music, the album includes a cover of Agar’s favorite Bob Dylan song, “Girl From the North Country.”
Agar said that the album brings together all the music that has inspired him throughout his life, including what inspired him to start his music career in the first place.
“When I was 15, I started a rock band with my teenage friends,” he said. “I grew up with a combination of rock, classical opera and Middle Eastern music, because I’m from Azerbaijan.”
Agar moved from the small nation on the Caspian Sea when he was less than a year old, with his family settling in New York. He said that New York never really felt like home for a variety of reasons, but that he has found that home in Philadelphia.
“To me, Philly — it’s compact. It still has a lot of culture and history and amenities, but also the people in general here are more down to earth and it’s just kind of an easier place, a nicer place to live,” Agar said.
Agar has only been back to his home country once, and he said it was a fulfilling trip.
“Since I left when I was 10 months old, it really felt like going there for the first time. I got to hear a lot of stories and see a lot of places, like where my parents grew up, where my grandparents lived,” Agar said. “So that was really interesting. Growing up, I heard a lot of stories about how life was there and how it compares to America, and how not great it was there. So it was very interesting to experience [that].”
Agar is proud to be a part of the Philadelphia Jewish community, and proud to represent Beth Sholom.
“Beth Sholom itself is a really amazing place. It’s very diverse, [there are] a lot of communities inside of it with really different kinds of people, but it’s a place for people who really care about the community,” Agar said. “This is a very welcoming community, and [you can] see it when we have new people come in and how they feel.”