LEON LISSEK

LISSEK--Leon. Cantor Leon Lissek died peacefully at his home on January 27, 2026. Leon was born on February 8, 1936, in Paris, France. At the age of five, Leon's father was deported and murdered in Auschwitz. Throughout the war, Leon and his two little brothers were hidden in and around Paris. After the war, his mother reclaimed them and they immigrated to Buffalo, NY. Inspired by the thrilling voice of Mario Lanza, and his deep feeling for Jewish tradition, Lissek studied to be a cantor at The Jewish Theological Seminary. He married his beloved Meryl (Michal) Chazin in 1968. They moved to St. Louis, MO where he served Congregation B'nai Amoona for 30 years. Known nationally as a cantor's cantor with a striking tenor voice, he recorded several albums in the US and Israel. In addition to his wife, Lissek is survived by children Devorah, Shmuel, and Shira, as well as six grandchildren.