ABOUT RABBI AZRAN
BIOGRAPHY
Rabbi Azran is a master artist who performs Jewish ceremonies in a unique and fascinating manner. He offers an unprecedented, moving Jewish marriage ceremony with an artistic aspect that accompanies the entire ceremony.
Rabbi Itzhak Elhanan Azran was born in Tel Aviv to parents of North African descent, the eldest of eight brothers and sisters. He grew up in Bnei Brak and currently resides in Petah Tikva with his wife and their four children.
His great artistic talent, curiosity, and openness led him to issue a first CD (in 2014), which includes nine covers for songs of prayer and huppah, using innovative arrangements created by the conductor and pianist Shlomi Aharoni, who has been accompanying Rabbi Azran on his performances for the past ten years. These tunes have met with great success and excitement by the Jewish audience.
Rabbi Azran’s musical style is currently influenced by world music—from Andrea Bocelli, through Frank Sinatra, to Antonio Molina—and by North African music, including Israeli and European tunes.
Rabbi Azran has appeared before Jewish communities in Italy, France, Poland, Texas, The Bahamas, Miami, Turkey, Greece, and numerous other cities and countries in Europe.
Rabbi Azran’s mission
The combination of his rare musical ability and his solid rabbinical training has led Rabbi Azran to formulate a unique mission: to present Judaism to the general public as a positive and pleasant experience and to make it accessible to a secular and traditional audience through heartfelt, exhilarating singing that combines the old and the new.
This unique combination is well-expressed in the wedding ceremonies conducted by Rabbi Azran. The rabbi constructs a precise, musical huppah that is moving and festive. This ceremony touches the very souls of the audience, who are keenly observing the huppah, and addresses the married couple’s need for a unique, once-in-a-lifetime sacred atmosphere, as befits such an occasion. These wedding ceremonies are characterized by silence among those gathered, as the incessant chirping of cellphones is replaced by the flashing of cameras.
As the rabbi performs a song, the audience gets carried away and everybody sings along with him, without exception, as all those attending feel that they are part of the ceremony.