Leon Lissek, Cantor Emeritus of Congregation B’nai Amoona, was born on February 8, 1936 in Paris, France. Before the war he had finished kindergarten, afterward he completed elementary, high school and college.
As a child, Cantor Lissek spent the entire war in hiding. From 1941-43 in Litele, France; 1943 – Lyon; from 1945 to 1946 various French suburbs and then 1946-48 in Fontainebleau. He was taken care of by nuns in convents during the above periods.
Four of his immediate family members survived, one was killed. Five extended family members survived, 25 were killed.
Cantor Lissek had family in Buffalo, New York and came to St. Louis in January, 1950. He is married to the former Michal Meryl Chazin and has three children and six grandchildren. Leon Lissek had been the cantor at Congregation B’nai Amoona for 30 years, retiring in 1998 as cantor emeritus, a title he still holds. He and his wife, Michal, now live in Teaneck, N.J.
