Opening day at Eisner Camp (2013)
Cantor Vladimir Lapin is proud to serve as the inaugural holder of the Cantor Sarah J. Sager Chair in Music at Congregation Mishkan Or (formerly Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple) in Beachwood, Ohio, where he leads weekly, holiday, and lifecycle services, oversees the b’nei mitzvah program, teaches adult Torah study, and provides pastoral care to the community.
Beyond the synagogue, Cantor Lapin is active in the wider community, contributing to educational and cultural initiatives throughout Cleveland and beyond. He has served on the Executive Board of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC) since 2019 and is a member of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) Alumni Council. He is also currently pursuing a Certificate in Substance Use Disorder Counseling at John Carroll University’s Graduate School of Health.
Cantor Lapin earned his cantorial ordination and master’s degree in Sacred Music from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at HUC-JIR. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Relations from Temple University and a graduate diploma in Vocal Performance from The Mannes College of Music (The New School) in New York City. Before entering the cantorate, he worked in public relations and marketing in Philadelphia and New York.
An accomplished vocalist, Cantor Lapin has performed in sacred and secular concerts across North America, Israel, and Europe, and collaborated with a wide range of artists. Recent highlights include serving as the featured soloist in Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Service with the Kent State University Orchestra and Choir and working as Cultural Consultant for the Cleveland Play House 2025 production of Fiddler on the Roof.
Previously, Cantor Lapin served as the cantor at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, NY (2016–2020). As a student, he was a cantorial intern at B’nai Jeshurun-Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, NJ, and student cantor at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in New York City. He also completed Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at The Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, focusing on mental health and intensive care. Earlier in his career, he taught in the religious schools of Temple Sha’aray Tefila and Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City and directed the Nature Program (Teva) at URJ Camp Eisner in Great Barrington, MA.
Cantor Lapin’s work has been recognized with several awards, including the Rabbi Jack Stern & Lawrence Hoffman Prize in Liturgy, the Be Wise Fellowship, the Rabbi Sarah Messinger Prize, the Yiddish Song Prize, the Lutwak Memorial Cantorial Prize, and the Levenstein Prize in Human Relations.
Cantor Lapin was born in Belarus, and grew up in Philadelphia. He is married to Rabbi Elle Muhlbaum, and together they are proud parents of two children.