"This is a great loss shared by all of us," said Rabbi Whiman, at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, New York, where [David Tauber] was employed as a cantor. "He had so much energy, his pulpit presence was one of joy, and everyone is feeling it. We've been robbed of a great presence. There are no words, the community is in total shock."

"David wanted to touch people's lives through his voice and always brought sincerity to what he was doing," said Cantor Laura Berman, who studied with Tauber at JTS. The two spent their first year as cantorial students in Israel studying together.

Like many cantors, Tauber loved opera. A resident artist with both the Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, New York, and the Amato Opera in Manhattan, Tauber sang roles ranging from the Duke of Verona in Romeo and Juliet to Papageno in The Magic Flute. A soloist with the Jerusalem Oratorio Choir, Tauber represented Israel at the Millennium Sacrum Festival in Valencia, Spain.