As a young boy in Herzliah, Israel, Cantor Karavani recalls reading the Torah for the congregation in the Synagogue his grandfather founded, and being taken to the Bimah frequently by his Cantor.
He attended the Amit Yeshiva in Ranana, where the Choir leader, Mordechai Sobol, encouraged him to join the Choir in the School.
Later, Mordechai Sobol make his first music album, followed by his involvement in the Israeli Chasidic Festival, The Cantorial Festival.
His strong connection to the Ashkenaz style of prayer led him to take private lessons from the leading Ashkenazi Cantor in Herzliah.
Cantor Karavani was chosen for the Rabbinical Choir of the I.D.F. allowing him to continue his passion for Jewish music while serving his country. He studied music at the Music College of Petach-Tikvah and continued his private Cantorial lessons. He then studied at the Cantorial College of Tel Aviv. With this backround, he has been able to perform and lead services in many different styles, including Ashkenaz, Sephardi, and Yemenite, as well as being able to sing in the many different languages of our people, such as Yiddish and Ladino. He was featured in an hour and one-half biography on Israeli Television, called From East to West, where many of his cantorial friends and world famous singers join him in presenting his life's dedication to Jewish music.
Following a very sucessful career spanning many continents, performing concerts, weddings, and other simchas, Yosef became the Cantor of The Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation. He feels his dreams are becoming a reality as he influences the next generation in their love of Torah and Jewish Music.
