William Franklin "Frank" Birnbaum (1922–2005) was a well-known 20th century

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, thi ...

within

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Serving congregations and performing concerts across America, his music was well known for its eclectic and melodious nature. As a tenor, his voice was widely acclaimed as one of the finest cantorial tenor voices in the latter half of the 20th century.

Life

During World War II, Birnbaum fled his native home in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and settled in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

.Mattingly, Terry
"Cantor specializes in leading worship"
''

The Charlotte News ''The Charlotte News'' was the afternoon newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was first published on December 8, 1888. The newspaper was eventually purchased on April 5, 1959 by Knight Newspapers, owner of its larger rival ''The Charlotte Ob ...

'', March 15, 1983, page 11C. In 1948, he went to the United States, where he settled in New York City and began his studies at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Graduating from Columbia University in 1951, Birnbaum assumed a temporary position as Assistant to the Cantor at Central Synagogue in New York City. It soon became apparent that his vocal ability warranted a more permanent position, and he was subsequently made "Associate Cantor" of the synagogue. After serving Central Synagogue from 1951–1953, he assumed the position of

Congregation Shaare Zedek (New York City) Congregation Shaare Zedek (Gates of Righteousness) is a Conservative synagogue located on West 93rd Street in Manhattan. On July 27, 2017, despite the efforts of preservationists to save it, a New York State Supreme Court judge approved the sale ...

from 1953–1957 and later Chevra Thilim in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, from 1957 to 1964. In 1959, he was inducted as a member of the Cantors Assembly of America. In 1973, he left his position as music director at a temple in

Silver Springs, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

to join the staff at Temple Israel in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. In 1986, after serving 13 years at Temple Israel, Birnbaum and his wife Minna moved to

Plantation, Florida Plantation is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 91,750. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The city's name comes from the previous part-owner of the land, the E ...

where he held services at Temple Kol Ami."Religion section"
'' Fort Lauderdale News/Sun-Sentinel'', August 22, 1986, page 17. He died on September 12, 2005.

Accomplishments

Birnbaum served as President and Placement Chairman of the

Cantors Assembly Cantors Assembly (CA) is the international association of hazzanim (cantors) affiliated with Conservative Judaism. Cantors Assembly was founded in 1947 to develop the profession of the hazzan, to foster the fellowship and welfare of hazzanim, and t ...

for the

movement. He was a proponent for the investiture of women as cantors within the

movement and an advocate for liturgical reform, which led to the printing of

Siddur Sim Shalom Siddur Sim Shalom ( he, סדור שים שלום) refers to any siddur in a family of ''siddurim'', Jewish prayerbooks, and related commentaries, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. There are fou ...

in 1985 with his good friend Rabbi

Jules Harlow Jules Harlow (born June 28, 1931) is a Conservative Jewish rabbi and liturgist; son of Henry and Lena Lipman Harlow. He was born in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1952 at Morningside College in Sioux City he earned a B.A., and from there went to New York C ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birnbaum, Frank 1922 births 2005 deaths Hazzans Jewish American classical composers Jewish classical musicians American male classical composers American classical composers Czechoslovak Jews 20th-century American singers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Czechoslovak expatriates in Hungary Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews