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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, February 7, 2013 12:34 pm

For five generations, the Lind Family, descended from Belzer Hassidim in Galicia, sang the songs of the synagogue. It was from this lineage that Joshua Lind (1890—1973) rose to prominence as a composer, cantor and teacher. Joining his father’s synagogue choir at the age of 5, young David Lind quickly became a Cantorial wunderkind touring the country and recording for RCA Victor.

Together with his brothers, Murray and Phil, David formed the Lind Brothers Trio in 1937. They became quite popular performing a repertoire especially created for them by their father, Cantor Joshua Lind.

The Trio not only had great success in the pulpit, they also became well-known popular entertainers, appearing in night clubs, on the radio, on TV, and in films (Universal International Pictures).

During WWII David and his brothers entertained troops and shared the stage with such stars as Danny Kaye and Betty Hutton. Following the war they headlined in Las Vegas, Hollywood, and on Broadway.

Dale eventually returned to Chicago to pursue a career as a solo performer and cantor, officiating at the Congregation Sons of Joshua since 1974.

Click to hear Cantor Lind’s recordings.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, August 29, 2012 1:05 pm

Manning Martus (at left) with sister, Allyn, and mom, Devra

Manning Martus, along with her younger sister, Allyn and her mom, Devra, visited the Judaica Sound Archives at the Wimberly Library on FAU’s Boca Raton campus in October 2011.

She was looking for Mitzvah Project that reflected both her interest in music and her respect for her cultural heritage. And. She had a plan.

I was delighted. She had all sorts of ideas about how to encourage her friends and family to donate recordings to the JSA. “I think people have these recordings and aren’t using them,” she told me.

What about folks who don’t have any old Jewish records lying around the house? “I also plan on getting financial contributions from people,” she replied.

When Manning and her family made a return visit to the JSA on August 20,2012 they were full of smiles. . . . and so was I! I learned that Manning’s Bat Mitzvah (June 9, 2012) had been a great success and that Manning had done such a wonderful job singing that she was invited to join the B’nai Aviv Synagogue adult choir.

Manning was enthusiastic about her Mitzvah project. It  was fun for her to bring together her passion for music with the opportunity to do something important in her Jewish community.  By talking about the JSA’s website and mission she encouraged monetary donations and also donations of recordings from personal music collections.

Manning plans to continue her efforts on behalf of the JSA.  She plans to raise money by selling “Save the Music” bracelets to members of her congregation and others.

To show our appreciation of her efforts we presented Manning with a special JSA record label commemorating her achievement.

To find out more about donating recordings to the Judaica Sound Archives click here.

To learn more about making a financial contribution click here.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, February 14, 2012 3:25 pm

Sam Greene was the first volunteer at the Judaica Sound Archives.

Sam Greene

Jan. 11, 1923 – Feb. 8, 2012

It saddens my heart to think that Sam will no longer be here at the Judaica Sound Archives. Sam Greene was a dedicated JSA volunteer who began offering his assistance in 2002. He unpacked recordings, examined them and checked databases. Because of his language skills he was often called upon to provide English translations of Yiddish, Hebrew  or German songs and text.

Sam was a wonderful singer and would often spontaneously serenade us with songs. Always upbeat, pleasant and fun to be around, the JSA volunteers and staff  looked forward to his visits. Sam made me smile. As a survivor of the Holocaust he was very familiar with difficult times.  Yet, he cherished life and  and enjoyed sharing his good humor with all those around him. Sam was especially fond of this song, Der Rebbe Elimelech.

Here is how JSA sound technician, Ben Roth-Aroni, remembers him.” Sam was already volunteering at the JSA when I first got here in 2004. I liked him right away. He was warm and friendly and there was something about his voice that welcomed you. I especially looked forward to the days that he would volunteer so I could speak some Hebrew with him which was great. He loved to help me with translations and I was always happy for the help. It was obvious how much he enjoyed his work – always singing along with songs that needed to be identified. I will miss him terribly and remember him with love.”

Sam Green is survived by his daughter, his son, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He brought smiles to so many.  He will be very missed.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, December 14, 2011 2:43 pm

The Judaica Sound Archives at Florida Atlantic University Libraries was delighted when our friends Josh Kun and Roger Bennett told us that they  were putting together an album of Tikva Records favorites!  As you may remember, the JSA provided many of the LP covers for their book,  And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl, which was published in November 2008.

Now, as part of the Idelsohn Society, they have released the album,  Songs for the Jewish-American Jet Set: The Tikva Records Story 1950-1973. To celebrate this accomplishment they have opened a 1950′s style record store right in San Francisco’s Mission District (3191 Mission Street). The store is open for business from December 1st  through the end of Hanukkah (December 28).

Of course, we wish them great success.  So the Judaica Sound Archives sent them seven cartons of Jewish LPs (many of them on the Tikva label) to be offered at their record store.

Click here to find out more about what they are doing.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, November 16, 2011 1:55 pm

Dr. William Miller (Dean of FAU Libraries) at the Center for Jewish History in NYC

I just spent two days in NYC at the Center for Jewish History . Over 125 scholars and librarians from around the world, including Dr. William Miller (Dean of FAU Libraries) and myself,  gathered to share our expertise using digital and internet technologies for the study and preservation of Jewish culture and history.

Coordinating such preservation efforts and minimizing duplication is a massive undertaking. The purpose of this conference was to create connections between the various institutions and projects in order to foster communication and partnerships.

Many of the presenters talked about projects which were enormous and diverse. Gunter Waibel, Director of the Digitization Program Office at the Smithsonian Institution spoke eloquently about the challenges of coordinating many and varied collections of items.

CJH is located at 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan

We listened to presentations about digitally reconstructing ancient sites in Israel, preserving ancient manuscripts, and the status of 3-D digitization efforts. As you would expect, most of the conference concerned itself with written materials and cultural objects.

At the Judaica Sound Archives our only concern is to rescue and preserve Jewish sound recordings. It was inspiring to realize that we are just one part of a larger world-wide effort. I was delighted to see Aaron Lansky of the National Yiddish Book Center who had been so important in our early efforts to create an archive of Jewish recordings. I also had the opportunity to meet with Lisa Rivo, associate director at the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University.

This event provided a wonderful opportunity for us to share concerns and to learn from others in the field. I left the conference feeling honored to be a part of this historic effort and confident in our direction.

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By Alethea Perez, October 14, 2011 12:04 pm

Blanche Serota embraces a copy of the specially-created record label that honors her son, Barry Serota. Photo Credit: Alethea Perez

BOCA RATON, FL (October 4, 2011) – Florida Atlantic University recently received a gift in memory of the late Barry Serota, an attorney, record producer and executive director of the Chicago-based Institute for Jewish Sound Recording. Serota was widely known for his deep knowledge of Jewish music and produced more than 100 recordings of Jewish sacred and secular music. His productions at the Institute for Jewish Sound Recording included choral,   instrumental, folk and art music.

Serota’s mother, Blanche, donated 1,500 LPs, more than 700 78-rpm discs, 100 digital audio tapes and 1,443 audio reel-to-reel tapes to the Judaica Sound Archives (JSA) at FAU Libraries in honor of her son. The collection includes rare record masters and pre-production one-of-a-kind recordings.

“Barry Serota devoted his life to collecting great Jewish music and producing high-quality recordings,” said Maxine Schackman, Ph.D., director of the Recorded Sound Archives at FAU Libraries. “Although we knew this was a wonderful donation to the JSA, we really couldn’t be sure what treasures we would find. Many of these recordings are legendary in the world of the cantorial arts.”

Blanche Serota became acquainted with the FAU Libraries when Ben Roth-Aroni, JSA’s sound technician, called to offer his condolences following Barry’s death. During his youth, Roth-Aroni worked for Serota as a tape editor and greatly admired his expertise in the field of Jewish music. Roth-Aroni encouraged Blanche to visit FAU Libraries, and during her February 2011 visit, she arranged to donate her son’s treasured collection to the JSA.

“She wanted to honor his memory,” said Schackman. “It comforted her to know that what he loved so much would find a warm welcome and a permanent home at the JSA.”

The JSA has digitized and compiled a collection of 56 albums produced by Barry Serota. The recordings can be heard on the JSA website at Musique Internationale.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, September 15, 2011 3:01 pm

If you like Jewish music, you will love A Bis’l Taam  (A Little Flavor), JSA’s most recent compilation of songs now available on CD.

Recorded from early 20th century 78 rpm phonograph discs the album contains snippets of 21 songs. You will be amazed at the beautiful sound quality and the range of music.

This CD is not for sale.  It cannot be purchased anywhere.  It is ONLY available to JSA members. When you become a member of the JSA* ($36) you become eligible to receive this wonderful CD containing digitized portions of songs from the Yiddish theater, folk songs, cantorial masterpieces, klezmer, and music performed by Jewish artists. A special link has been created for members only so that you can hear each song in its entirety on the internet.

This CD heritage album contains performances by Cantor B. Chagy, Kandel’s Orchestra, David Medoff, Morris Goldstein. Benny Bell, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz, Cantor J. Rosenblatt, Cantor G. Sirota, Cantor S. Kwartin and many others.

Celebrate the New Year by becoming a member of the JSA and enjoy your Jewish music heritage all year long!

To find out more about JSA Thank You gifts: click here.

*The portion of your payment that qualifies as a charitable contribution will be reflected on the receipt you receive from the FAU Foundation Inc. The amount of your payment that exceeds the fair market value of any consideration you received in the form of privileges or other benefits will be the amount that may be deductible as a charitable contribution. Consult with your tax advisor for deductibility of your charitable gift.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, August 25, 2011 12:21 pm

It was the “last box packed.” Now it was the last box to be unpacked. After going through 156 boxes of Cantorial, Yiddish and English-language recordings from the collection of Chicago record producer Barry Serota we stared at this box and knew that once it was opened our job of unpacking would be complete. 

However, our work organizing, describing and investigating the music was just beginning!

 Barry Serota, had devoted his life to collecting great Jewish music and producing high-quality recordings. Although we knew that this was a wonderful donation to the Judaica Sound Archives, we really couldn’t be sure what treasures we would find. As it turns out, we couldn’t be more pleased!

Of the 1,513 LPs that were unpacked we found at least 100 that were still in their original cellophane wrappers. There were also a few 45 rpm records, over seven hundred 78 rpm discs, 101 digital tapes, and 1,443 audio reel-to-reel tapes.

Benedict Stambler, founder of the Collector’s Guild recording company, had been Barry Serota’s mentor and friend. We were delighted to uncover several test pressings from the Collector’s Guild Archives Limited Edition series. There were numerous other test pressings as well, a few of them acetate.

Test pressings include: an acetate pressing of a synagogue service  radio broadcast led by Cantor Dale Lind made in 1941, a live concert by Cantor David Kousevitsky that was recorded in 1968, and a concert of folk songs by Rosenblatt.

The JSA has now been able to create a special collection of about 60 albums on the Musique Internationale label. This rare collection of recordings by a dedicated lover of Jewish music can now be enjoyed around the world on the JSA website.

The Judaica Sound Archives has greatly enhanced its already extensive collection of Judaic music with this acquisition and we are delighted to be able to share it with you. Recordings that cannot be played on the website due to copyrights will be made available on the JSA Scholar’s Research Station.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, August 1, 2011 1:25 pm

Mrs. Blanche Serota holds a recording produced by her son under the Musique Internationale label.

Blanche Serota visited the JSA in February 2011 to arrange for the donation of  her son’s personal record collection to the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.

Mrs. Serota was clearly still grieving over the loss of her son, lawyer and record producer, Barry Serota, when she visited the JSA.  She told me that her son was never interested in making money.  He collected and produced Jewish music recordings just for the love of it.

She wanted to honor his his memory.  It comforted her to know that what he loved so much would find a warm welcome and a permanent home at the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.

Ben Roth-Aroni, RSA’s sound archivist, was especially elated about the gift. His  relationship with Barry Serota went back to the early 1970′s when he was employed as Serota’s tape editor.  “When I first heard about his passing, it didn’t sink in right away.  I couldn’t believe it! I was very fond of him. I called Barry’s mother to offer my condolences and to tell her how much I admired his dedication to the preservation of cantorial and other Jewish music. I invited her to visit the Judaica Sound Archives. She was spending the winter in West Palm Beach and I thought she would be interested in what we were doing here.”

Mrs. Serota was unable to make the trip to Boca Raton that winter but we made arrangements for Ben to visit her in Chicago to assess the collection of recordings and Musique Internationale masters that were stacked in her basement.  “I would have to say that it was pleasantly overwhelming!” he reported.  He estimated that there were approximately 100 boxes of recordings, record masters, and reel-to-reel tapes.

Meeting Mrs. Serota face-to-face for the first time, Ben talked about his memories of Barry. She remembered the beautiful voice of Ben’s father, Cantor Zvee Aroni. And so they talked and ate deli sandwiches for lunch.

Dr. Wiiliam Miller (right), Dean of FAU Libraries, looks on as Blanche Serota (middle) and Maxine Schackman (left) pose in front of the new "gold record" honoring Barry Serota.

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By FAU Recorded Sound Archives, July 21, 2011 3:01 pm

When Barry Serota’s life suddenly ended because of a heart attack in November 2009, the world of recorded Jewish music lost one of its most respected professionals. 

Barry Serota, a practicing attorney and executive director of the Institute for Jewish Sound Recording, died suddenly November 16, 2009 on a plane flight between New York and Madrid on the way to Israel.

Serota, widely known for his deep knowledge of Jewish music, had produced more than 100 recordings of Jewish sacred and secular music. Serota’s output at the Institute, based in Chicago, included choral, instrumental, folk and art music. Serota was especially known a promoter of chazzanut. Starting in 1969, he issued many esoteric Jewish music recordings under the imprint of Musique Internationale.

Serota, an advisor to the Milken Foundation, worked on their large project of the Library of American Jewish Music, the recordings which were published under the Naxos label. He was also involved in the Foundation’s oral-history project, for which he interviewed many of the leading figures in Jewish music.

Serota earned degrees at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and received a law degree from De Paul University of Chicago. He lectured widely, including numerous professional and academic organizations such as the Cantorial Council of America, HUC (Hebrew Union College), TACI (Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute), and the Museum of the Diaspora.

At the time of his death, Jeffrey P. Lieuwen wrote, “I hope the enormous collection he leaves behind will fall into good hands, so it will be preserved for generations to come.” I hope Mr. Lieuwen and others will be pleased to learn that Barry Serota’s mother, Mrs. Blanche Serota, has donated his entire personal collection to the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.