Frank Birnbaum

William Franklin "Frank" Birnbaum (1922-2000) was a well-known 20th century chazzan within Reform and Conservative Judaism in the United States. 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.

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Cantor Frank Birnbaum (ca. 1950)

Life

Birnbaum was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1922. The oldest of three children, Birnbaum began studying chazzanut under his father, Samuel Birnbaum, who was then chazzan of Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue, Charleston's oldest Orthodox congregation and the oldest Ashkenazic synagogue in the United States. After serving in World War II, Birnbaum completed his collegiate studies at Columbia University, and then decided to enroll in the H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.

Graduating from JTS 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 chazzan at Congregation Shaare Zedek (New York City), from 1953-1957, and Temple Sinai in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1957-1962.

Birnbaum would go on to serve congregations in Dallas, Atlanta, and Charlotte until he retired in 1990 from Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina)..

Accomplishments

Birnbaum served as President and Placement Chairman of the Cantors Assembly for the Conservative movement. He also taught on the faculty of music at Emory University for a number of years and was responsible for the establishment of the Southern Jewish Cantorial Festival, which each year brought world-class chazzanim to Atlanta, Georgia. He was a proponent for the investiture of women as cantors within the Conservative movement and an advocate for liturgical reform, which led to the printing of Siddur Sim Shalom in 1985 with his good friend Rabbi Jules Harlow.