Today, on #MusicMonday, we celebrate the one and only Leonard Bernstein, a maestro who broke boundaries and embraced his Jewish heritage every step of the way.
Born to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Bernstein resisted advice to change his name to avoid antisemitism, saying he’d make it as Leonard Bernstein or not at all.
His incredible career included iconic works like West Side Story and Chichester Psalms, the latter featuring Hebrew lyrics he famously performed at the Vatican. From conducting for soldiers in Israel during its War of Independence to composing the groundbreaking Symphony No. 3 (Kaddish), Bernstein’s Jewish roots infused his work with unparalleled passion and meaning.
Want to learn about more iconic Jewish figures? Visit the “Humans of Judaism” portrait gallery, opening December 1 at The Weitzman. Click here for more information: https://theweitzman.org/events/humans-of-judaism/
Source: National Museum of American Jewish History
Photo: Leonard Bernstein blowing the shofar during MASS rehearsals, 1971. Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
