Harry Coopersmith

COOPERSMITH, Harry. b. Russia, 2 December 1902; d. Santa Barbara, California, 31 December 1975.  Coopersmith was a pioneer in the dissemination of Jewish music in America.  The hymn tune YISRAEL V'ORAITA (TORAH SONG)*, introduced by Coopersmith, is one of the most widely sung Jewish melodies published in Christian hymnals. Harry Coopersmith immigrated with his parents, Max Coopersmith (1868? - ?) and Pauline (Liptzen) Coopersmith (1878? - ?) in 1911, and  settled in New York, where Harry studied music education at Teachers’ College, Columbia University (BS, 1924; MA, 1933). Coopersmith was music director at the Chicago Bureau of Jewish Education (1926-1940) and the Anshe Emet Synagogue,...