Re: Cohan: not a Jew.

[Bob Wiener <wiener...>]

Curiouser and curiouser.

"Ethel Levey was born Ethelia Fowler in 1881.  She grew up in San Francisco
to Scottish and Irish parents.  She later adopted the name Levey from her
Jewish step-father, Sol Levey."
http://members.tripod.com/davecol8/id19.htm


But (assuming this is all true) I doubt that even the most "liberal" rabbi
would call George M. Cohan Jewish by association -- that is, by marriage to
a woman whose step-father was Jewish.  Then again, if Ethel Levey converted
to Judaism (although I've come across no evidence of that -- a mere name
change wouldn't do it), according to all rabbis, George M. Cohan's children
would have been Jewish at birth.


In conclusion, I'd say that not every great American Broadway/popular
songwriter has to be Jewish.

Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: <SICULAR (at) aol(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: Cohan: not a Jew.


> I don't know about any of this before today, but from that link it looks
like his wife was Jewish judging from her name.
>
> -
> Eve



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