Re: Cohan: not a Jew.

[alfesta <alfesta...>]

Hi There,

Many thanks for your quick response.
George M Cohan's name is mentioned 8 times in the book
THE JEWS OF TIN PAN ALLEY by Kenneth Aaron Kanter, so I presumed he was
Jewish.

Regards

Alf Keiles
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Wiener" <wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 7:06 PM
Subject: Re: Cohan: not a Jew.


> 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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