Zavel Kwartin

Russian-born cantor and composer (born March 25, 1874 in Chonorod near Yelizavetgrad, Russia [now Ukraine] – died September 22, 1952 in Mamaroneck, NY, U.S.A.) Gifted with a rich lyric baritone, Kwartin studied voice with some of the finest teachers of his time. He performed his first sabbath service in 1896 in Yelizavetgrad [now Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine]. After giving a well-received concert in Lodz in 1897, he embarked on a tour of Europe for the next five years. In 1903, he was appointed Obercantor of the Queen Elizabeth Temple in Vienna, Austria. He also served as a cantor in St. Petersburg and at the Tabak Temple in Budapest. In April 1920, Kwartin emigrated to the United States where he served as the Chief Cantor of Temple Emanuel of Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY, gave concerts, and made many recordings. In July 1925, be became a naturalized U.S. citizen. In 1926, he moved to Israel, but returned to the United States in 1937 to become Cantor in Newark, NJ.