Betty Robbins

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Betty Robbins (April 9, 1924 – February 19, 2004)[1] was a notable cantor.

Career[]

She is sometimes reported to be the first female cantor, although Julie Rosewald preceded her.[2] Robbins was appointed cantor of the reform[3] Temple Avodah in Oceanside, New York, in 1955,[4] when she was 31 and the temple was without a cantor for the High Holidays.[1][5]

Her appointment was reported on the front page of The New York Times.[6] In addition to her cantorial work, Robbins taught religious education at the in Bay Shore, Long Island and later in Lake Worth, Florida, where she also continued to serve as a cantor.[1]

Personal life[]

Robbins was born Berta Abramson in Kavala, Greece,[1] and later was the soloist in the choir of a German synagogue in Danzig, Poland after convincing the cantor to allow her to participate.[1] In 1939, Robbins and her parents left Poland due to the Nazi invasion and immigrated to Australia because Sydney sounded Jewish to Robbins' father, the Russian born Samuel Abramson.[1][7]

She married a member of the United States Air Force named Sheldon Robbins, who she met at a Temple Emanuel dance while he was on leave from his New Guinea base. They married in a civil ceremony in Mackay, Queensland, on September 18, 1943 and in a religious ceremony at the Brisbane Hebrew Congregation on October 25, 1943. On August 8, 1944, Robbins immigrated to the United States.[1][7]

Robbins' older brother, left the family while they were still living in Poland to move to Palestine.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Robbins, Sandra. "Betty Robbins". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  2. ^ "Betty Robbins".
  3. ^ Andres, Holly J. (2008-03-01). "Conservatice Female Cantor Fits In Religion". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  4. ^ "Religion: Woman Cantor". Time. 1955-08-15. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  5. ^ "Woman Named Cantor". The Portsmouth Times. Oceanside, New Jersey. AP. 4 August 1955. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Woman Named Temple Cantor, Perhaps First in Jewish History". The New York Times. 1955-08-03. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  7. ^ a b "Woman Appointed Cantor; Perhaps the First in History". The Milwaukee Journal. Massapaqua, New York. AP. 3 August 1955. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
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