Samuel E. Goldfarb

Samuel E. Goldfarb reflects on his early life growing up on the Lower East Side in a musical, Jewish household. He recalls entering the lively world of Tin Pan Alley, where he encountered composers like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, and performing in Yiddish theater. Alongside his traditional Jewish education, he also studied music at Columbia University. Goldfarb describes how a 1930 trip brought him and his wife to Seattle, where Rabbi Samuel Koch invited him to become musical director of Temple de Hirsch. He reflects on building a lasting music program there, founding children’s choirs, and training generations of young musicians before retiring in 1968. Listen to Samuel's Oral History interview at the UW Jewish Archives.