An American manuscript enters Israel’s archives

By Eileen Wingard

Librarian Bella Yakobovitch holds "Music Education in Israel," a master's thesis by Eileen Wingard, who stands beside her
Librarian Bella Yakobovitch holds “Music Education in Israel,” a master’s thesis by Eileen Wingard, who stands beside her

SAN DIEGO — On a shelf in the Music Library of the Levinsky Teachers College in Tel Aviv, sits my master’s thesis, “Music Education in Israel,” dated January, 1954. Curious to see my work in an Israeli library, my daughter, Tamara, and I went to Tel Aviv to visit the Levinsky College during our trip to Israel last year. How did it happen that a copy of my master’s thesis found its way to a shelf in the Levinsky Teachers College Music Library?

It all began in 2010, when Bella Yakobovitch, librarian of the Levinsky Music Library, tracked me down on the Internet. She had read a citation from my work in Motti Regev and Edwin Seroussi’s newly published book, Popular Music & National Culture in Israel. Ms. Yakobovitch located me on Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s website because the Miryam Quartet, of which I am the first violin, had played for Slichot Services at the synagogue, and publicity was posted.  Yakobovitch sent an email to Tifereth Israel that was forwarded to me. She wrote about a student at the Levinsky Teachers College doing research on Israel’s music education and asked how she could get a copy of my thesis. I was able to arrange for the UCLA library, which houses the original manuscript, to send a photocopy to the Levinsky Music Library through the inter-library exchange.

Arriving at the Levinsky Teachers College on a bus from Kfar Saba, where we had stayed with the Talmis (conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and his wife) the night before, Tamara and I walked onto a beautiful campus near the coastal road. When we entered the music library, we were greeted by Yakobovitch, a graduate of the Hebrew University’s program in Library Science. She graciously showed us her wonderful collection. There were books on music pedagogy in many languages, books on the history of music, books on music therapy, and an extensive assortment of sheet music by Israeli composers, from songs to symphony scores.  In addition to the printed material, there was a large number of recordings. Yakobovitch, having held this position for over 36 years, was strongly dedicated to her work and proud of her acquisitions.

The Levinsky Teachers College, founded in 1912 by members of the Hovevei Zion (Lovers of Zion), is the oldest teachers college in Israel. At a time when other institutions were using European languages, it instituted the use of Hebrew as the medium of instruction. The college’s Levinsky Music Academy is the main institution in Israel that trains music teachers for all levels, from pre-school to high school and for students with special needs. Its offerings include performance, composition, musicology, choral conducting, the Dalcroze, Orff, and Kodaly approaches, educational technology, and music and movement therapy. It also sponsors an Israeli forum for the advancement of music education.

As Bella Yakobovitch brought out my thesis, I began reminiscing about my first trip to Israel. I had just earned my teaching credential from UCLA, and I was a participant in the Jewish Agency’s Summer Institute in Israel. Our group, made up of college students from the United States, Canada, and England, lived mostly in the Rehavia Gymnasium in Jerusalem and had classes in the morning and tours in the afternoon. Among our instructors was a music teacher, Esther Itrani, who taught high school music. She introduced me to Emanuel Amiram, chief inspector of Music in Israel Schools, who gave me books and pamphlets on the subject of music education in Israel and willingly spent time with me, answering all my questions. He tried to recruit me to teach music in Israel, but the pull of my family in Los Angeles, and a certain suitor, whom I ended up marrying the following December, had me returning to California. It was the material given to me by Amiram, all in Hebrew, along with my interviews with him, which served as the basis of my thesis.

Back home, I met with my father, Abraham Schiff, a graduate of the Lida Yishivah in Poland and fluent in Hebrew, who translated all the pertinent articles and book chapters for me. It was a painstaking enterprise, stretching over many months, but it forged a bond between us that had never taken hold during my childhood. While I was growing up, he was absent for long periods and always seemed too preoccupied with the problems of supporting his wife and child to pay much attention to me. Our time spent working together those many evenings was a precious opportunity to get to know each other better.

My manuscript has served many purposes. Researching its topic gave me a special mission during my first visit to Israel. Translating it helped me build a relationship with my father. My master’s thesis served as a resource for several researchers, including Regem and Seroussi. And now, sitting on a shelf in the Levinsky Music Library in Tel Aviv, it gives me a feeling of presence in the Promised Land. It also inspired my daughter, Tamara, and me to pursue an interesting destination, meet a dedicated music librarian and share a formative moment of my musical background during our recent trip to Israel.

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Wingard is a freelance writer and retired  violinist with the San Diego Symphony.  She may be contacted at eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com