Velvel Pasternak
Velvel Pasternak (October 1, 1933 – June 11, 2019) was a musicologist, conductor, arranger, producer, and publisher specializing in Jewish music. In 1981, the New York Times described him as "an expert on the music of the Hasidic sect and probably the largest publisher of Jewish music anywhere, although he was quick to note that publishing Jewish music is a business that attracts few rivals."
Velvel Pasternak
Gedalia Pasternak · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Velvel Pasternak
- Born
- 1 October 1933
- Birthplace
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Died
- 11 June 2019
- Place of death
- Oceanside, NY, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- composer · musicologist · conductor · music publisher
- Fields
- musicology
- Education
- Columbia University · Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Velvel Pasternak (October 1, 1933 – June 11, 2019) was a musicologist, conductor, arranger, producer, and publisher specializing in Jewish music. In 1981, the New York Times described him as "an expert on the music of the Hasidic sect and probably the largest publisher of Jewish music anywhere, although he was quick to note that publishing Jewish music is a business that attracts few rivals."
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Note VALÉORINE
Velvel Pasternak (1933–2019) was an American composer, conductor and music publisher, among other activities. Born in Toronto, the composer died in New York City.
Velvel Pasternak studied at Columbia University and Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy. The composer was active in musicology. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q7919371 · wikipedia · Velvel Pasternak
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Velvel Pasternak • Born — 1 October 1933 • Birthplace — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Died — 11 June 2019 • Place of death — Oceanside, NY, U.S.
Biography
Biography
Velvel Pasternak was born in Toronto in 1933 to immigrant parents from Poland. He received an Orthodox Jewish education and was a graduate of Yeshiva University High School for Boys (class of 1951) and of Yeshiva University (class of 1955). He also studied at the Juilliard School, and received a master's in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University. The founder of Tara Publications, he was responsible for the publication of 26 recordings and over 150 books of Jewish music since 1971, spanning the gamut of Israeli, Yiddish, Ladino, cantorial, Hasidic and Holocaust music. He was a regular lecturer on the music of the Hassidim. He was the music teacher at the Congregation Sons of Israel synagogue in Woodmere, NY for many years. He died on June 11, 2019, in New York City.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Toronto.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
Published works
• Songs of the Chassidim (1970) • Songs of the Chassidim II (1971) • The Best of Israeli Folk Dances (1997) (previous edition 1990) • The Jewish Fake Book (1997) • Z'Mirot and Kumzitz Songbook (1997) • Beyond Hava Nagila (1999) • The Jewish Music Companion (2003) • Songs Never Silenced--The Folk Music And Poetry of the Shoah (2003) (with Shmerke Kaczerginsky) • The Best of Hasidic Song: Selections from 7 Acclaimed Music Books (2012) • The Big Jewish Songbook (2014) • Shlomo Carlebach Anthology: Compiled, Edited and Arranged by Velvel Pasternak (2016) • Behind the Music, Stories, Anecdotes, Articles and Reflections (2017)
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Berger, Joseph. Velvel Pasternak, Preserver of Hasidic Music, Is Dead at 85. New York Times. June 12, 2019.
- 2.Robert Cohen. New Wings for Our Prayers: On American Jewish Music. tikkun.org. March 27, 2008.
- 3.First Annual "Hallel V'Zimrah" Award Goes to Velvel Pasternak. 5765. Spring. 6. 2005.
- 4.Van Gelder, Lawrence. Long Islanders; A Youthful Decision Alters a Life's Tone. New York Times. 2 (Section 11). 1981-03-22.
- 5.A jubilee of Jewish music. blogs.timesofisrael.com.
- 6.Yeshiva University. The Passing of Velvel Pasternak. YU News. June 14, 2019.
- 7.YESHIVA UNIVERSITY REVIEW Winter 2003 - 2004. docshare.tips.
- 8.A jubilee of Jewish music. blogs.timesofisrael.com.
- 9.Velvel Pasternak. 2004 Rozhinke Faculty.
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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