[78-L] Harry James - Jewish?

[Steven C. Barr]

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From: "David Lennick" <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> Helen Forrest was Jewish. Ziggy Elman was Jewish (no kidding!). Benny 
> Goodman was Jewish. I've heard it claimed that Woody Herman was Jewish. 
> Harry James..no way, although he absorbed the Klezmer idiom nicely.
>
Another "unsuspected" Jewish artist was Arthur Fields. I forget where I read 
this,
but his real name was apparently "Abe Finklestein?!"

Note that in the essentially anti-semitic North American environment of the
late-19th-early 20th century, performing music was one of the few "career
paths" available to Jews; those who had the requisite talent prospered as a
result! About a generation or two later, this same thing was true for 
Blacks...?!

It will be interesting to observe which ethnic group will be the next 
"chosen
few" as Ontario and Canada become ever more "multicultural"...?!

Steven C. Barr