British and Irish Association for Holocaust Studies
Online Lecture Series 2025
Harmonious Relations? America in the Making of the Classical Music World in Mandatory Palestine and Israel, 1920s-1960s
Dr Kira Alvarez
Revised date 19 May 2025, 18:30-20:00
Hosted on Teams
PLEASE NOTE: THIS PRESENTATION WILL NOT BE RECORDED
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What role did American Jewry play in shaping the Western classical music scene in Israel? Why was classical music seen as a valuable cultural asset during this period? This presentation examines the emergence of musical ties between American Jewish networks and Mandatory Palestine/Israel. Figures such as violinist Bronisław Huberman, soprano Edis de Philippe, and institutions such as the American Palestine Music Association (MAILAMM) were instrumental in establishing and shaping Israel’s classical music landscape. Although these transnational ties date back to the 1920s, significant growth began with the arrival of Jewish refugee musicians fleeing Nazi Germany. American Jewish support played a critical role in developing classical music institutions in Israel. This talk is based on archival research conducted in Israel, the U.S., and the U.K.
About our speaker
Kira Alvarez, PhD, is a Berlin-based interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of history, music, and religious studies. She completed her doctorate in history at Freie Universität Berlin, where she has also taught, and holds additional degrees from Stanford University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Swarthmore College. Kira is currently working on a book based on her dissertation.