Szerman, Pinchas

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SZERMAN, PINCHAS

SZERMAN, PINCHAS (1887–1942), ?azzan. Born in Staszow, Poland, he sang as a boy with his elder brother, Abraham Isaac, then ?azzan in Krashnik. Szerman studied in A.B. *Birnbaum's school for ?azzanim in Czestochowa, and in 1909 was appointed ?azzan sheni (assistant ?azzan) at the T?ómacka Street Synagogue in Warsaw. Holding this post until the outbreak of World War ii, he served together with the chief ?azzanim, Gershon Sirota and Moshe Koussevitzky, and the choral directors Leo Loew and David Eisenstadt. Szerman was held in high esteem not only for his flexible baritone voice and his unaffected style, but also for his learning and character. He was one of the founders of the Aggudat ha-?azzanim (Cantors' Association), in Poland, and served as its president and the editor of its journal Di Khazonim Velt.

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