Leonard Bernstein was arguably the best-known, certainly the most popular, classical musician in the United States in the twentieth century. He was born near Boston in 1918. By the time he turned 40, he was the Musical Director of the New York Philharmonic, the
composer of west Side Story, and the teacher of the nationally televised Young People's concerts. He had already written two symphonies, a Tony-award-winning musical, chamber music, ballet scores, two operas, a film score, synagogue music, and scripts for
nationally televised music appreciation programs. And he was internationally renowned because of his global conducting schedule becoming one of America's premier cultural diplomats.

Bernstein's Jewish identity had a central place in his development as an artist and as a performer. It's seen in his upbringing, his choices of musical and thematic material, his connection to Israel and to the Hebrew language, and his lifelong pride in being Jewish.
Bernstein was a uniquely American Jew.

Chaim Feder has been a professional educator for over 50 years, specializing in global Jewish education. His primary interest is to explore the nature of Jewish identity and the many forms in which it has been expressed in modern times and to help nurture it educationally. Chaim grew up in New York, moved to Israel in the late 1970s, and has spent periods in Canada and the United Kingdom. He loves music and studies it as an autodidact. This pastime, when linked to Jewish identity issues, helped spark the development of Being Leonard Bernstein.