With its direct roots dating from 1908, The American Society for Jewish Music continues to promote the study of Jewish music, classical and contemporary, liturgical and secular. In addition to publishing its academic journal, MUSICA JUDAICA, the Society's JEWISH MUSIC FORUM presents lectures which bring together scholars, ethnomusicologists and interested laity for academic presentations at The Center for Jewish History in New York City and around the country.

ASJM's current projects include:

__Building the database of MUSICA JUDAICA for online review.
__Digitizing of the St. Petersburg Score Collection, a late Russian Empire collection of Jewish music scores.
__Building a database of Jewish music scholars and researchers.
__Digitization 17,000 recordings from ASJM's Charlie Bernhaut Collection of Jewish and Cantorial Music.
__Building the most sophisticated, searchable database for the Bernhaut Collection, which includes the earliest wax cylinders, 78 rpm records,
vinyl recordings and the latest CDs.
__Recordings and videos of Jewish Music Forum seminars for online viewing.
__Sponsoring the Aaron J. Caplow Composition Competitiion to encourage the composition and performance of new Jewish music.

The American Society for Jewish Music (ASJM) can trace its roots back to several earlier Jewish Music Societies and associations, first in Europe and then in America. Among the European models were the Kinnor Zion Society (1902-08), and more importantly, in St. Petersburg, the Society for Jewish Folk Music (1908-18), also in St. Petersburg and elsewhere within the Russian Empire. After the Revolution, members of these group published their compositions under the imprint of Juwal, Publication Society for Jewish Music (later called Jibneh) with offices in Tel Aviv and Berlin. Predecessors of the ASJM in the United States included Mailamm (Makhon Eretz Yisraeli L'-Mada'ey ha-Musika) (1932-39), founded by Miriam Zunser and some emigré members of the early European groups; and the Jewish Music Forum (1939-63), founded by Abraham Wolf Binder, which in turn became the Jewish Liturgical Society of America (1963-74). In 1974 the latter group was reorganized as the American Society for Jewish Music, Inc., under the direction of its first President, Albert Weisser.

Last updated: October 24, 2011.