Moshe Budmor
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Moshe Budmor

Moshe Budmor, 92, of Princeton died Dec. 4, 2015. Born in Hamburg, Germany, to Erich and Edith Buchholtz, he also had lived in Israel.

He was educated in Germany and Israel, as well as at the Juilliard School and Columbia University in New York. 

He joined Kibbutz Hulata in Israel as a young man, where he worked as a shepherd and fisherman; he maintained ties there throughout his life.

As a child, he played violin, harmonica, and recorder. He went on to become a well-known composer and conductor in the United States, Europe, and Israel. He was conductor of the Haifa Chamber Chorus and musical director of the Haifa Symphony and of numerous choirs, including LaShir of Princeton. He was professor of music at The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College) until his retirement in 1990. 

He was active in a number of community organizations, including Community Without Walls and  the Library Minyan at The Jewish Center of Princeton, and was an active havura participant. He was also an ardent supporter of many peace organizations.

In 2013, to celebrate his 90th birthday, he organized a concert of his own work, which was held at Rider University’s Westminster campus. The concert included a variety of instrumental and vocal works, including musical settings of texts by Walt Whitman and from the Song of Songs, a fantasia with themes from Eastern European Jewish and Bedouin dances, and “Havdalah,” a string quartet based on the ceremony that ends the Sabbath. At the time of the concert, several articles appeared in the local media, giving detailed information about Moshe’s life and his creative process. 

Predeceased by his wives, Katya Delakova and Lea Lerner, he is survived by two daughters, Jean Lerner (Elizabeth Salen) of Brooklyn and Laura Lyons of Winston-Salem, NC; and four grandchildren. 

Services were held Dec. 6 with arrangements by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing. Memorial contributions may be made to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Jane Goodall Institute, or Akko Conservatory, c/o Elizabeth Salen, Esq., 294 Windsor Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11218.

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