About Barbara
Barbara Ostfeld didn’t become obsessed by singing until she was two. It wasn’t until she was twelve, though, that she learned to ride a bike, and she never did manage to climb to the top of the rope in gym class. But at seventeen she innocently cracked through a stained glass ceiling and was admitted to Hebrew Union College’s School of Sacred Music. At age twenty-two she became the first woman ordained as a cantor in 3,000 years of Jewish history, but foolishly, she turned down an invitation to appear on What’s My Line?
For more than twenty-seven years she served as cantor for congregations in Clifton, New Jersey, and in Great Neck, Rochester, and Buffalo, New York. Then, for ten years, she served as the Placement Director of the American Conference of Cantors, helping hundreds of cantors find the best congregations for strengths, and helping congregations find the best cantors for their communities.
Barbara lives in Buffalo, New York, with her husband and an assortment of mildew-spotted African violets. Her essays have appeared in Lilith Magazine, New Jewish Feminism, and elsewhere. Catbird is her first book.
Other Writing
For More Information
Barbara’s Wikipedia Page
Author’s Note from Catbird
Media coverage and resources