Sheet music by Bathia Churgin

Prof. Churgin looks back on over twenty-six years of achievement in the department that she established as a personal tribute to her late father, Prof. Pinkhos Churgin, Bar-Ilan University’s founder and first president. "My father always appreciated fine music. He respected the discipline and hard work required by the field of music. He wanted Bar-Ilan to be a center of learning -- not only of Torah and the sciences, but also the arts and humanities."

Prof. Churgin was brought up in a musical home in New York. Her mother, Rosetta (Shoshana) Seligson Churgin was an excellent musician and violinist and guided her musical studies. Her musical education encompassed the High School of Music and Art, Hunter College, Radcliffe College and Harvard University. Head of the Music department from 1970 to 1984, she played a key role in designing the department’s degree programs, building its respected library and creating its successful concert series.