About Fran
Bio/Resume
About Fran | |
Fran Kleiner was born in Brooklyn, NY, the oldest of four children of Eastern European Jewish immigrant parents. She was raised in a bi-lingual household where Jewish history, culture, literature, music and singing were central components. Her mother and other members of her family were singers. Fran’s grandfather, who was killed in a pogrom in Russia, had been a cantor. Her father, a tailor, was active in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
Fran attended the Hebrew School of the Hebrew Educational Society, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. She received a BA degree in Education and Psychology from Brooklyn College in June 1947, and a Masters in Social Work from Boston University in May l953.
She had her first opportunity to introduce Yiddish music to children as a counselor and division head at various Jewish camps. She married Robert Kleiner in 1948, and they both worked at Camp Wel-Met of the Jewish Welfare Board of New York from 1948-1950, with Fran serving as a Division Head. During the time they lived in Boston, Fran worked as a Division Head at Camp Kingswood of the Jewish Welfare Board of Boston in 1953, and as Program Director -- for all ages -- of Good Will House, a Settlement House in East Boston for two years.
The couple came to Philadelphia in 1953 so Robert could pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Fran was Program Director of the Strawberry Mansion Recreation Center for two years.
During the 1960s, she served as a part-time teacher at the Francis Pastorius School in Germantown, and for six years as a part-time advisor of senior citizen groups in various Community Centers and synagogues. She also began teaching music and Yiddish at the Jewish Childrens’ Folkshul on Sundays. In the late ’70s, she was Co-Director of the Folkshul for two years. Fran has worked on music curriculum development, not only at the Folkshul, but at all schools and agencies where she has worked. In addition, Fran led workshops and inservice training on the use of Yiddish music in the classroom, school-wide programs and celebrations at the conferences of the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations. She has appeared in numerous programs of the Sholom Aleichem Club. The school asked her to return a few years ago to teach another generation of children -- some of whose parents had been earlier students -- and because she was acknowledged as the best source for providing the link to Yiddish culture and music.
After spending five years as a Caseworker at the Association for Jewish Children, Fran was appointed Branch Director of South Philadelphia’s Stiffel Senior Center of the Jewish Community Centers of Philadelphia in 1977. She spent 13 years at the Center, where she was responsible for Program Development, Staff Hiring, Training and Supervision, Center Policies, and Interagency Relations. Although it was not part of her job description, Fran sang regularly for the members at luncheons and Center affairs. After a fire at the Center in 1985, she directed the Center and its programs from a temporary site until the renovation of the main building was completed in January 1987.
Fran’s repertory includes music in many languages, and folk, Yiddish, Hebrew, resistance, union, friendship and peace songs.