A native of Vienna, where he studied medicine, he survived the Holocaust and escaped to the United States. Following World War II service in War Department Intelligence, he established a career as a singer and actor in Broadway shows, concerts and opera, appearing in leading roles with the New York City Opera Company and as guest soloist with major symphony orchestras. Eventually he returned to his studies while serving as Cantor of the largest Reform Congregation in New Jersey and earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Columbia University. With his wife, Marie, he divides his week between the Berkshires and New York City.