Did You Know That Louis Armstrong Wore a Star of David?

Louis Armstrong was born August 4, 1901, in a section of New Orleans that was so violent that it was called the battlefield. His father was a day laborer named William Armstrong, and left the family and his children rarely saw him. His mother was 16 years old when she had him. He grew up in such poverty that he often didn’t know when his next meal was going to come.

The Karnofskys were a financially poor but loving family towards Armstrong. They provided a bed, food and shelter, and even included him in their Shabbat dinners. Armstrong had helped the father with his horse-and-wagon hauling business delivering coal. Each day as they passed a particular store, Armstrong pointed to an old cornet in the window, a cornet he couldn’t hope to buy but longed to play. One day, Mr. Karnofsky stopped at the store, walked in and came out with the cornet. He handed it to Armstrong and told him he could work it off. They helped him to purchase his very first instrument.

Louis Armstrong proudly spoke fluent Yiddish, loved matzah, had a mezuzah, and always wore a Star of David around his neck, which was given to him for good luck by another Jew who played a significant part in Armstrong’s life, his manager, Joe Glaser. He listened to the Yiddish melodies the mother often sang to her children — later in life, these melodies would find their way into his own music.