Jascha Mejerowicz (Jasha Meyrowitz)       Яша Меерович                   יעקב מאירוביץ   
     

Jascha Mejerowicz (Yuri's father) was born in Vilna, Russia on September 23, 1904 to a family that included several musicians.
His principal teacher there was Vladimir Graffman - former assistant to Leopld Auer and father of the well-known pianist Gary Graffman. In his teens he was dispatched to the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin, and completed his studies in violin, piano
and conducting at the Royal Conservatory in Leipzig,
where he was a protégé of Walther Davisson and Max Pauer.

Upon graduation he joined the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra -
at that time conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, was concertmaster and conductor of the City Orchestra of Lüdenscheid (Westfalia), and was a member of the Ostmarken Rundfunk orchestra (Königsberg) - at that time conducted by Hermann Scherchen. Later he played in the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra and was the concertmaster of Franz Lehár's orchestra in Berlin. He was also busy with solo and chamber music engagements, and for several years was a member of the Berlin String Quartet (also known as the Max Rostal Quartet). 

In 1933 he emigrated to Palestine and was one of the founders
and the first conductor of the Palestine Symphonic Orchestra (later called the Palestine Philharmonic Symphony Union), directing many concerts during
its formative years.

He was also active as a soloist and chamber music performer, taught at the Shulamit Conservatory, and founded the Carmel Conservatory in Haifa
with his wife, the pianist
Luba Yosilevitz.

Following his move to the United States in 1956 he joined the Saint-Louis Symphony Orchestra, and in 1957, at the invitation
of Igor Markevitch, conducted
at the Pan-American festival
in Mexico.

He later concertized
throughout North America,
and died in Maine during
the summer of 1959.