• Presently:

Executive Director, Hebrew History Federation Ltd.
• Author:

  The Glassmakers; An Odyssey of the Jews, Hippocrene, 1991.
  The Eighth Day; The Hidden History of the Jewish Contribution to Civilization. Jason Aronson, 1994.
  Artisans of the Diaspora; Published in Italian as a serial in the quarterly scientific journal, Alte Vitrie, Altare, Italy, 1994-1998
  Thirty Fact Papers on different aspects of the technological and artistic contributions the Jews have made to civilization, published by the Hebrew History Federation Ltd. 1997-2000

• President and principal of Furnicraft, Inc. 1938 -1957
• President and principal of Mosaics for Modern Living, Inc. 1957-1963
• President and one-third owner of Saboéva, Inc, 1960-1963
• President and principal of International House Inc., 1962-1985
• Executive Vice President of V-Form, 1979-1983. (V-Form was the USA branch of two art glass factories of Venice, Italy)
• American marketing consultant for Zonca of Voghera, Italy, a lighting manufacturer dealing with Venetian glass, 1983-1985.
• Retired in 1983 (continuing only with Zonca, above), and thereafter devoted himself to research, writing, philanthropy, and (non-salaried) executive directorship of the Hebrew History Federation Ltd., a Not-For-Profit organization that Mr. Kurinsky founded in 1989.

Samuel Kurinsky was born in New York City on March 5, 1917, was raised on a farm in Stelton, a village in central New Jersey. He attended Rutgers University, majoring in chemistry. Mr. Kurinsky, and the other Jewish students of his class were unable as Jews at that time to obtain employment in a chemical laboratory. Obliged to make a living, Mr. Kurinsky opened a custom furniture shop ("Furnicraft") in New York City. During WWII he became a sub-contractor for General Aircraft Corporation in Long Island City and produced aircraft parts until the end of the war.

After the war Mr. Kurinsky returned to the design and production of custom furniture until the building in which his factory was located was torn down to make way for the United Nations. For the next thirty years he freelanced as a furniture designer and was instrumental in assisting many southern and other furniture manufacturers to up-grade their lines and methods of production.

During this period, as a result of extensive travels, Mr. Kurinsky founded (1962) International House Inc., importers of the creative works of artisans abroad. IHI opened offices in New York City and in Florence and Conegliano in Italy, and distributed the works of foreign artisans in seven showrooms around the USA. IHI ceased importing in 1974, and functioned thereafter as marketing consultant for foreign producers of creative work. Among the companies represented were several glassmakers of Murano, Venice. This association led to intensive research on the subject in Israel, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, France. England, and the USA.

In 1979 two of the Venetian glass factories, Venini and Veart, formed a USA branch and retained Mr. Kurinsky as Executive Director.

Venini is recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious and historically important glass manufacturers, and Mr. Kurinsky arranged to have the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Service (SITES) exhibit its products. The exhibition continued for eight months in Washington, D.C., and then went on tour of museums in the USA and Canada for the following two years.

During this period Mr. Kurinsky lectured at the Smithsonian in Washington and throughout the USA on the history of glassmaking. He continued research on the subject and lecturing at universities, museums and design centers under the sponsorship of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Architectural Institute of America (AIA). He received an award from the ASID for "The most outstanding seminar program of the year [1980]." Mr. Kurinsky was also engaged by Trinity college over a three year period for a series of lectures and seminars that took place in Verona, Italy for its Italian Elderhostel program.

Mr. Kurinsky has devoted himself since his retirement in 1983 to research, writing, and philanthropy, and to being a father to two children, grandfather to ten grandchildren and great-grandfather (as of March, 2000) to six great-grandchildren.