Born in Breslau, Weintraub began an apprenticeship in the pharmacy trade in 1913 after finishing school in his hometown and was drafted for military service in 1916.
Among the members was the chemistry student Ansco Bruinier, who had received cello lessons, but also played the trumpet, saxophone and susaphone and was proficient in artificial whistling as well as singing.
As a pianist and composer, Franz Bruinier participated in musical-literary events, the so-called MA (for "Monday Evening"), in which he involved the Syncopators.
What was fascinating about Weintraub's Syncopators was their musical and stylistic versatility between classical parody, Latin American dances, Viennese waltzes, French cabaret chansons, swing music and Chicago jazz: the individual musicians changed several instruments in one title; between the pieces they also changed their clothes to match the respective theme.
They combined theatrical, grotesque and clownish elements with musical entertainment and jazz in such a virtuoso way that Weintraub's Syncopators were soon recognised as the most sought-after stage show orchestra in Berlin.
Also in 1930, they appeared with Paul Morgan, Max Hansen and the tenor Carl Jöken in the cabaret sound film Das Kabinett des Dr. Larifari directed by Robert Wohlmuth.
With a lucrative contract, the Weintraubs Syncopators arrived in Australia in July 1937, where a tour lasting several months began in October.
After the outbreak of war, further restrictions followed: Weintraub, like other members of the Syncopators, was interned in June 1940 as an "enemy alien" because of his German citizenship.
In Sydney's emigrant scene, he was regularly seen at German-language performances, at revues and colourful evenings of the Kleines Wiener Theater, where he played piano or drums.
Bis ans Ende der Welt" (Cine Impuls 2000, Berlin) in 2000, Jörg Süßenbach and Klaus Sander created a memorial to the almost forgotten band Weintraubs.