Aaron Lebedeff (1873–1960) was a

Yiddish theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satire, satiric or nostalgic revues; melodr ...

star, born in

Gomel Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the List of cities and largest ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Life and career

In childhood he sang for the

Hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

, Borekh David. Having no interest in education, he was sent to learn a trade, but soon he ran away and began to play small roles in a Russian theaters in

Bobruysk Babruysk (, ) or Bobruysk (, ; , ) is a city in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Babruysk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is situated on the Berezina River. Babruysk oc ...

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

and other towns. When the Russian troupe fell apart, he went back to Homel, taking part in

amateur theatre Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as f ...

and opening a

dance club Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...

. When Leyzer Bernshtein's troupe arrived, he wheedled a place in it.Zalmen Zylbercweig, ''Leksikon fun Yidishn teater'', book two, 1133-1135 He was officially a

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, unofficially a roadie/stage hand (''pekl-treger''). He dressed the actors and was a prompter. He finally debuted in ''Der Pipkiner rav'' and became the character actor he would remain, playing in different wandering theatre troupes across Russia. He was hired in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and became popular there as ''Der Litvisher Komiker (The Litvak comic)''. In 1912–13, he played in

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

with Zandberg, then back to Warsaw; and at the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was pressed into the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

and sent to

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

, (1916), where he spent his time of military service giving

concerts A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

for the

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

. After being

demobilized Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...

, he worked in Avrom Fishzohn's troupe; but in order to support himself, he often had to sing in

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

for the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

. He married Vera Lubow and later wandered toward

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

with his wife, presenting "International Concerts" (also in China). In 1920, he and his wife left for America and were hired for

Boris Thomashevsky Boris Thomashefsky (, sometimes written Thomashevsky, Thomaschevsky, etc.; ) (1868–July 9, 1939), born Boruch-Aharon Thomashefsky, was a Ukrainian-born (later American) Jewish singer and actor who became one of the biggest stars in Yiddish th ...

's National Theater production of Wolf Shumsky's ''Lyavke Molodyetz.'' He was such a hit that he became an overnight star of Yiddish theater in America. Aaron died on November 8, 1960, and was buried next to his wife (who died two years prior) in the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance section of Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens, NY.Mount Hebron Cemetery
/ref>

Lebedeff's musicals

Here are most of the shows he starred in during the 1920s: * ' (Yehude Boymvol) * ' ( Julius Adler) * ' and ''Yoshke Khvat'' (Yitskhok Lesh) (music

Herman Wohl Herman Wohl (; 1877–1936) was a Jewish–American composer closely associated with the American Yiddish Theatre. Galicia Wohl was born in Otyniia near Stanislavov (now called Ivano-Frankivsk) in eastern Galicia, now Ukraine. He was raised in ...

) * '' (Lively and Happy)'' (music Herman Wohl) * ' (Harry Kalmanovitsh, music Herman Wohl) * '' (1001 nights)'' (

, music Herman Wohl) * '' (Dance, Sing and Cry)'' (music Joseph Chernyavsky) * ' (

Israel Rosenberg Israel (also Yisroel or Yisrol) Rosenberg (c. 1850 – 1903 or 1904; Yiddish/Hebrew language, Hebrew: ישראל ראָזענבערג) founded the first Yiddish theater troupe in Imperial Russia. Life Having been a "hole-and-corner lawyer" ( ...

, L. and S. Rozenstein) * '' (Rumanian wedding)'', (Moyse Shor, music Perez Sandler) * '' (The Father's Little Son)'' (Kalmanovitsh, music Perets Sandler) * ''Mendl in Japan'' (Rakov, music Peretz Sandler) * ' (Israel Rosenberg, music Peretz Sandler) * ''A khasene in Palestine'' (Rosenberg - Sandler) * ' (L. Freeman - Sandler) * ''Volodke in Odessa'' (Lesh - Sandler) * ' (Freyman - Sandler) * '' (The little millionaire)'' (Aaron Nager -

Sholom Secunda Sholom Secunda (, , Alexandria, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire13 June 1974, New York) was an American composer of Ukrainian-Jewish descent, best known for the tunes of "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" and " Donna Donna". Biography He was born in 1894 ...

) * ' (William Siegel - music Alexander Olshanetsky) * '' (Paradise For Two)'' (William Siegel - Olshanetsky) * ' (Isidore Lesh, music Olshanetsky) * ' (Siegel - Olshanetsky) * ' (Yitskhok Lesh - Olshanetsky) * ' (Israel Rosenberg - Olshanetsky) * ' (Kalmanovitsh) In the 1930s: * ' (William Siegel, music Herman Wohl) * '' (Russian love)'' (Yitskhok Lesh - Wohl) * '' (A night in the woods)'' (Siegel - Wohl) * '' (The lucky night)'' (Siegel - Wohl) * '' (The great miracle)'' (Avrom Blum - Wohl) * '' (Rich paupers)'' (Siegel - Wohl) * '' (The big surprise)'' (Blum - Wohl) In his traveling troupes, he also presented: * ''Max'' and

Abraham Goldfaden Abraham Goldfaden (; born Avrum Goldnfoden; 24 July 1840 – 9 January 1908), also known as Avram Goldfaden, was a Russian-born Jewish poet, playwright, stage director and actor in Yiddish and Hebrew languages and author of some 40 plays. Goldfad ...

's ''Beyde Kuni Lemel'' * ' (Goldfaden) * '' (The wild man)'' (

Jacob Mikhailovich Gordin Jacob Michailovitch Gordin (Yiddish: יעקב מיכאַילאָװיטש גאָרדין; May 1, 1853 – June 11, 1909) was a Russian-United States, American playwright active in the early years of Yiddish theater. He is known for introducing Re ...

) * ''Morgen'' ( Chone Gottesfeld) Lebedeff was a

coupletist Couplets (, , ) were wittily ambiguous, political, or satirical songs in a number of European countries, usually performed in cabaret settings, usually with refrains, often used as a transition between two cabaret numbers. Couplets could also be in ...

, composing dozens of

comic songs A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of Comedy music, humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with Comedy music, comedy songs, which are more explic ...

for the Broadway Record Company; he recorded hundreds of sides including the famous ''Rumania, Rumania'' and ''Vot ken yu makh, s'iz amerike!''.

References

External links

Aaron Lebedeff recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lebedeff, Aaron People from Gomel Jewish American male actors American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Yiddish theatre performers Yiddish-language singers of Belarusia Belarusian Jews 1873 births 1960 deaths Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (New York City)