Fraydele Oysher (October 3, 1913 – January 5, 2004) was an American

Yiddish theater 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 satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; na ...

actress and musical performer. She was one of the first female singers to publicly perform cantorial music. She was the mother of American actress and comedian

Marilyn Michaels Marilyn Michaels (born Marilyn Sternberg, February 26, 1943) is a comedian, singer, actress, impressionist, author, and composer. Family Marilyn Michaels was born in Manhattan to Russian Jewish émigré parents. Her mother was cantoress and actr ...

and Michael Sternberg, the sister of American actor and cantor

Moishe Oysher Moishe Oysher () (March 8, 1906 – November 27, 1958) was an American cantor, recording artist, and film and Yiddish theatre actor.Zalmen Zylbercweig, ''Leksikon fun Yidishn teater'', Book 3, 2407. During the 1940s and 1950s he was one of the to ...

, and the wife of Harold Sternberg, a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

performer. Throughout her career, she performed in the United States, Canada, South America, and Cuba.

Life and work

Early life

Oysher was born in Lipkon,

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

, which is now part of

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

. She was the daughter of a cantor. As a child, Fraydele and her brother Moishe were taught synagogue chants by their father, Selig Oysher, and were immersed in religious music. The Oysher family immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

when Fraydele and Moishe were children.

Performance career

Oysher worked as a child actress, performing in musicals written specifically for her at Yiddish theaters in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, among them ''The Little Queen'', ''The Golden Girl'', and ''Fraydele's Wedding.'' Frequently, she played the role of the Yeshiva boy who is later revealed to be a girl. After moving to New York, Oysher performed in Louis Kramer's acting troupe at the Amphion Theatre, on radio, and in concerts.

Personal life

She and Harold Sternberg married in 1935. Sternberg performed at the Metropolitan Opera as a

basso profundo Basso profondo (, "deep bass"), sometimes basso profundo or contrabass, is the lowest Bass (voice type), bass voice type. While ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' defines a typical bass as having a range that extends downward to the second E ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer. Oysher had two children, daughter Marilyn Michaels and son Michael Sternberg.

References

External links

Guide to the Papers of Fraydele Oysher
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York {{DEFAULTSORT:Oysher, Fraydele 1913 births 2004 deaths People from Briceni District People from Khotinsky Uyezd Moldovan Jews Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States American people of Moldovan-Jewish descent Jewish American actresses Yiddish theatre performers 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women