Performing Arts

Rina Nikova, a pioneer of classical and biblical ballet in Palestine, distinguished herself mostly in character dances, which had a nationalist style influenced by ethnic folklore. Nikova established the first school for classical ballet in Tel Aviv and founded the Biblical Ballet, which was based on Yemenite folklore and focused on Biblical subjects.

Shuly Nathan’s clear and melodious voice represents some of the best qualities of true folk singing. After a meteoric rise to fame following her performance of Naomi Shemer’s “Jerusalem of Gold,” Nathan has toured worldwide, performed on Israeli television and radio, recorded albums, and partnered with Nechama Hendel. Her beloved varied repertoire consists of carefully selected outstanding songs, both old and new.

Born in San Francisco, California, actress and entertainer Carmel Myers acted in over seventy films, was an early television talk-show host, led a production company that packaged radio and television shows, held a patent for an electronic synchronizer that controlled studio lights, and imported and distributed French perfume.

Music in Israel is a giant mosaic of cultures, styles, and musical traditions from the region and around the world. In every way and at all times, especially since the establishment of the state, women have been active in and have left their mark on the country’s musical life.

As a female playwright, Martha Morton faced adversity within the male-dominated New York theater world. Despite repeated rejection, she achieved fame and prosperity. Resisting expectations of women writers, Morton took a firm hand in production, often casting and directing her own work.

Erica Morini made her violin debut at age five, playing for Emperor Franz Joseph’s birthday party. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1921 and spent the next several decades touring the world, often adding concerts to her overbooked schedule to accommodate her many fans. Morini retired in 1976, the same year the city of New York honored her with a lifetime achievement award.

Elinor Morgenthau’s accomplishments were largely invisible, as she helped her husband, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., rise to great heights in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration. Because of her sharp political and social skills, she often filled in for her husband, and eventually she became Eleanor Roosevelt’s assistant in the Office of Civilian Defense.

Regarded as one of the foremost designers in twentieth-century theater, Tanya Moiseiwitsch was an innovative designer of costumes, sets, and stages, responsible for over two hundred productions in England, Canada, and the United States. She made an impact in the male-dominated world of stage design.

An innovator in mixed-media forms, Meredith Monk uses music, dance, drama, and film in her theater pieces. Acting as composer, choreographer, librettist, and performer, Monk creates diverse works that have been widely exhibited and have received many awards and honors.

Bette Midler went from canning pineapples at a factory in Honolulu to starring in over 20 films, releasing two dozen records, and touring the world with record-breaking live concert performances. Midler got her start at a gay bathhouse in New York, where she developed the campy and confident persona “The Divine Miss M.” Her career in show business spans decades, old and new media, and musical genres.

Hanna Meron began her long acting career as a four-year-old child prodigy, appearing in children’s theater, radio plays, and films. In 1945 she joined the recently founded Cameri Theater. She helped shape the company by becoxming active in management and as a member of the repertory committee, while also rising to prominence as one of Israel’s greatest actors.

Sulamif Messerer was an influential ballerina who taught a generation of dancers globally. After swimming in the 1928 Soviet Olympiada, she became a prima ballerina in the Bolshoi Ballet Company. She had a long dance career and then became a renowned teacher in Russia, Japan, New York, and London.

One of the finest actors of her day, as well as a producer and a philanthropist, Helen Menken devoted her entire life to the American theater. While she was known for playing a lesbian in The Captive, for which she was arrested during a performance, and her role as Elizabeth I in Mary of Scotland, her biggest contribution to theater was creating the 1942–1946 Stage Door Canteen through the American Theater Wing, in which Broadway stars performed for service people.

Hephzibah Menuhin was a talented pianist and a dedicated human rights activist. After a successful international career performing with her brother Yehudi, Menuhin worked with her husband to assist the poor, the homeless, and the recently ill and served as president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

Fritzi Massary was a prominent singer in Berlin prior to the onset of World War II. She reigned over the Berlin stage, singing the title role in Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow and Adele in Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Among the works created especially for her was the operetta Die Kaiserin by Leo Fall.

Dame Alicia Markova, Britain’s first and the first Jewish prima ballerina, combined amazing technique and personal strength with tremendous artistry to become one of the finest classical dancers of her generation. Through her touring and early recognition of the power of mass media, she was also one of ballet’s greatest ambassadors in the mid-twentieth century. Markova extended her legacy through choreography, teaching, and commitment to coaching the next generation of dancers.

Both through her poetry and her teaching, Myra Cohn Livingston inspired children to explore the music of language. She eventually wrote more than twenty collections of as well as several books on writing poetry, serving as an inspiration for students to enjoy poetry.