Diana Blumenfeld (1 April 1903 – 3 August 1961) was a Polish folksinger, pianist, and actress.

Early life and education

She was born in Warsaw, Poland. In 1921 she studied piano in the conservatory for one year, and then continued her studies at Khrinivietska's Polish Dramatic School, graduating in 1924.Diana Blumenfeld [Turkow]
. Translation of Zalmen Zylbercweig's 1931 biographical article on Blumenfeld (''Leksikon fun yidishn teater'', vol. 1), accompanied by several audio recordings. yiddishmusic.jewniverse.info. She married

Jonas Turkow Jonas Turkow (Warsaw, 15 February 1898 – Tel Aviv, 1 December 1988) was an actor, stage manager, director and writer. He received the Itzik Manger Prize for his contributions to Yiddish letters. He was the brother of the actor Zygmunt Turkow, ...

in 1923.

Career

In 1924 Blumenfeld played with Esther-Rukhl Kaminska's troupe in Wilno.Zylbercweig, Zalmen (1931).
Blumenfeld-Turkow, Diana
" ''Leksikon fun yidishn teater''. Vol. 1. New York: Elisheva. Column 178. Toward the end of the same year, she performed with a company at Warsaw's Central Theater, and then became one of the first members of the Warsaw Yiddish Art Theater (Varshever Yidisher Kunst-teater; VYKT). In 1925 she toured with Turkow's company, and in 1926 to 1927, with the Kraków Yiddish Dramatic Theater. In 1929 she starred in the film ''Di Poylishe velder (The Polish fields)''. With her beautiful

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

voice, and talent as a pianist, Blumenfeld achieved great popularity as a performer, even inspiring some of Warsaw's best songwriters to compose songs for her.

Internment in the Warsaw Ghetto and escape

In 1940 she and her husband were among those confined in the Warsaw ghetto.Diana Blumenfeld
. ''Music and the Holocaust''. World ORT. Retrieved 18 May 2016. During this period she continued to sing, performing in cafes, and in the ghetto theater Femina, on Leshno Street. Mordechai Gebirtig sent her his new songs, in the hope that through her performances she could spread them throughout the ghetto. She and Turkow escaped the liquidation of the ghetto.

Post World War II

After the war the couple attempted to rebuild

Polish-Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

culture. In 1944 she helped organize a concert through the Association of Jewish Writers, Journalists and Actors. She sang on the Polish radio, touring displaced persons' camps, and gave concerts for survivors. Blumenfeld and her husband left Poland in 1945 and toured Europe; later they also performed in North and South America, and Israel. They settled in the United States in 1947.

Death

Diana Blumenfeld died in The Bronx, New York in 1961.

Selected recordings

*''A Brivele Der Mamen (Solomon Smulevitz)'' *''Fisher Lid (Aliza Greenblatt)'' *''My Yiddishe Momme (Jack Yellen - Lou Pollack & Jack Yellen)''

Filmography

* 1924: ' he Vow; literally: The Handshake screenplay by Henryk Bojm, based on a play by Perez Hirschbein * 1929: ' n Polish Woods as Rachel; screenplay by Henryk Bojm, based on a novel by Joseph Opatoshu Diana Blumenfeld
" ''Internet Movie Database''. www.imdb.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.

References

External links

Guide to the Papers of Diana Blumenfeld and Jonas Turkow
(RG 355). YIVO Institute for Jewish Research {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenfeld, Diana 1903 births 1961 deaths Jewish cabaret performers Yiddish theatre performers Polish cabaret performers 20th-century Polish Jews Polish emigrants to the United States Actresses from Warsaw 20th-century Polish actresses 20th-century comedians