Jewish women on stage in America took on a variety of musical roles and performed all kinds of songs, including religious hymns and liturgical chants. In its heyday, the Yiddish stage mirrored American Jewish life. An amazing range of women’s woes were highlighted, discussed, and often resolved across the footlights, presenting the reality that immigrant women faced to an extent not paralleled in the English-language theatrical world during those years.

In her short life, Sophie Braslau was an extraordinary contralto and international opera sensation. After making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York at age eleven, she toured the United States, Europe, and Canada and recorded many albums. She also sang at fundraisers such as the Omaha Hebrew Club campaign to raise money for Jewish war sufferers.