Sophia Seiton Hailed in ‘sovietish Heimland’, Seen As Nechama Lifshitz’ Successor

Soviet Jewry, or that segment of it that still responds to the artistry of Yiddish performers in a traditional vein, has apparently found a successor to Nechama Lifshitz, the popular Yiddish actress and folk singer who has migrated to Israel. The new star is Sophia Seiton, a laureate of the Soviet Committee for World Peace. Her performances and readings of Yiddish and Russian poetry were hailed in the April edition of Sovietish Heimland, the USSR’s only Yiddish magazine. Critic Moshe Goldblatt wrote that Miss Seiton’s repertoire includes the works of 40 Yiddish poets and writers. He said that some of her appearances are billed as “An Evening Of Yiddish Poetry” and her readings have captivated her audiences.

The magazine also reported that it was trying to encourage Soviet Jewish painters and sculptors who feel somehow left out of the mainstream of Soviet art. A group of them gathered at Sovietish Heimland’s editorial offices recently to elect an “artists committee” that will work with the periodical. Only a few Jewish artists have been acknowledged in the Soviet Union and none of them attended the meeting, according to the report. Sovietish Heimland reported that Leib Jampolski, the Soviet-Jewish composer, has celebrated his 80th birthday.