Chayela Rozental

Chayela Rozental (b. 24 April, 1926 - ) was a Polish born Jewish actress, singer and comedienne. She was the daughter of Naum Rozentaj, owner and publisher of the Vilna Yiddish newspaper, the Ovent Courier and was educated at Epstein's High School in Vilna and the Dramatic Art Studios in Warsaw. During World War Two she was a singer and dancer in the Vilna Ghetto (1941 - 1943). After she escaped and during the liberation she performed in Polish-Jewish State Theatre, Wroclaw, and Lodz. She toured the Displaced Person's camps in Germany, Italy, and France on behalf of the American Joint Distribution Committee. In 1945 she married Xavier Piaka and had two daughters. In 1950 she came to South Africa with Mark Markov's Jewish Theatre and lived in Sea Point, Cape Town.She toured Europe, Israel and the United States. She gave many one-woman shows as an actress, comedienne and singer.

Source

South African Jewry, 1965. Edited by Leon Feldberg.

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