Opera Singer and Humanitarian

Emma Lazaroff Schaver is a unique figure in the history of twentieth-century music, bridging the worlds of classical opera and post-war humanitarian work in Europe’s displaced persons camps. Her career, from immigrant child to renowned soprano to post-war cultural ambassador, offers a compelling narrative of music’s power to heal and unite.

Shortly after VE Day in 1945, Schaver embarked on a transformative mission to Europe. As a member of the first cultural mission sponsored by the World Jewish Congress and UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), she travelled to the displaced persons camps in the American zone of Germany. For six months, Schaver gave concerts of Yiddish and Hebrew songs to Holocaust survivors to revive their Jewish spirit. She later said that these were some of her most moving experiences, and the impact stayed with her throughout her life.

Schaver’s motivation for this unprecedented tour was deeply personal. As she explained:

“I am a Jewess and while I lived a sheltered life here, knew I could only remotely feel what my people in Europe were suffering.”

Schaver was scheduled to tour for a week but reflecting on her experiences, she said, “When I saw the condition of the people, I volunteered to stay longer. I felt I had something to do there.” Her performances had a profound impact, not only on the survivors but also on Schaver herself. She was deeply moved by the resilience she witnessed:

“I was stunned by the attitude and will to live of those people. Men and women who had lost their husbands, wives, and children went on to remarry and start new lives. That’s the Jewish people, determined to go on, to build again.”

Schaver’s involvement went beyond singing. She visited schools, observed the teaching of trades and the training of machinists, carpenters, barbers, and other specialists in the displaced persons camps: “There was action, energy and a beehive of activity. It was an amazing experience. Her efforts continued on her return to the United States, where she performed for the first group of survivors allowed into the country at Camp Oswego in upstate New York.

Born in Russia in 1905, Emma Lazaroff immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 18 months old. After several stops, they settled in the Jewish ghetto of Brownsville in New York City. The eldest of seven children, Emma grew up in a family that struggled financially but was rich in values and culture. The family moved to Detroit in 1914, where Emma’s passion for singing blossomed. She often said, “It was nothing special, it was just breathing in and breathing out. But my whole consciousness was singing.

She remembers dancing in the streets in 1917 when the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, calling for the creation of a homeland for the Jewish people in what was then Palestine. Emma explains that she was a Zionist in her mother’s womb, that she cannot remember not being one. “My father was a Labour Zionist and that was the path I followed.” Schaver maintained her commitment to supporting the state of Israel and the wider Jewish community. She made her first tour of Mandatory Palestine in 1932.

She studied at the Detroit Conservatory of Music and later at the Juilliard School in New York. Emma’s talent has led her to perform with several opera companies, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Symphony Orchestra and others. She has toured extensively, giving concerts in Europe, North and South America and Israel. Schaver’s operatic career, while noteworthy, is perhaps overshadowed by her later humanitarian work. However, her performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and various opera companies in North and South America attest to her considerable talent and versatility as a soprano.

In 1924 she married Morris Schaver, a family friend. Their marriage lasted over 30 years until Morris’s death. Throughout her life, Emma remained committed to Jewish causes and the State of Israel. She and Morris became noted philanthropists, endowing chairs, libraries and scholarships at various institutions. They helped establish the Harry S. Truman Institute of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and endowed a chair in Yiddish studies at Bar Ilan University.

Schaver has received numerous awards for her humanitarian work, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award from the State of Israel Bonds and the Leonard N. Simons History Award from the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.

One of Schaver’s most significant contributions to music history is her album of Ghetto Songs, recorded for Vox Records. This collection of folk songs sung in Yiddish, arranged by George Sebastien and performed by 27 members of the NBC Orchestra and a 16-voice choir, is a testament to Schaver’s commitment to preserving and sharing Jewish musical heritage. The album includes the poignant “Ani Maa min” (“I Believe”), a song that encapsulates the themes of faith and resilience that characterised much of Schaver’s post-war work. From a musicological perspective, this recording is a valuable document of Yiddish folk music interpreted through the lens of a classically trained opera singer, creating a unique fusion of styles.

Emma Lazaroff Schaver died in 2003 at the age of 97, leaving behind a legacy of music, philanthropy and an unwavering commitment to the state of Israel, Jewish culture and education. A public concert of vocal music was held in her memory in Israel in February 2003, shortly after her death.

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