Nehama Lifshitz, a world-renowned Yiddish singer, often called “the Jewish Nightingale”, was born in Kaunas in 1927. Her father, who played the violin, was a musical influence on her, as well as her mother who sang regularly. She graduated from the Music Academy of Lithuania in 1951.

After Nehama won first place in the prestigious song competition of the USSR, she leveraged this esteemed title to enable her to sing in Yiddish and Hebrew throughout the Soviet Union

In 1969 Nehama received a permit to leave for Israel. The largest concert halls in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were packed during her first concerts.

Nehama Lifshitz performed around the world in various prestigious concert halls, such as Lincoln Center in New York, the Royal Opera House in London and more.

In 1998 she established master classes of Yiddish songs and trained several dozen Yiddish performers.

Nehama’s songs in different languages revived the image of multicultural Lithuania.

The International vocal competition dedicated to the memory of Nehama Lifschitz is a significant continuity in the dissemination of the singer’s legacy in Lithuania. The international nature of the competition also responds to the growing need for cultural exchanges.

She died in Tel Aviv on 21 April 2017.