Zilla Schneider

10th March 1882 – 1957

Zilla was the eldest daughter of Hillel and Esther Schneider. In 1902 she married the famous Jewish composer and musicologist Abram Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938) in Leipzig . Zilla was a very talented musician herself. She helped Abraham Zvi with his compositions and accompanied him on concert tours around the world. From 1901 to 1906, Zilla and Abraham lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1906, Abraham took up a position as cantor and music teacher at the Hebrew Teacher’s College in Jerusalem, so Zilla travelled with him to Palestine. Together they had four children: Shoshana, Eliyahu, Dena and Yiska.

From 1921 to 1924, Zilla returned to and lived in Leipzig with her daughters Dena and Yiska, as Abraham taught at various colleges in the USA during this time. In 1923, Shoshanna emigrated permanently to Johannesburg. Zilla and her daughter Yiska lived together with Abraham Zvi in Cincinnati/Ohio (USA) from 1933-1938, Eliyahu had already emigrated to Brazil. 1936 Zilla, Abraham and their children emigrated permanently to Johannesburg, where Zilla died in 1957. The family, Zilla’s descendants, still live in South Africa today .