Chona Shtrudler was born in Kolomea, Galicia, to well-to-do parents. He never had any learning. He was famous in Galicia as a folksinger, especially with Alikum Tsunzer's songs, which he used to sing and perform live and in costume.

M. Myodovnik remembers him as a singer at weddings of the eminent Shlomo Sheyn in Bendin (circa 1887), where Shtrudler also participated in a production of Goldfaden's "Ahasuerus." According to Myodovnik's portrayal Shtrudler, then was forty and some years. He was a tall man with a long neck, a deaf man and he had a broken baritone voice.

B. Tsegrovsky portrayed him: "A very comical figure, he used to tour with member actors across Galicia. When Shtrudler used to come to act, he had the entire village rounded up. The Chasidim had [Roman world was that we go do strength of Jews=hobn mreysh oylem geven vos m'geyt makhn khuzk fun yidn]. Arriving in Stanislawow, Shtrudler detected [shilingn] and the troupe became excited.

According to Jacob Mestel, who often had attended Shtrudler's "gala productions" in the wine cellars in Zlotshev and Lemberg, Shtrudler was never deaf -- perhaps he was only hard of hearing. Myodovnik perhaps understood this as such, that Shtrudler often used to perform as someone who was deaf to be very popular in a singing and acting dialogue "Der reyzender (The Traveler)." Very popular also was Shtrudler's "Der deytsh" and the duet "Der shnayder un der shuster (The Tailor and the Shoemaker)." Shtrudler had (as the most contemporary folksinger) suffered from a [?head cold=kelkop-katar], and this probably caused Myodovink's characterization about Shtrudler's "broken" baritone voice.

After several years Shtrudler returned to be taken into the Lemberg moshav-zknim fun vanen er aiz, but in 1927 he fled and shlepped around as a beggar with a wooden leg across Galicia.

M.E. from Julius Gutman, and Sh.E. from Jacob Mestel.

• B. Tsegrovsky -- Der eltster Idisher komiker in Galitsien geshtorbn, "Haynt," 2 May 1926.

• M. Myodvnik -- Meyne teater zikhroynes, Journal, "Der shtern," Minsk, 1, 1926.