Isabel Frey is a Jewish singer and political activist who devotes herself mainly to Yiddish revolutionary and resistance songs. In her search for a secular and politicized Jewish identity in the diaspora, she came across the tradition and music of the Jewish workers' movement, with which she refers to contemporary politics. Born in Vienna, she grew up in a secular Jewish family. From an early age she began singing Jewish songs, from holiday songs and liturgical chants to Israeli folk songs. After graduating from high school, she went to Israel for a year and worked in the social sector and in socialist kibbutzim. She then moved to Amsterdam where she studied sociology and political science. During this time she became politically involved in various social movements: university politics, anti-racism, housing policy, feminism and climate protection. The accidental discovery of Yiddish revolutionary songs opened up the possibility for her to link her Jewish and political identity through music. She studied Yiddish songs, accompanied herself with the guitar and played at various demonstrations and other political actions in Holland. In December 2018 she played her first solo concert with Yiddish revolutionary and resistance songs in Vienna.
