Roza Eskenazi

Roza Eskenazi (Greek: Ρόζα Εσκενάζυ; c. 1895 – 2 December 1980) was a Constantinople-born Greek dancer and singer of rebetiko, Greek folk music, Kanto and Turkish folk music. She was known as the "Queen of Rebetiko".

In the 1950s, she toured the United States twice, with one visit lasting 9 months.

In 1991, Greek writer, Dinos Christianopoulos wrote a short story about her, titled "Roza Eskenazi". in the Constantinople Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. Throughout her career she hid her real date of birth, and claimed to have been born in 1910.

She used her privileged position to support the local resistance, and hid resistance fighters and even English agents in her home. She was also able to rescue Jews in both Athens and Thessaloniki. Among those she saved from deportation to Auschwitz was her own family. By 1943, her cover finally crumbled, and Eskenazi was arrested. She spent three months in jail before a concerted effort by her German lover and her son succeeded in getting her released. The film was released in 2011.

In 2011, an evening was dedicated to her repertoire at the Jerusalem International Oud Festival in Israel.

In 2025, she was commemorated by the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków, with pieces from her repertoire performed by Hungarian singer Veronika Varga and the Greek oud player Andreas Andreou.

Discography Eskenazi may be heard on many of the anthology CDs listed in the rebetiko discography. CDs of her own, which may be available in English-language countries include: Rosa Eskenazi Rembetissa 1933-1936 Rounder Select, 1996.