She sang the songs of her people

Sima Miller, accompanied by her husband Arnold Miller, regaled audiences with Jewish and Israeli music in nine different languages.

For more than 65 years, Sima Miller—who died on Jan. 12 at age 93—shared her extraordinary voice, and deep love of Jewish music, with audiences in Chicago and beyond.

Accompanied by her late husband, Arnold Miller, on the piano, Sima delighted audiences with her skillful and heartfelt interpretations. Her extensive repertoire of Jewish and Israeli music spanned nine languages, including Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino, Russian, and English.

She described Israeli music as “love songs,” expressing what the land means to its people. The Millers often tailored concerts to their audience, sometimes performing mostly in Yiddish, stirring nostalgia and connection.

Together, the Millers performed hundreds of concerts for community organizations, cultural institutions, and private events. Notably, Sima and Arnold performed for the United Jewish Appeal (now Jewish Federations of North America) and the Cultural Center of the Chicago Public Library. While she recorded multiple records, cassette tapes, and CDs, today her music is on YouTube, inspiring new generations.

Sima and Arnold were twice awarded the Patron’s Choice Award for Music from the Chicago Cultural Center and honored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. They supported their community in other ways, as well, and were Silver Circle members of JUF.

Sima’s love of Hebrew and Israeli music was shared with her father, Mitchell, a fifth-generation Israeli whose family originally immigrated from Russia in 1809. He came to the United States in 1921.

Raised on Chicago’s West Side, Sima attended Penn School and Marshall High School and later studied music at Roosevelt University. In the late 1940s, she taught Jewish music at a Chicago Hebrew school, where she met Arnold.

Sima often said that Jewish music brought them together. They devoted their lives to bringing Jewish music to audiences everywhere.

Sima Miller is survived by her children, David (Donna) Miller, Shirley (Howard) Dvorin, Robin (Yaacov) Dvorin, and Ben Miller, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Shirley Dvorin, daughter of Sima Miller, is Vice President of JUF’s Human Resources department. Ilana Dvorin Friedman, granddaughter of Sima, is Director of JUF’s Early Childhood Advocacy and Strategy.