Specifically, she was born in (also known as Letitchev), a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Western Ukraine.

Pepi Litman (c. 1874–1930) was a pioneering Jewish vaudeville singer and male impersonator, often described today as a "proto-drag king". She was a central figure in the movement, which laid the groundwork for secular Yiddish theater. Birthplace and Early Life Birthplace: Pepi Litman was born (also spelled

If you have never heard of her, you are not alone. History has a habit of ironing out the wrinkles of non-conformity. Yet, Litman’s life is a masterclass in survival, gender performance, and artistic innovation.

Audiences flocked to see her play male leads opposite female actresses. For women in the audience, she represented a safe, non-threatening masculinity. For men, she was a puzzle. For everyone, she was pure talent.

She spent years touring Eastern Europe, constantly one step ahead of poverty and pogroms. Eventually, she made her way to the United States, joining the bustling Yiddish theater scene on New York’s Second Avenue. By then, however, the taste had shifted toward realism, and her "male impersonator" style fell out of fashion.