The Yiddish Tango - Congregation B`nai Israel

The Yiddish Tango: From Argentina to Eastern Europe and Back
a presentation by
Joan O. Epstein, Prof. of Music, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
Jun. 19, 2013 – College Music Soc. Int. Mtg., Buenos Aires, Argentina & Feb. 22, 2015 – Sunday Morning University, CBI St Petersburg, FL
Landmarks in Argentinian Jewish History
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16 – 18 Century: Significant numbers of marranos, secret Jews, most of them Sephardic, settled in Argentina in response to the
Inquisition. Many assimilate.
1813: Argentina, now independent of Spain, declares end of Inquisition. Jewish immigration from Central and Eastern Europe
begins.
1860: First Jewish wedding recorded in Buenos Aires; first congregation founded soon afterward.
1880s: Pogroms in Eastern Europe attract thousands of Jews barred from entering North America.
1889: Moiseville established by 824 newly arrived Jewish gauchos. Residents appeal to Baron Maurice de Hirsch
who founds the Jewish Colonization Association. Eventually, over 100,00 Jews settle the Pampas.
1906-1912: 13,000 per year Jews leave Eastern Europe, Morocco & Ottoman Empire for urban Argentina. Many
with musical ability join tango orchestras; many of their children become major tango performers,
composers & orchestra conductors.
1920: 150,000 Jews live in Argentina, the newest arrivals, nearly all in Buenos Aires.
1930s: Continued immigration to Buenos Aires & Rosario from countryside and Europe as the Holocaust unfolds.
Numerous noted Jewish classical and film music composers settle in Argentina to escape the Nazis.
1946-55: Some Jews leave for Israel and North America under Peron. Nonetheless, 310,000 Jews live in Argentina in 1960s.
1976-83: Terrible period of “the disappeared” under a military regime causes more Jews to leave.
1992 & 1994: Bombings of Israeli Embassy & AMIA Community Center caused further emigration.
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2013: Still considerable anti-semitism in Argentina, yet 150,000 Jews remain; 7 largest Jewish community in the world.
Yiddish Tangos on Commercial Recordings
Pre-WW II Tango Songs & Dance Tunes
Beygelman, Dovid & Moshe Broderson. “Ikh ganve in der nakht”
(“I Steal in the Night”). (Popularized at Ararat Yiddish Revue
Company of Lodz.)
Beygelman, Dovid & Moshe Broderson. (TZ 8124) “Tsi darf es azoy
zayn?” (“Does it Have to Be This Way?”). (Popularized at Ararat
Yiddish Revue Company of Lodz.)
Ciganeri, Jeremia & Abraham Szewach. “Far Mentshn bin Ikh freylekh”
(“People See Me Happy”) (TZ 8124) (Yiddish theater tango, Bs. As.)
Ciganeri, Jeremia & Abraham Szewach. “Ikh vel laydn in der Shtl”
(“I Will Suffer in Silence”) (TZ 8124) (Yiddish theater, Buenos Aires.)
Ciganeri, Jeremia & Abraham Szewach. “Vu iz dayn Shmeykhl?”
(“Where Is Your Smile?”) (TZ 8124) (Yiddish theaters, Buenos Aires.)
Ellstein, Abraham & Jacob Jacobs. “Farges Mikh Nisht” (“Forget Me
Not”). (TZ 8124) (From the New York Yiddish operetta Mayn Malkele
[My Little Malke]).
Ellstein, Abraham & Molly Picon. “Mazl” (“Luck”). (TC 4297) (Created
for Yiddish film Mamale.)
Ellstein, Abraham & Molly Picon. “Oygn” (“Eyes”). (From Jacob
Kalich’s Yiddish stage production Eyn mol In lebn [Once in a
Lifetime]).
Gold, Artur. “Gdy w ogrodzie botanicznym” (“In the Botanical Garden”).
(In Polish, composed by noted Warsaw musician Gold who perished
in the Treblinka concentration camp in 1943.)
Matos-Rodriguez, Gerardo. “La Cumparsita.” (“The Little Parade”).
(RGS 1261-2) (First performance, 1917, at café La Giralda,
Montevideo, Uruguay. Later recorded in Yiddish by José Derasner
Maud, Zuni. “Di Grine Katshke” (“The Green Duck”). (Living Traditions)
(Quirky autobiographical song by the leading Yiddish puppeteer of
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the 20 century; tune is in tango rhythm.)
Meyerovsky & Benzion Witler. “Ikh hob Tsayt, Ikh vel vartn” (“I Have
Time, I Will Wait”) (TZ 8124) (Popularized in the Yiddish theaters of
both Buenos Aires & New York.)
Olshanetsky, Alexander & Chaim Tauber. “Ikh hob dikh tsufil Lib” (“I
Love YouToo Much”). (TZ 8124) (From the New York Yiddish
musical Der katerinshtshik [The Organ Grinder].
Sandler, Jacob. “Main erster Tango” (“My First Tango”). (Sandler, a
singer and choral conductor, worked both in Yiddish theater and
liturgical jobs in New York and Philadelphia after emigrating from
Russia. Recorded several of his tango songs before 1931 death.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuIE1JUWwz0
Sandler, Jacob. “Tango Margarita.” (RGS 1261-2)
Sandler, Jacob & L. Cibutaru. “Ich hob dich Lieb” (“I Have Your Love”).
(RGS 1261-2) (This is one of many songs created by this pair for the
New York Yiddish theater.)
Sandler, Jacob & L. Cibutaru. “Tate, Mame” (“My Father, My Mother”).
(RGS 1261-2) (This was a staple in the New York Yiddish Theater
and was often performed in tango style.)
Sandler, Jacob & L. Cibutaru. “Zwei Schwartze Oygn” (“Two Black
Eyes”). (RGS 1261-2) Another song from the New York Yiddish
theater rendered by Sandler as a tango.)
Strock, Oskar & Isroel Sabeschinski. “Farges mikh nisht” (“Do Not
Forget Me”). (TZ 8124) (Popularized by Russian gypsy singer Pjotr
Leschenko.)
Strock, Oskar & S. Krontayer. “Vu ahin zol ikh gehn?” (“Where Shall I
Go?”). (Popularized by Leo Fuld and Menasha Oppenheim in
Europe, Israel and U.S.) (youtube.com/watch?v=paCyqYX-SC8)
Witler, Benzion. “Ales farloyrn” (“Everything is Lost”). (TZ 8124) (Tune
taken from pre-war Polish tango; used in Yiddish stage productions
in both Buenos Aires & New York during the war.)
Witler, Benzion. “Gedenk” (“Thought”). (RGS 1261-2) (Adapted from a
folk tune for use on the Yiddish stages in Buenos Aires & New York.)
Witler, Benzion. “Libste” (“Beloved”). (RGS 1261-2)
Yablokoff, Haiman. “Papirosen” (“Cigarettes”). (RGS 1261-2) (Yiddish
words added to a popular Polish tune in 1932 by this lyricist,
musician, Yiddish theater director. A starving orphan boy tries to sell
hand-rolled cigarettes on the streets. In Buenos Aires, papirosen
was also a name for prostitutes, which may explain its adoption as a
tango song and musical theater number there and elsewhere.
Poster
Yiddish Tango
Dancer
Gold & Peterburski
Band
A Ghetto Orchestra
Ghetto Yiddish
Theater
Auschwitz
Orchestra
Camp Musicians
Camp Orchestra
Original Songs from the Nazi-Era Ghettos and Campa
Beygelman, Dovid. “Kinder Yorn” (“Childhood Years”). (TZ 8124)
(Written in Lodz Ghetto.)
Beygelman, Dovid & Isaiah Shpigl. “Makh tsu di eygelekh” (“Close
Your Little Eyes”). (TC 4297) (Written in Lodz Ghetto.)
Beygelman, Dovid & Isaiah Shpigl. “Nit kayn rozhinkes” (“No Almonds
& Raisins”). (TC 4297) (Written in Lodz Ghetto addressing Yiddish
drama on the nostalgic Yiddish almonds & raisins theme.)
Brodno, Avrom & Shmerke Kaczerginski. “Friling” (“Springtime”).
(TC 4297) (TZ 8124) (Written by Kaczerginski after wife Barbara died
in the Vilna Ghetto.)
Broydo, Kasriel. “Moyshe halt zikh” (“Moses, Hold On”). (TC 4297)
“Dos Lid fun bialystoker Geto” (“Song of the Bialystok Ghetto”).
(TZ 8124) (Unknown author)
Gebirtig, Mordkhe. “Minutn fun Bitokn” (“Moments of Certainty”).
(TC 4297) (Krakow Ghetto.)
Hershkovitz, Yankele. “Amerike hot erklert” (“America Has Declared”).
(TC 4297) (Re creation of a Jewish state in Palestine; Lodz Ghetto.)
Hershkovitz, Yankele. “Vayl ikh bin a yidele” (“Because I Am a Jew”).
(TC 4297) (One of many of Hershkovitz’s Lodz Ghetto songs)
Kaczerginski, Shmerke. “Yid du Partizaner” (“Jew, Partisan”).
(TC 4297) (Song from Vilna Ghetto celebrating Jewish partisans.)
Petersburski, Jerzy & Ramon Collazo. “Pato.” (Serena-Electro 1929)
Petersburski, Jerzy & Zenon Friedwald. “Ta ostatnia niedziela” (“Our
Last Sunday”) (Serena-Electro 1936) (Also Serena-Electro 8708 in
Hebrew - youtube.com/watch?v=5ha92yBAB-c) (Also Gidon Kremer
& company - youtube.com/watch?v=C071-M1e5Vk)
Rosental, Leyb. “Mir Lebn Eybik” (“Love Me Forever”) (RGS 1261-2)
Rozental, Leyb with Misha Veksler. “Peshe fun Reshe” (“Peshe, the
Girl from Reshe”) (TC 4297) (Written for revue of the same name in
Vilna Ghetto, starring Rozental’s sister Chayele, shortly before Leyb
was taken to German camp in Estonia and ultimately shot there.)
Scheider, Klemens. “Ich hab’ kein Heimatland” (“I Have No
Homeland”). Marek Weber Orch. (Electrola 3072, 1933)
Veksler, Misha & Leyb Rozental. “Yisrolik” (“Ghetto Kid”).(TC 4297)
(Vilna Ghetto)
Weill, Kurt & Bertolt Brecht. “Song of the Nazi Soldier’s Wife.”
(TC 4297) (Written after these famous artists escaped from
Germany, then broadcast in Europe to bolster morale.)
Transformed Songs from the Nazi-Era Ghettos and Camps
Broydo, Kasriel. “Dos Transport Yingl” (“The Boy from the Transport”).
(TZ 8124) (Tune by unknown composer; written in Vilna Ghetto.)
Broydo, Kasriel. “Tsi darf es azoy zayn?” (“Does it Have to Be This
Way?”). (TZ 8124) (Transformation of original by Dovid Beygelman &
Moyshe Broderzon; Vilna Ghetto.)
Glezer, Rikle. “Es iz geven a zumertog” (It was a summer day”)
(TZ 8124) (based on Yiddish theater hit “Papirosn” [“Cigarettes”).
(Adapted by this 12 year-old girl to describe mass murders at Ponar
and the establishment of the Vilna Ghetto.}
Goldberg & Sh. Sheynkinder. “Coolies.” (TC 4297) (Rewritten Oriental
kitsch song to reflect life in Warsaw Ghetto.)
Kaczerginski, Shmerke. “Der Tango fun Oshvientshim” (“The Tango of
Auschwitz”). (TZ 8124) (Based on Polish song entitled “Niewolnicze
tango” [“Tango of slaves”]).
“Moorsoldaten” (“The Peat Bog Soldiers). (TC 4297) (First known
song written in a German concentration camp - Börgermoor
Concentration Camp in 1933; later transformed by Resistance.)
“Mues” (“Money”). (TC 4297) (Transformation of American jazz tune
“Jada, Jada” to reflect degradations of living in Warsaw Ghetto.)
“On a Heym” (“Homeless”). (TZ 8124) (Sosnow Ghetto transformation
of Yiddish film song “Mazl” [“Luck”] by Abraham Ellstein & Molly
Picon.)
Pickett, Frederick. “The Bar Mitzve Speech.” (TC 4297) (Set to short
text discovered in archives of German Displaced Persons Camp
authored by 13 year-old survivor.)
Tsarfat, Ruven. “Yidish Tango” (“Yiddish/Jewish Tango”). (TZ 8124)
(Based on“Shpil zhe mir a lidele oyf yidish” [Sing for me a little song
in Yiddish], original melody by Henech Kon, original lyrics by Yosef
Kotliar). (Reworked as a resistance song in Kovno Ghetto.)
“Ver klapt es?” (“Who’s Knocking?“). (TC 4297) (Lodz Ghetto
transformation of a popular folk song.)
Warshawsky, Mark & Avrom Akselrod. “Fun der Arbet” (“Slave Labor”).
(TC 4297) (Transformation of Yiddish song “Oyfn Pripetchik” [“On
the Hearth”] in Kovno Ghetto.)
Some Post-war Yiddish Tangos
Gerro, Henri. “A Bisale Glik” (“A Little Luck”). (RGS 1261-2) (Gerro arrived in Argentina either during or shortly after WW II, married the singer Rosita
Londner, then moved her to Paris, their base for a career as Yiddish theater performers and singers.)
Gerro, Henri. “Skripka.” (RGS 1261-2) (Another popular Yiddish tango by Gerro.)
Meyerovsky & Benzion Witler. “Ikh hob tsayt, Ikh vel vartn” (“I have time, I will wait”). (TZ 8124) (Popular Yiddish theater tango in New York & Bs. As.).
Potock, Bernard. “Rivka Ben Zabes.” (RGS 1261-2) (Yiddish version of “Duelo Criollo” by Juan Batista Rezzano recorded In 1949. Potock regularly led
a band at Dave Cash’s cabaret in Paris.)
Noted Argentine Jewish Tango Musicians
Isaco Abitbol (1917-1994) Born in Alvear, Corrientes & moved to Buenos Aires in 1930. Highly regarded bandoneonist; founded Cuarteto Santa
Ana with an extended discography.
Mordechai David “Max” Glücksmann (1875-1946) Arrived 1890. Became importation agent for Odeon Records, 1904. Founded Discos
Glücksmann which had cornered the tango market in Argentina by 1914. Also had movie theaters that showed tango.
Moisés Smolarchik Brenner AKA Ben Molar (b. 1915) Instituted National Day of Tango as Dec. 11, the shared birthdays of tango greats Carlos
Gardel and Julio de Caro.
Josef Nezow AKA José Nieso Violinist & composer. Debuted in 1927 with the orchestra of Roberto Firpo.
Oscar Rubens (1914-1984) Younger brother of Luis Rubistein. Also known as a poet and composer of tango songs. Dozens of important songs
including "Mientras duerme la ciudad" and “Es en vano llorar" (with Alberto Suárez Villanueva), "Los muñequitos” (Francisco Pracanico), "Calla
bandoneón" (Carlos Lazzari), "Dejame en paz" (Américo Actis), "Corazón qué has hecho" (Antonio Ríos) and "Domingo a la noche."
Luis Rubistein (1908-1954) Family sailed from Odessa in 1902. Best know as a composer of tango songs. Famous tunes include “Charlemos”
(Let's Talk), “Cuatro palabras” (Four words), “Tu perro pekinés” (Your Pekinese dog), “Inspiración” (inspiration), “Ya sale el tren” (The train
leaves), “Cadenas” (Chains), “Animal,” “ Nada más” (Nothing more), “Tarde gris” (Grey afternoon) -recorded with Carlos Gardel- and “Marion.”
Abraham Moisés “Alberto” Soifer (1907-1977) Family sailed from Odessa in 1902. Established as a pianist & composer by 1920. Established
partnerships with many top tango performers in the 1930s. Had several important tango orchestras in Buenos Aires and provided music for many films.
Bernardo Mendel Sucher AKA Manuel Sucher or “Manola” (1913-1971) Bourgeois parents came from Odessa in 1901. Established as a violinist &
pianist in Rosario by 1920. Formed partnership with bandeleonist Felix Liesker in 1930. Went on to establish important tango orchestra in Buenos
Aires and to compose and arrange tango music.
Noted Jewish Musicians who Emigrated to Argentina in the 1930s
George Andreani (Joseph Kumok): Composer and conductor for 38 film scores in Prague and Berlin before arrival in ’37; composed and conducted
another 70 film scores in Argentina.
Dajos Béla: Violinist and conductor with dance orchestras in Europe. Continued these roles in Argentina after arrival in ‘36.
Teodoro Fuchs: Born in Germany; arrived from Istanbul in ’37. Esteemed classical composer and conductor of Symphony Orchestra of Córdoba.
Jean Gilbert (Max Winterfield): Composed 50 operettas in Berlin; engaged as conductor of orchestra for Radio Del Mundo on arrival in ‘39; composed
film scores till death in 1942.
Guillermo Graetzer: Modernist who studied with Hindemith and others before leaving Europe in ‘39. Composed in many modern styles into the ‘60s.
Guillermo Graetzer Composition Competition named in his honor posthumously.
Victor Schlichter: Prolific film composer and conductor in Vienna & Berlin; also founded and played violin in the Viennese Bohemians quartet. Arrived
in Buenos Aires in ‘36. Lived to ‘86, leaving huge body of film and television scores, children’s songs, carols and children’s theater pieces.
Alexander Senkar: Budapest-born composer of symphonies, suites, lieder, chamber music and theater music; also notable conductor. Arrived in ’38.
Conducted orchestra of Teatro Colón; founded and directed Camerata Academica de Buenos Aires. Later conducted Radio Symphony Orchestra of
Uruguay.
István Weishaus: Conductor and violinist, arrived in ‘34. Conducted several radio orchestras and composed many famous waltzes.
Prominent Living Jewish Musicians of Argentine Birth
David Barenboim (b. 1942) Born in Buenos Aires to Russian Jewish parents and taught piano exclusively by them, he moved in 1954 to Israel to begin
his highly successful career as a pianist and conductor. Currently, he is general music director of La Scala in Milan, the Berlin State Opera and the
Staatskapelle, Berlin. Previously he was Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris. Also known for his work
with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Seville that brings together Israeli and Palestinian musicians.
Mario Davidosky (b. 1934) Born in Médanos, Argentina, near Bahia Blanca, of Lithuanian Jewish parents. Studied violin and composition at U. of
Buenos Aires, then composition with Aaron Copland and Milton Babbitt at Tanglewood in 1958. He moved permanently to the U.S. in 1960, eventually
assuming the directorship of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Famous for his Synchronism series for live performers and electronics as
well as his acoustic compositions, he has taught at Columbia U., Harvard U. and many other schools. He now teaches at the Mannes School of Music.
Giora Feidman (b. 1936) Exceptional klezmer clarinetist now based in israel. Began career in Teatro Colón Symphony Orchestra, then moved to Israel
where he played with the Israel Philharmonic for 20 years before moving on to solo career. On soundtrack of Schindler’s List. One of many recordings
is 1990 release Clarinetango.
Osvaldo Golojov (b. 1960) Born and raised in La Plata into a family of Romanian and Russian Jews, he studied music first with his mother and
teachers of the local conservatory, then went to Israel where he studied at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy, then moved to the U.S. to earn a doctorate
at U. Penn under George Crumb. A highly sought-out composer and creative collaborator, he has taught at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,
MA since 1991.
Alejandro Lerner (b. 1957) Buenos Aires-born popular song writer and singer, Lerner ultimately developed a prominent solo career but is well-known
for his collaborations with Luis Miguel, Paul Anka, Celine Dion and Carlos Santana.
Oscar Strasnoy (b. 1970) Born in Buenos Aires and initially trained at the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música as a composer, conductor and
pianist, Strasnoy has gone on to a prominent career as a composer of opera and choral works in France, Italy and Germany.
Ramón Tasat (b. 1960) Born in Buenos Aires of Sephardic parents, Tasat studied in 5 countries including the U.S. where he received a Ph.D. from
the U. of Texas at Austin. Now a cantor near Washington, DC, Tasat has produced numerous recordings of Ladino secular and liturgical music and
tours widely.
Some Sources on the Yiddish Tango
Burke, Russ. “Artur Gold & Wladyslaw Szpilman: The Conductor & The Pianist.” Poland. Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team, 2008.
Web. 5 Jun. 2013 <http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/nazioccupation/gold&szpilman.html>
Cohen, Donald. Tango Voices: Songs from the Soul of Buenos Aires and Beyond. New York: Wise, 2007. Print with CD.
Cooper, Adrienne & Zalmen Mlotek. Ghetto Tango: Wartime Yiddish Theater. Traditional Crossroads, 2000. CD. (TC 4297)
Czackis, Loica, 2004. El tango en idish y su contexto histórico. Recreando la Cultura Judeoargentina/2 – Literatura y Artes Plásticas, 2, 29-40. Print.
Czackis, Lloica, 2003. Tangele: The History of the Yiddish Tango. The Jewish Quarterly, 50(1 (189)), 44-52. Print.
Czackis, Loica. Tangele: The Pulse of Yiddish Tango. Tzadik, 2008. CD. (TZ 8124)
Czackis, Lloica. “Yiddish Tango During the Holocaust.” Music and the Holocaust. ORT, n.d. Web. 3 Jun. 2013.
<http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/music/yiddish-tango/>
Fackler, Guido. “Music in Concentration Camps: 1933-1945.” Music & Politics. UCSB Press, 2007-1. Web. 6 Jun. 2013.
<http://www.music.ucsb.edu/projects/musicandpolitics/archive/2007-1/fackler.html>
Flam, Gila. Singing for Survival. Bloomington: Indiana U. Press, 1992. Print.
Glocer, Silvia. “Jewish Composers Exiled in Argentina During the Nazi Period (1933-1945).” Articles & Essays. Orel Foundation, n.d. Web. 3 Jun. 2013.
<http://orelfoundation.org/index.php/journal/journalArticle/jewish_composers_exiled_in_argentina_during_the_nazi_period_1933-1945/>
Judkovski, José. El Tango: Una Historia con Judios (Tango: A Story with Jews). Buenos Aires: Fundadacion IWO, 2003. Print.
Judkovski, José. El Tango: Una Historia con Judios (Tango: A Story with Jews). Gabriel Pomeraniec, Dir. , 2011. Documentary Film.
Kalisch, Shoshana. Yes We Sang. New York: Harper & Row, 1985. Print.
Katsherginski Shmereke & H. Leivick. Lider fun di getos und lagern (Songs from the ghettos and camps). New York: AYKK, 1948. Print.
Mlotek, Eleanor Chana. We Are Here. New York: Workmen’s Circle, 1983. Print.
Parker, Ron. “A Brief History of the African Roots of the Tango.” SwinginginTheHood Channel. YouTube, 29 Mar. 2011. Web 2 Jun. 2013.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vRF_hGR_yU>
www.todotango.com/english/Home.aspx (Extensive website devoted to all things tango-related.)
Yiddish Tango. Andres Galante, Compiler. RGS Music, 2003. CD. (RGS 1261-2)
“Mazl” / “On a heym”
“Luck” / “Homeless”
Mazl du shaynst amol far yedn
Far yedn nor nit far mir
Mazl du brengst a yedn freydn
Far vos farzoymtu mayn tir
Akh vi es tut bang a yeder sho
Dos lebn fargeyt, un keyn
hofenung iz altz nishto
Luck, you shine on everyone,
Everyone but me.
Luck, you bring them happiness.
Why do you shun my doorway?
There’s pain in every luckless hour;
Life passes without hope.
On a heym un on a dakh, gevandert
hobn mir a gantse nakht
Nit gevust ahin, vos vet zany undzer tsil
On a heym, on a dakh,
Gevandert hobn mir a gantse nakht.
Homeless, no roof overhead,
We wandered through the night
Not knowing where we were headed.
Ellstein & Picon / Sosnow Ghetto
Boys Selling Cigarettes in the Lodz Ghetto
“Papirosn”
A kalte nakht a nepldike finster umetum,
shteyt a yingele fartroyert un kukt zikh arum.
Fun regn shitst im nor a vant,
a koshikl halt er in hant,
un zayne oygn betn yedn shtum.
Ikh hob shoyn nit keyn koyekh mer
arumtsugeyn in gaz, hungerig un
opgerizn fun dem regn naz.
Ikh shlep arum zikh fun baginen,
keyner git nisht tsu fardinen,
ale lakhn, makhn fun mir shpaz.
Kupitye koyft she, koyft she papirosn,
trukene fun regn nisht fargozn.
Koyft she bilik benemones,
koyft un hot oyf mir rakhmones,
ratevet fun hunger mikh atsind..
Kupitye koyft she shvebelakh antikn,
dermit verd ir a yosiml derkvikn.
Umzizt mayn shrayen un mayn loyfn,
keyner vil bay mir nit koyfn,
oysgeyn vel ikh muzn vi a hunt.
Mayn tate in milkhome hot farloyrn zayne hent,
mayn mame hot di tsores mer oyshaltn nisht gekent.
Yung in keyver zi getribn,
bin ikh oyf der velt farblibn,
ungliklekh un elnt vi a shteyn.
Breklekh klayb ikh oyf tsum ezn
oyf dem kaltn mark,
a harte bank iz mayn geleger in dem kaltn park.
In dertsu di politziantn, shlog mikh shvern kantn,
z'helft nit mayn betn, mayn geveyn.
Ikh hob gehat a shvesterl, a kind fun der natur,
mit mir tsusamen zikh geshlept hot zi a gants yor.
Mit ir geven iz mir fil gringer, laykhter vern flegt
der hunger, ven ikh fleg a kuk ton nor oyf ir.
Mit amol gevorn iz zi shvakh un zeyer krank,
oyf mayne hent iz zi geshtorbn oyf a gazn-bank.
Un az ikh hob zi farloyrn, hob ikh alts ongevoyrn,
zol der toyt shoyn kumen oykh tsu mir.
Self Portrait: Zuni Maud
“Di Grine Katshke”
“The Green Duck”
Geyt a grine katshke
Mit a royter noz;
Vil zi shmekn tabak –
Hot zi nit mit vos.
(Chorus)
Grine katshke, royte noz,
Un ikh veys nit, un ikh veys nit,
Vos iz dos.
There goes a green duck
With a red nose;
She wants a pinch of snuff,
But she has none.
(Chorus)
Green duck, red nose,
What this is,
I don’t know.
Geyt di grine katshke,
Geyt arum un kayt;
Vil zi brokn lokshn –
Hot zi ni keyn tsayt…
(Chorus)
Dreyt zikh um di katshke,
Dreyt zikh on a zin.
Vil zi geyn shpatsirn –
Hot zi nit vuhin…
(Chorus)
Geyt di grine katshke,
Geyt arum un trakht;
Vil zi davnen minkhe –
Falt shoyn tsu di nakht.
(Chorus)
There goes the green duck,
She walks about and chews,
She wants to make some noodles,
But she has no time.
(Chorus)
The duck bustles about,
She bustles about without a thought.
She wants to take a stroll,
But has no place to go.
(Chorus)
There goes the green duck.
She walks around and thinks.
She wants to say evening prayers,
But it’s already getting dark.
(Chorus)
Zuni Maud
(“Cigarettes”)
“Ich hab kein Heimatland”
A cold night, foggy, and darkness everywhere
A boy stands sadly and looks around.
Only a wall protects him from the rain
He holds a basket in his hand
and his eyes beg everyone silently:
I don't have any strength left to walk the streets
Hungry and ragged, wet from the rain,
I shlep around from dawn.
Nobody gives me any earnings,
everyone laughs and makes fun of me
Buy my cigarettes!
Dry ones, not wet from the rain
Buy real cheap,
Buy and have pity on me.
Save me from hunger now
Buy my matches, wonderful ones, the best,
and with that you will uplift an orphan.
My screaming and my running will be for naught.
Nobody wants to buy from meI will have to perish like a dog.
My father lost his hands in the war
My mother couldn't bear her troubles anymore
And was driven to her grave at a young age
I was left on this earth unhappy and alone like a stone
I gather crumbs to eat in the *c*old market
A hard bench in the cold park is my bed
and on top of that, the police
beat me with the edges of their swords and sticks
my pleas and my cries are of no use.
I had a little sister, a child of nature
Together we shlepped around for an entire year.
When with her, it was much easier for me.
My hunger would become lighter when I glanced at her
Suddenly she became weak and sick
died in my arms on a street bench
And when I lost her I lost everything
Let death come already for me, too.
Herman Yablokoff
Ich hab kein Heimatland
Ich habe nichts auf dieser Welt
Ich zieh von Land zu Land
Und bleibe da, wo’s mir gefällt
Ich darf nicht glücklich sein
Ich kenne keinen Sonnenschein
Warum bin ich so ganz allein
Auf dieser Erde?
Ich hab kein Heimatland
Ich hab ja nichts auf dieser Welt
Mein Ziel ist unbekannt
Der blaue Himmel ist mein Zelt
Und wenn ich denk, dass ich nun
endlich Frieden fand
Dann muss ich weiterziehen
Ich hab kein Heimatland
“I Have No Homeland”
I have no homeland
I have nothing in this world
I'm moving from country to country
And stay there where I please
I may not be happy
I know of no sunshine
Why am I so alone
On this earth?
I have no homeland
I have nothing in this world
My goal is unknown
The blue sky is my tent
And when I think that I finally
found peace
Then I have to move on
I have no homeland
Klemens Schneider
“La Cumparsita”
Si supieras que aun dentro de mi alma,
conservo aquel cariño
que tuve para ti...
Quien sabe si supieras
que nunca te he olvidado,
volviendo a tu pasado
te acordaras de mi...
“The Little Parade”
If you knew, that still deep in my soul
I keep that affection
that I had for you...
Who knows if you could know
that I have never forgotten you,
going back into your past,
you will remember me...
Mis amigos ya no vienen
ni siquiera a visitarme,
nadie viene consolarme
en mi afliccion...
Desde el dia que te fuiste
siento angustias en mi pecho,
deci, percanta, que has hecho
de mi pobre corazon?
My friends no longer come
not even to visit me,
nobody wants to console me
in my afliction...
Since the day that you left,
I feel anguish in my chest,
say, woman, what have you done
with my poor heart?
Sin embargo, yo siempre te recuerdo
con el cariño santo
que tuve para ti.
Y estas en todas partes,
pedazo de mi vida,
y aquellos ojos que fueron mi alegria
los busco por todas partes
y no los puedo hallar.
However, I always remember you
with the saintly affection
that I had for you.
And you are everywhere,
piece of my life,
and those eyes that were my joy
I look for them everywhere
and I can't find them.
Al cotorro abandonado
ya ni el sol de la mañana
asoma por la ventana
como cuando estabas vos,
y aquel perrito compañero
que por tu ausencia no comia,
al verme solo, el otro dia,
tambien me dejo.
To the abandoned pad
not even the morning sun
peeks through the window
like when you were here,
and that friendly puppy
who because of your absence did not eat,
when it saw me all alone, the other day
it also left me.
Carlos Gardel
Vilna Ghetto – World War II
“Es iz geven a Sumertog”
(“It Was a Summer’s Day”)
Es iz geven a zumer-tog
Vi shtendik zunik-sheyn,
Un di natur hot dan gehat
In zikh azoyfil kheyn,
Es hobn feygelekh gezungen,
Freylekh zikh arumgeshprungen,
In geto hot men undz geheysn geyn.
It was a summer’s day.
As always beautifully sunny.
And nature had within it
So much charm.
Birds were singing
Cheerfully hopping around,
As we were ordered into the ghetto.
Okh shtelt zikh far vos s’iz fun undz gevorn!
Farshtanen hobn mir: s’iz alts farloyrn.
Nisht geholfn undzer betn,
Az s’zol emitser undz retnFarlozn hobn mir dokh undzer heym.
[...] Gevezn zaynen mir tsufil –
Bafoyln hot der har
Tsu brengen yidn fun arum
Un shisn oyf Ponar.
Pust zaynen gevorn shtiber,
Ober ful derfar di griber.
Der soyne hot dergreykht zayn groysn tsil.
Oh, imagine what became of us!
We understood all is lost.
Our pleas were of no help
Asking for someone to rescue us,
We had deserted our home.
[…] We were too many –
The master ordered
Jews to be brought into the vicinity,
And he shot at Ponar.
The houses were emptied,
But the ditches were filled.
The enemy had attained his desired goal.
Now at Ponar one can see on the roads
Things, hats soaked by the rain
These are the belongings of the victims,
Of the holy souls,
Which the earth has covered forever.
Oyf Ponar itst zet men oyf di vegn
Zakhn, hitlen durkhgenetst fun regn,
Dos zaynen zakhn fun karbones,
Fun di heylike neshomes,
Di erd hot zey oyf eybik tsugedrekt.
Un itst iz vider zunik-sheyn,
Shmekt prakhtful alts arum,
Un mir zaynen farpaynikte
Un laydn ale shtum.
Opgeshnitn fun der velt,
Mit hoykhe moyern farshtelt,
A shtral fun hofnung dervekt zikh koym.
And now, once more, it is beautifully sunny,
A wonderful smell all around,
And we are full of grief,
And we all suffer in silence,
Cut off from the world.
Hidden behind high walls,
A ray of hope barely stirs.
Lyrics by Rikle Glezer
Music from Herman Yablokoff’s
“Papirosn” Vilna Ghetto
“To Ostatnia Niedziela”
“The Last Sunday”
Teraz nie pora szukać wymówek
fakt, że skończyło się,
dziś przyszedł inny, bogatszy i lepszy ode mnie
i wraz z Tobą skradł szczęście me.
Jedną mam prośbę, może ostatnią
pierwszą od wielu lat,
daj mi tę jedną niedzielę,
ostatnia niedzielę,
a potem niech wali się świat.
Now is not the time to look for excuses
the fact that it ended up,
Today came another, richer and better than me
and together with you stole my happiness.
I have one request, can last
the first many years,
Give me this one Sunday,
Last Sunday,
and then let the world collapses.
To ostatnia niedziela
dzisiaj się rozstaniemy,
dzisiaj się rozejdziemy
na wieczny czas.
To ostatnia niedziela,
więc nie żałuj jej dla mnie,
spojrzyj czule dziś na mnie
ostatni raz.
This is the last Sunday
Today we part,
Today we are absent
the eternal time.
This last Sunday,
so I do not regret it for me,
look down lovingly at me now
the last time.
Będziesz jeszcze dość tych niedziel miała,
a co ze mną będzie - któż to wie...
You will have had enough of these Sundays,
and what will become of me - who knows ...
To ostatnia niedziela,
moje sny wymarzone,
szczęście tak upragnione
skończyło się.
It’s the last Sunday.
Today we break up,
today we part
forever.
Pytasz co zrobię i dokąd pójdę,
dokąd mam iść, ja wiem...
dziś dla mnie jedno jest wyjście,
ja nie znam innego,
tym wyjściem jest, no, mniejsza z tem.
Jedno jest ważne - masz być szczęśliwa
o mnie już nie troszcz się,
lecz zanim wszystko się skończy,
nim los nas rozłączy,
tę jedną niedzielę daj mi.
You ask what I do and where I go,
No matter where I go, I know ...
Today for me is one output
I do not know any other,
This option is, well, less of tem.
One thing is important - you have to be happy
for I am no longer take care,
but before it's all over,
the fate of us disconnects
This give me one Sunday.
To ostatnia niedziela
dzisiaj się rozstaniemy,
dzisiaj się rozejdziemy
na wieczny czas.
To ostatnia niedziela,
więc nie żałuj jej dla mnie,
spojrzyj czule dziś na mnie
ostatni raz.
This is the last Sunday
Today we part,
Today we are absent
the eternal time.
This last Sunday,
so I do not regret it for me,
look down lovingly at me now
the last time.
Będziesz jeszcze dość tych niedziel miała,
a co ze mną będzie - któż to wie...
You will have had enough of these Sundays,
and what will become of me - who knows ...
To ostatnia niedziela,
moje sny wymarzone,
szczęście tak upragnione
skończyło się.
It’s the last Sunday.
Today we break up,
today we part
forever..
“Der Tango fun Oshvietshim” (“The Tango from
Auschwitz”)
Even before the war, we sang and we danced
tangos,
foxtrots and melodies.
These tender songs, resonant and filled with
longing,
Used to make our heads sway with love.
And now, in wartime, no one creates any songs
About those youthful years in the city.
Sing, oh girl, another little song
About days and nights in the camp behind the
wires.
Our slave tango – under the whip of the beater.
Our slave tango from the Auschwitz camp.
Spears of steel from the guards, those animals,
Oh, freedom and liberty call!
The black man soon takes up his mandolin,
And will soon start to strum his little tune here.
And the Englishman and Frenchman sing a
melody,
So a trio will arise out of this sadness.
And also the Pole soon takes up his whistle
And he will emote to the world –
The song will light up the hearts
Who are longing for the freedom they miss.
Our slave tango – under the whip of the beater…
P.M. & Shmerke Kaczerginsky, trans.
Original Polish words and melody from
“Slave Tango,” author unknown.
Auschwitz Orchestra
Zenon Friedwald & Jerzy Petersburski, Sculpture Commemorating
Arturo Gold Trio
Treblinka
Joan O. Epstein: [email protected]