Warsaw – After IAJGS 18

After the IAJGS conference at the Hilton Hotel, my big walk included the Nozyk, the Old Town, The Bristol Hotel, Polin Museum, Centralna Station area, and back to the Nozyk later in the day.

Around the city

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Back to the Nozyk Synagogue

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Hotel Bristol

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The Old Town

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On the way to  Polin Museum

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Polin Museum

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On the way to Centralna Train Station

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Nozyk Synagogue before Shabbat

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Around Centralna at nightime

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Goodbye – back home to Australia

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A Walk On The West Side

Western Australia at its best on a stunning Winter’s day.
Jill and my walk from Trigg to Brighton (and back).

One of those amazing days as you will see below! The way back.

Brighton Beach

Scarborough Pool

 

Scarborough Beach
 
Always try to include something Jewish in my posts
Rabbi Marcus Solomon – Dianella Mizrachi

The path back to Trigg

South Trigg Beach
Trigg Beach  

Av Harachamim: Remembering Our Shtetls and Martyrs

Noranda CHABAD, Perth, Western Australia

July 2018

After the torah reading on shabbat, we recite Av Harachamim

Av HaRachamim

Av HaRachamim – Wikipedia

Av Harachamim or Abh Haraḥamim (אב הרחמים‬ “Father [of] mercy” or “Merciful Father”) is a Jewish memorial prayer which was written in the late eleventh or early twelfth century, after the destruction of the Ashkenazi communities around the Rhine River by Christian crusaders during the First Crusade.[1] First appearing in prayer books in 1290, it is printed in every Orthodox siddur in the European traditions of Nusach Sefarad and Nusach Ashkenaz and recited as part of the weekly Shabbat services, or in some communities on the Shabbat before Shavuot and Tisha B’Av.[2][3]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Av_HaRachamim

in the ArtScroll 

ArtScroll – Wikipedia

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArtScroll

in Tehillat Hashem

Tehillat Hashem – Wikipedia

Tehillat Hashem (תְּהִלַּת ה’‬, “praise of God” in Hebrew) is the name of a prayer-book (known as a siddur in Hebrew) used for Jewish services in synagogues and privately by Hasidic Jews, specifically in the Chabad-Lubavitch community. The name of the siddur is taken from Psalm 145, verse 21, “Praise of God shall my mouth speak, and all flesh shall bless His holy Name forever and ever.”

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehillat_Hashem

A noteworthy custom fitting the mood of the Sefira period deals with the prayer Av Harachamim. Av Harachamim, recited on Shabbat after the Torah reading was written in response to the Crusades. In it we memorialize the righteous martyrs and pray for retribution for their spilled blood. Av Harachamim is generally not recited on Shabbatot which have an added celebratory nature – such as Shabbat Mevarchim (the Shabbat in which we bless the new month). In many congregations during the Shabbatot of Sefirat Haomer, Av Harachamim is recited even on the Shabbatot in which we bless Iyar and Sivan. The Mishna Brura (284,18) adds, that even if there is a Brit Milah that Shabbat, giving us a second reason why Av Harachamim should not be recited, Av Harachamim is still said, since this was the season of the tragedies.

Before reading the Av Harachamim prayer,  we select one of the 6500 shtetls that existed before and during the Holocaust from this three volume set:

We then share the story of the particular shtetl to illustrate what we lost in Holocaust!

This week – Plunge / Plungyan

 

The encyclopedia of Jewish life before and during the Holocaust / editor in chief, Shmuel Spector ; consulting editor, Geoffrey Wigoder ; foreword by Elie Wiesel – Collections Search – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The encyclopedia of Jewish life before and during the Holocaust / editor in chief, Shmuel Spector ; consulting editor, Geoffrey Wigoder ; foreword by Elie Wiesel – Collections Search – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Source: collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib63061

With thanks to Rabbi Marcus Solomon of Dianella Mizrachi Shule for sharing this idea with me.

Thanks to Michelle Urban and the Western Australian JHGS for allowing me to use these books from their excellent library housed at Noranda CHABAD.

For more on Plunge visit the KehilaLink:

Our Special Connection With The Stropkover Rebbe

Noranda CHABAD, Perth, Western Australia, 30 June 2018

Avraham Shalom Halberstam spends Shabbat Balak with us. I had discovered on his previous visit to Perth in July 2016 that we were 8th cousins. Researching using Geni.com, I discovered that we both are members of the Katzenellenbogen Rabbinic Family Tree.

Earlier the day on Shabbat,  we did something during Shacharit that brought the Rebbe and our community together as never before – read below.

Please note: no photos were taken during shabbat!

My 8th Cousin  – The Stropkover Rebbe – The Admor of Stropkov

Stropkover-3

Davening Maariv
Havdalah at Noranda CHABAD

Video

Havdalah at Noranda CHABAD

Mendy of RARA and the Stropkover Rebbe.  Other guests were Moishe, the Rebbe’s assistant, and Moishe from RARA

Source: youtu.be/wzTfMchMCCs

Some special photos for our albums
With Rabbi Shalom White and the Rebbe
Mendy, Rabbi White, Sheldon Manushewitz, the Rebbe, Michael Manushewitz and Moishe in front
The Maccabean

13 July 2018

Earlier after the torah reading on shabbat we recited Av Harachamim

A noteworthy custom fitting the mood of the Sefira period deals with the prayer Av Harachamim. Av Harachamim, recited on Shabbat after the Torah reading was written in response to the Crusades. In it we memorialize the righteous martyrs and pray for retribution for their spilled blood. Av Harachamim is generally not recited on Shabbatot which have an added celebratory nature – such as Shabbat Mevarchim (the Shabbat in which we bless the new month). In many congregations during the Shabbatot of Sefirat Haomer, Av Harachamim is recited even on the Shabbatot in which we bless Iyar and Sivan. The Mishna Brura (284,18) adds, that even if there is a Brit Milah that Shabbat, giving us a second reason why Av Harachamim should not be recited, Av Harachamim is still said, since this was the season of the tragedies.

A few weeks ago, Rabbi Marcus Solomon of Dianella Mizrachi Shule, told me about an initiative he had started in his shul.

Before reading the Av Harachamim prayer,  he selects one of the 6500 shtetls that existed before and during the Holocaust from this three volume set:

Rabbi Solomon then shares the story of the particular shtetl to illustrate what we lost in Holocaust!

Today was the first time we did the same at Noranda CHABAD Shul during Shacharit.

With the Stropkover Rebbe spending Shabbat with us, I chose the following shtetl from Volume 3:

 

Thanks to Michelle Urban and the JHGS for allowing me to use these books from their excellent library housed at CHABAD.

https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib63061

It goes without saying that those in shul were inspired to hear about Stropkov with its Rebbe in our shul. The further connection as 8th cousins was an added bonus for us!

We discussed the Rebbe’s previous visits to Perth and at his request, last night I found this clip I filmed of the Rebbe at Benny Sasson’s barmitzvah June 2000. We did not know our connection then, and here 8 years later, I am pleased to be able to upload it to the internet for all to view and share!

Stropkover Rebbe’s 2000 visit

Stropkover Rebbe’s 2000 visit

At Benny Sasson’s barmitzvah

Source: youtu.be/nn1M-SVGTHk

 
July 2016

IMG_9271

The Stropkover Rebbe has just completed a visit to Perth Australia from Jerusalem.

We were honoured to have him spend Shabbat with us at the CHABAD shul in Noranda WA.

He has visited Perth before.

I took the opportunity on Saturday night to learn more about him and his town.

The Rebbe was born in Germany and lives in Jerusalem. The Stropkover Rebbe’s “once upon a time” community was based in Stropkov in Slovakia.

Map-Stropkov

Stropkov

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Stropkov
Town
Stropkov.jpg
View of Stropkov
Coat of arms
Country Slovakia
Region Prešov
District Stropkov
 
River Ondava
 
Elevation 202 m (663 ft)
Coordinates 49°12′18″N 21°39′05″ECoordinates49°12′18″N 21°39′05″E
 
Area 24.667 km2 (9.524 sq mi)
 
Population 10,866 (2012-12-31)
Density 441 / km2 (1,142 / sq mi)
 
First mentioned 1404
   

Stropkov (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈstropkow]HungarianSztropkópronounced [ˈstropkoː]Yiddishסטראפקאוו‎) is a town in Stropkov DistrictPrešov RegionSlovakia.

Jewish community

Jews first arrived in Stropkov, possibly fleeing Polish pogroms, in about 1650. About fifty years later, the Jews were exiled from Stropkov to Tisinec, a village just to the north. They did not return to Stropkov until about 1800. The Stropkov Jewish cemetery was dedicated in 1892, after which the Tisinec cemetery fell into disuse.

In 1939 the antisemitic Hlinka Party gain control of the Stropkov Town Council. From May–October 1942 the Hlinka deported Jews from the Stropkov area to AuschwitzSobiborMaidanek, and “unknown destinations”. By the end of World War II, only 100 Jews remained in Stropkov out of 2000 in 1942.

Chief Rabbis of Stropkov

The first rabbi of Tisinec and Stropkov was Rabbi Moshe Schonfeld. He left Stropkov for a position in Vranov. He was succeeded in 1833 by Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Teitelbaum (I)(1818–1883) who served as Stropkov’s chief rabbi until leaving for a post in Ujhely. The next incumbent was Rabbi Chaim Yosef Gottlieb (1790–1867), known as the “Stropkover Rov”. He was succeeded by Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam (1811–1899), a son of Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz. His scholarship, piety, and personal charisma transformed Stropkov into one of the most respected chasidic centers in all Galicia and Hungary. Rabbi Moshe Yosef Teitelbaum (1842–1897), the son of the aforementioned Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, was appointed as Stropkov’s next chief rabbi in 1880.

The charismatic and scholarly Rabbi Yitzhak Hersh Amsel (c1855–1934), the son of Peretz Amsel of Stropkov, was first appointed as a dayan in Stropkov and then as the rabbi of Zborov (near Bardejov). As legend has it, Rabbi Yitzhak Hersh Amsel died while praying in his Zborov synagogue. He is buried in the Stropkov cemetery where a small protective building ohel was erected over his grave to preserve it. Rabbi Amsel was succeeded in 1897 by Rabbi Avraham Shalom Halberstam (1856–1940). Jews, learned and simple alike, sought the advice and blessing of this “miracle rabbi of Stropkov”, revered as a living link in the chain of Chassidus of Sanz and Sienawa. Rabbi Halberstam served in Stropkov for some forty years, until the early 1930s, when he assumed a rabbinical post in the larger town of Košice. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Halberstam (1873–1954),the son of the aforementioned Rabbi Avraham Shalom Halberstam was then appointed chief rabbi of Stropkov and head of the Talmud Torah. After World War II Rabbi Menachem Mendel Halberstam lived in New York until the end of his life, teaching at the Stropkover Yeshiva, which he founded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The present day Admor of Stropkov is HaRav Avraham Shalom Halberstam of Jerusalem. The Admor runs several yeshivas and kolelim in Jerusalem and other cities in Israel. The Admor dedicates himself to Ahavat Yisrael and to helping many who need to return to their Jewish roots.

Rebbe-Images

I then went into my Geni account and looked up the Stropkover Rebbe and found what appeared to be his family line.

I recalled that on Shabbat, he had been called up to the torah as HaRav Avraham Shalom ben Yechezkel Shrage.

Havdalah after Shabbat.

IMG_9322

On Sunday I printed out this page on Geni and showed it to the Rebbe who confirmed that this was indeed him – i.e. Avraham Shalom Lipschutz (Halberstam). He also confirmed that his mother was Beila, daughter of Avraham Shalom Halberstam.

Stopkov-4

I also printed out the Geni page which shows our relationship and presented a copy to the Rebbe.

Stropkover-3

So, besides all the friends he has Downunder, he now is happy to have added a 8th cousin in this isolated Jewish community!

We are both members of the Katzenellenbogen Rabbinic Tree.

IMG_9341

What Makes G-d Laugh 

Shabbat Balak

What Makes G-d Laugh

There is an old saying that what makes G‑d laugh is seeing our plans for the future.However, if Tanakh is our guide, what makes G‑d laugh is human delusions of grandeur. From the vantage point of heaven, the ultimate absurdity is when humans start thinking of themselves as G‑dlike.

Source: mailchi.mp/af9131e6afbc/life-without-bumps-3300829?e=678b339d93

Chabad of RARA

Chabad of RARA

Source: www.chabadofrara.org

 

The Lost Shtetl of Lithuania

My op-ed in the Australian Jewish News today

  

Wth Laima Ardaviciene and the students of Atzalynas High School Kedainiai
With Laima Ardaviciene and Edwin Glasenberg
With the ambassadors of Finland, Great Britain and the USA
With Milda Jakulyte and the ladies of the Lost Shtetl team
With Sergey Kanovich of the Lost Shtetl

The Australian Jewish News – AJN

The Australian Jewish News – AJN

AJN

Source: www.jewishnews.net.au

ZNK – New videos

Here are new videos of students singing Zog Nit Keynmol that reached me in the last ten days.

  1. Melbourne Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration in April:
Resistance

The background and context

The ‘Partisans’ Song’ – Zog Nit Keynmol–written by Hirsch Glik, 22,  in the Vilna Ghetto in 1943   is one of the most powerful songs of resistance and defiance ever written.

While Hitler boasted that his Reich would endure for a thousand years, it is the Jewish people who resisted the forces of hatred and have endured, not the murderous Third Reich,  which lasted twelve years.

Today, 75 years on, long after the demise of Hitler’s murderous regime, the partisans’ song is now sung worldwide to mark the Jewish spirit of resistance.

(Michael Cohen, Melbourne)

Melbourne Yom Hashoah – Zog Nit Keynmol

Melbourne Yom Hashoah – Zog Nit Keynmol

Commemoration April 2018 Using video footage from The Partisans’ Song Project

Source: youtu.be/SvNoyReKxO0

PARTISANS’ SONG

Zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg,
khotsh himlen blayene farshteln bloye teg.
kumen vet nokh undzer oysgebenkte sho,
s’vet a poyk ton undzer trot: mir zaynen do!

Fun grinem palmenland biz vaysn land fun shney,
mir kumen on mit undzer payn, mit undzer vey,
un vu gefaln iz a shprits fun undzer blut,
shprotsn vet dort undzer gvure, undzer mut!S
s’vet di morgnzun bagildn undz dem haynt,
un der nekhtn vet farshvindn mit dem faynt,
nor oyb farzamen vet di zun in der kayor –
vi a parol zol geyn dos lid fun dor tsu dor.

Dos lid geshribn iz mit blut, un nit mit blay,
s’iz nit keyn lidl fun a foygl oyf der fray,
dos hot a folk tsvishn falndike vent
dos lid gezungen mit naganes in di hent.

To zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg,
khotsh himlen blayene farshteln bloye teg.
kumen vet nokh undzer oysgebenkte sho –
es vet a poyk ton undzer trot: mir zaynen do!

 

2 & 3

Schools are now recording the song on their travels:

JDS 8th Graders from Seattle WA sang the Partisans’ Song while visiting Yad Vashem and Masada in Israel:

JDS Seattle School Video – Zog Nit Keynmol

Seattle School Video – Zog Nit Keynmol

Yad Vashem May 18

Source: youtu.be/O8ZOBgVrxNs

JDS Seattle School Video – Zog nit KeynMol

JDS 8th Grade at Masada 14 May 2018

Masada, Israel

Source: youtu.be/NZRH7aq-N3I

 

Beis Aharon School and Orphanage 
Zog Nit Keynmol – Pinsk

Zog Nit Keynmol – Pinsk

Beis Aharon School Pinsk, Belarus 13 May 2018

Source: youtu.be/yN3QGZkmGjY

Moshe Fhima Intro

Moshe Fhima Intro

Beis Aharon School Pinsk Belarus 13 May 2018

Source: youtu.be/vi86WhEv3tA

Learn More about how to get involved
An Inspirational School Project

An Inspirational School Project

A Project For Your School We are seeking students who will recite or sing the Partisans’ Song in their home tongue, or in a language they have learnt. Please make a video, which can be as cre…

Source: elirab.me/znk/

The Lost Shtetl Museum of Seduva

The Lost Shtetl Museum of Seduva Jewish History – 
Ground Breaking
Seduva, Lithuania
Speakers:
  1. A welcome speech from the President of Lithuania read by her senior advisor Marija Dautartaite
  2. Speaker of Parliament Viktoras Pranckietis
  3. Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis
  4. Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius
  5. Chair of LJC Faina Kukliansky
  6. Director of Gaon State Jewish Museum Markas Zingeris
  7. Ambassador of USA Anne Hall
  8. Ambassador of Finland Christer Michelson
  9. Genealogist and educator Eli Rabinowitz – South Africa and Australia
  10. Film Director and Person of Tolerance of Sugihara Fund 2004 Saulius Berzinis
  11. Project Manager Sergey Kanovich
Photo by Gintaras Siuparys

Eli Rabinowitz – Speech

The Lost Shtetl Museum of Seduva Jewish History Ground Breaking Seduva, Lithuania Friday 4 May 2018

Source: youtu.be/-jE7oEIjg_c

Here is the transcript of my speech:

My name is Eli Rabinowitz.

I live in Perth Australia and I am a Litvak!

I was born in Cape Town South Africa, and my heritage is firmly rooted in this region.

I have visited Lithuania each year since 2011, this being my 8th visit.

In 1811 my 3rd great grandfather, Zalman Tzoref Salomon, was one of the first to leave Lithuania for Jerusalem where he successfully established the Litvak community in the Old City.

Litvaks were resilient and achieved significant successes, and, members of my Salomon family founded the town of Petach Tikva, the first Hebrew newspaper, the Hurva Synagogue, and Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Many Litvaks later migrated to South Africa, aptly named, the “goldene medina”.

Jewish life in the small South African country towns often mirrored the Litvak shtetl. Many of these migrants and their families were happy, successful and safe in their new surroundings.

We often heard stories from “der heim”, describing the rich Jewish cultural life throughout Lithuania, which had existed over many centuries.

Those Litvaks who left Lithuania before the Holocaust were indeed lucky! More than 95% of the Lithuanian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, a greater percentage than any other country!

So why do I return from the Litvak diaspora to reconnect to my roots?

It is my journey of discovery, to understand my family in the context of Jewish cultural history and history of the region. By being here, I am able to experience the traces of memory first hand, to find some remnants, clues as to how Litvak life was.

I share these on my blog and on the 35 Lithuanian shtetl websites that I write and manage.

I also work with high schools in Kedainiai, Kalvarija and Vilnius to teach students about Jewish cultural history and the Holocaust from the Jewish perspective, and then I lead collaboration classes for these schools and students around the globe. I am expanding this to more schools in Lithuania.

A growing number of articles and books are being written about family stories and Jewish life in the shtetl. This is to keep alive stories that would otherwise be forgotten. I participate in this activity as well as lecture at international conferences.

All these elements will come together when this wonderful museum opens.

It is located right in the heartland of the Litvak world, of the Litvaks I have just described as well as their descendants.

In the future, when we visit this museum, we will be able to access the past with a better understanding of history. We will view the collection of objects and artifacts, giving us an insight into how our ancestors lived their cultural, religious, work and home lives.

We will learn about their values from their daily lives and from the items they kept and used.

The museum will showcase the richness and the importance of Litvak shtetl life of years gone by. It will also reflect on the Jewish world that was destroyed by the Holocaust. The museum will educate Lithuanians and visitors to Lithuania and so provide an opportunity to learn from our history and strive for a better world.

This museum will be a beacon of preservation and attract many in the Litvak diaspora to come and visit Lithuania and their shtetls, and like me, to reconnect with their heritage.

This museum is a most appropriate way to honour the memory of the members of our families who were born, lived and died here!

Finally, the words written by Hirsh Glik in the Vilna ghetto in 1943:

“Zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg –
Never say that you have reached the end of the road
Mir zaynen do!
WE ARE HERE

 

“This says that although it looks like the last moments of the life of the Jewish people, it is not, and where the blood was shed, will begin a new, a heroic and a wonderful Jewish life!”

(Quote: Cantor H Fox)

Capsule
With Laima Ardaviciene aand Edwin Glasenberg
With Laima Ardaviciene and students of Atzalynas Gimnazija, Kedainiai
With the ambassadors of Finland, UK and USA
Sergey Kanovich

Your Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Guests:

As the project manager, I thank all of you who have gathered here. I am also endlessly grateful to the people of Šeduva for their help and goodwill, the Šeduva eldership and mayor of Radviliškis  Antanas Čepononis and the municipality for close cooperation. I sincerely thank all the international team that is working on the creation of the museum – the architect from Finland, Rainer Mahlamaki; Augustas Audėjaitis and his colleagues; the design company, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, from the United States; the Swiss company ECAS and David Duffy; Jonas Dovydaitis, the director of the Šeduva Jewish Memorial Fund; the large team of international consultants; Milda Jakulyte, the Curator of the Museum as well as her colleagues; the construction supervision company Ekspertikaand Kastytis Skiečius; as well as the construction company Agentus. A huge thank you goes out to the patrons, without whose hard work and financial support this project would be impossible.

When we talk about the past of Lithuanian Jewry, we often say that “time was merciless”. Merciless to human beings, merciless to things they had created, merciless to heritage and memory. But time is not anonymous. We cannot put all the blame and guilt on it. We create time. It depends on us what time will be like. It depends on the here and now. Memory is the responsibility of all of us.

There is no museum yet. We are only about to start building it. We do this in order to create a “time” the next generations could not call merciless.

Now we are near the restored Jewish cemetery, and beneath its every stone there rests the remains of a person. A person who lived and worked, loved and prayed, sewed and cured. Not far from here, there is a place of eternal rest of those who were brutally murdered, for whom some of their former neighbors showed no mercy.

That is why we are about to build another monument – the Lost Shtetl Museum. To remember all of them. You can abandon a cemetery and steal the remaining gravestones from it. You can kill a person, loot their home, steal their belongings, burn their temple, but it is impossible to kill their memory. Lithuanian Jews and their legacy cannot live only in commemorations and solemn speeches. No matter how beautiful they are. We have left traces under the Lithuanian sky. And this museum will commemorate them.

We have decided to put the following words from the novelShtetl Love Song by Grigory Kanovich into the symbolic time capsule marking the beginning of the construction:

„It was bitter to realize the truth that from now on it was the fate of that dead tribe to be born and live only in the true and painful words of impartial memory in which it was imposible to drown the echoes of love and gratitude towards our forebears. Whoever allows the dead to fall into oblivion will himself be justly consigned to oblivion by future generations .“

Now I would like to invite Giedrius Puidokas, an 11thgrade student of the Šeduva Gymnasium and Gabriela Jeliasevič and Gabika Kondratavičiūtė, 11thgrade students of Vilnius Sholom Aleichem Gymnasium, to place a symbolic time capsule marking the beginning of the construction of the Lost Shtetl Museum.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Also present:
Amabassadors and heads of Mission:
UK, Sweden, France, Romania, Azerbaidjan, Ireland, Russia, Germany
Extra photos by Gintaras Siuparys

In The News

The Maccabean Newspaper – 20 April 2018

Photos by Sas Saddick

See some videos of the commemoration here:

Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth 2018

Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth 2018

  Yom Hashoah Perth Commemoration Sara Kogan-Lazarus sings Tsi Darf Es Azoy Zayn Sara Kogan-Lazarus sings Tsi Darf Es Azoy Zayn Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth, Australia 15 April 2018 Yiddish Sour…

Source: elirab.me/yh18/

https://www.leahteddyandthemandolin.com/single-post/2018/04/16/The-Partisans-Song-Project-and-Herzlia-Vocal-Ensemble-keep-Yiddish-alive

A punk version of Zog Nit Keynmol by Yidcore

Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth 2018

 
Rifka Majteles with Rabbi Shalom Coleman
Michael Zusman with Valmae & Geoff Morris
Rabbi Dan Lieberman & Rabbi Shalom Coleman

Yom Hashoah Perth Commemoration

Simone Bloom
Harry Hoffman

Sara Kogan-Lazarus sings Tsi Darf Es Azoy Zayn

Sara Kogan-Lazarus sings Tsi Darf Es Azoy Zayn

Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth, Australia 15 April 2018 Yiddish

Source: youtu.be/iOZqDWK0AkE

The Partisans’ Song, Zog Nit Keynmol, written by Hirsh Glik, age 22, in the Vilna Ghetto in 1943, is one of the most powerful songs of resistance and defiance ever written.

After music was added, it became the hymn of the Jewish Partisans, the rallying cry to never give up hope and to continue fighting the Nazis.

It was the anthem of those incarcerated in the ghettos and in the camps, and since the end of the Shoah, it has been sung around the world as the Holocaust Survivors’ anthem.

In 1972 Leizar Ran wrote:

“Glik wrote a poem dedicated to the Jewish catastrophe, resistance and perseverance.

Now the poem belongs to the young post-war generations of proud Jews who accept the torch of Jewish continuity and survival into their hands.”

 

So what happens now as our survivors depart the centre stage? The next generations will need to embrace Hirsh Glik’s legacy!

 

In January 2017 I was invited by King David Schools in Johannesburg to address their 1000 high school students to explain the meaning and significance of the Partisans’ Song, which is recited in Yiddish at their Holocaust commemorations.

I achieved this by using short video clips and other social media to bring it to life.

 

The Partisans’ Song Project was born.

Through the support of World ORT, schools in the Former Soviet Union added their own videos to the project and participated in online collaborations hosted by Herzlia School in Cape Town.

 

The project continues to grow through the activities of these schools and the availability of the resources on my website.

 

The Partisans’ Song resonates with the broader community as well. Paul Robeson sang it in Yiddish as a protest song at his concert in Moscow in 1949. Others have also adopted the song.

 

Presentations to black school students in South Africa, and to student teachers at Edith Cowan University, are important recent additions to the project.

 

Now please turn your attention to the short video created specially for tonight’s commemoration.

Please give meaning to the significance and context to the Partisans’ Song, written by Hirsh Glik 75 years ago. Please ensure that your children and grandchi…

Source: youtu.be/Yq7SrTNZPaI

As we sing Zog Nit Keynmol, now with a better understanding, let us all actively ensure that our children and grandchildren embrace this legacy of hope for peace, and for a better world for all!

Zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg,
Khotsh himlen blayene farshteln bloye teg.
Kumen vet nokh undzer oysgebenkte sho,
S’vet a poyk ton undzer trot: mir zaynen do!

Fun grinem palmenland biz vaysn land fun shney,
Mir kumen on mit undzer payn, mit undzer vey,
Un vu gefaln iz a shprits fun undzer blut,
Shprotsn vet dort undzer gvure, undzer mut!

S’vet di morgnzun bagildn undz dem haynt,
Un der nekhtn vet farshvindn mit dem faynt,
Nor oyb farzamen vet di zun in der kayor –
Vi a parol zol geyn dos lid fun dor tsu dor.

Dos lid geshribn iz mit blut, un nit mit blay,
S’iz nit keyn lidl fun a foygl oyf der fray,
Dos hot a folk tsvishn falndike vent
Dos lid gezungen mit naganes in di hent.

To zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letstn veg,
Khotsh himlen blayene farshteln bloye teg.
Kumen vet nokh undzer oysgebenkte sho –
S’vet a poyk ton undzer trot: mir zaynen do!

Zog Nit Keynmol – Sarah Kogan-Lazarus

Zog Nit Keynmol – Sarah Kogan-Lazarus

The Partisans’ Song Yom Hashoah Perth Jewish Community 15 April 2018

Source: youtu.be/JEUBJyIX4Cg

The full video on Zog Nit Keynmol presentation

The intro by Simon Bloom

Intro by Eli

Zog Nit Keynmol by Sara Kogan-Lazarus

Zog Nit Keynmol – The Partisans Song Simone Bloom Eli Rabinowitz Sara Kogan-Lazarus 15 April 2018

Source: youtu.be/HMLrvjyhAy0

Lore Zusman – Kristallnacht

Lore Zusman – Kristallnacht

Yom Hashoah 15 April 2018 Perth Australia

Sorry for the camera focus issues in the middle of this video!

Source: youtu.be/i5zt7lArLq8

Sara Kogan-Lazarus Sings Friling – Springtime

Sara Kogan-Lazarus Sings Friling – Springtime

Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth, Australia 15 April 2018 Yiddish

Source: youtu.be/hGTcZVdYp_w

With Rabbi Shalom Coleman
With Sara Kogan-Lazarus
With Lynda Fisher
Sol Majteles, Simone Bloom, Debbie Majteles and Sara Kogan-Lazarus
Lore Zusman and family

Thanks to Sas Saddick for the photos and helping with the video

Yom Hashoah 2018 – Triumph Over Adversity

A big start to the week

The Partisans’ Song – Triumph Over Adversity

The Partisans’ Song – Triumph Over Adversity

With Heiny Ellert

Yom Hashoah will be commemorated on 11/12 April at which the Partisan Song, Zog Nit Keynmol will be sung in Yiddish at ceremonies held around the world.

Source: www.jwire.com.au/the-partisans-song-triumph-over-adversity/

NEW TRANSLATION IN SERBIAN – 25TH LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
Ne Reci Nikad– The Jewish Partisan Song in Serbian

Translated into Serbian by Lazar Nikolic for Nance Morris Adler

Iako oblaci tamni kriju vedre dane,

Ne reci nikad da su ti smrti samo znane,

Za svim što žudesmo sada došao je čas,

Zemlja pod nama drhti, stigao je spas!

 

Od zemalja palmi pa do zemlji večnog snega,

Dolazimo u sili i oslobađamo od stega,

Gde god se naša krv prolila zbog sveta,

Tu je naša hrabrost počela da cveta.

 

Jutarnje će naše sunce zapaliti dan,

Jučerašnjica strašna biće samo san,

I ako se ova turobna noć oduži,

Pesma naša nek nam kao svetlo posluži.

 

Ne olovom, neg je pesma ova pisana u krvi,

I lepša je od ptičijeg poja koji vrvi,

Na barikadama strašnim pred nama što se mrve,

Pištolji i granate pavale su je prve.

 

Zato, iako oblaci tamni kriju vedre dane,

Ne reci nikad da su ti smrti samo znane,

Za svim što žudesmo sada došao je čas,

Zemlja pod nama drhti, stigao je spas!

 

Audio in Serbian – recited by Lazar Nikolic

My presentation at Edith Cowan University

The first of three this week

Edith Cowan University Western Australia

Edith Cowan University Western Australia

Edith Cowan University is a multi-campus institution, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Perth and Bunbury, Western Australia

With Bill Allen and 2nd year School Of Education students

Source: www.ecu.edu.au

Presentation to ORA at the Jewish Centre, Perth

Simcha A Celebration of Life Ep 7 Promo -South Africa

Simcha A Celebration of Life Ep 7 Promo

Source: youtu.be/JbLfmzZSoGM

Sunday 15 April 8:30am on SABC TV2

Perth Yom Hashoah Commemorations

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