and Jewish Life
The Maccabean Newspaper – 20 April 2018
Photos by Sas Saddick
See some videos of the commemoration here:
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/
A punk version of Zog Nit Keynmol by Yidcore
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!
The Partisans’ Song Yom Hashoah Perth Jewish Community 15 April 2018
Source: youtu.be/JEUBJyIX4Cg
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
Yom Hashoah 15 April 2018 Perth Australia
Sorry for the camera focus issues in the middle of this video!
Source: youtu.be/i5zt7lArLq8
Yom Hashoah Commemoration Perth, Australia 15 April 2018 Yiddish
Source: youtu.be/hGTcZVdYp_w
Thanks to Sas Saddick for the photos and helping with the video
Every year on Yom Hashoah – the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism, Holocaust survivors and Jewish communities sing the song Zog Nit Keynmol (‘We are Still Here’), which is also known as the Partisan Song. Now, a new initiative by Cape Town born Eli Rabinowitz seeks to teach the song to schoolchildren across the globe, allowing them to connect with each other and their history.
Source: youtu.be/tnaCtuqVBgg
This video also appears on:
April 16, 2018
The Partisans’ Song Project, in which the Herzlia Vocal Ensemble participated, is featured in Simcha – A Celebration of Life… on SABC TV2 .
Never say you have reached the end of the road – WE ARE HERE!
My OpEd in Arutz Sheva
The immortal words of the poem written in Vilna by Hirsh Glik in 1943 continue to inspire as sung by young people worldwide today who identify with its message of hope.
Source: www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/21978
Source: youtu.be/JbLfmzZSoGM
A big start to the week
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/
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
The first of three this week
Edith Cowan University is a multi-campus institution, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Perth and Bunbury, Western Australia
Source: www.ecu.edu.au
Source: youtu.be/JbLfmzZSoGM
Sunday 15 April 8:30am on SABC TV2
More about Aphraim and Chava and the Bloch & Cynkin Families:
The visit to Cape Town from Israel by Beverly Jacobson and her children on a “roots” trip precipitated the search for the Sefer Torah her great grandfather, Aphraim Bloch, donated to Highlands House back in 1948.
The last time it was “seen” by a family member was by Beverly’s brother, Richard Shavei Tzion.
Richard: ‘This occurred in 1998, exactly 50 years after it was dedicated to my Great-grandmother Chava Bloch and to their daughter Rachel who I am named after.
While going through old family documents, I discovered a “Cape Times” article dated 1948, describing the dedication of a Sefer Torah which had been donated by my late great-grandfather Efraim Bloch to the shul at Highlands House, the Jewish retirement home.
Intrigued by this, I spoke to my friend, who together with his sons takes a very active role in conducting the Shul Services there. I asked him if he could identify the scroll, and indeed he found the inscription on the handles of a beautiful Sefer in the Aron Hakodesh. When it turned out that I would be visiting Cape Town, I asked if I could see it. The shul responded by suggesting that I attend a Shabbat Service, act as Ba’al Tefillah and be called up for “Maftir” using the scroll which my great-grandfather had donated. I was of course delighted to accept.
A number of relatives, amongst them descendants of Efraim Bloch, were present at the service. My feelings of family pride, personal humility and a sense of the closing of a circle were compounded when I was called up to the Torah. There I stood, a third generation descendant of Efraim Bloch. The reader pointed to the very first verse of the Aliya to which I had been called up and began to read. Of all the thousands of verses in the Torah, the one that commenced my Aliya read: “And Joseph saw Efraim’s children of the third generation…”’
Eli: ‘In August 2017, my mother-in-law and grand-daughter of Aphraim Bloch, Ruth Saevitzon Reitstein, and my father-in-law, Leonard Reitstein, became residents at Highlands House.
On 14 March 2018 Ruth wrote to her niece Beverly Saevitzon Jacobson telling Beverly that there was no sign of her Zaida’s torah in the Highlands House shul.’
Ruth: ‘Rabbi Serwator inspected all five Torahs and could not identify the Sefer Torah. The only reason we can think of is that maybe the Torah was loaned to another shul and that’s where it is.
On 15 March 2018 Richard sent Ruth this picture of the Sefer Torah in its mantle.
Richard: ‘The ID as I remember is a small silver strip on one of the wooden posts.’
On 17 March 2018, Ruth wrote to her daughter Jill (my wife), here in Perth.
‘Hallelulah!!!!! We found the TORAH!!!!!!. I went to shul this morning and Gilad Stern, Richard’s friend, took me to the ark and showed me the torah. It has markings on the Eitz Chaim.’
I wrote several times to Vyacheslav Nikonov, grandson of Molotov, but he never responded!
Vyacheslav Alekseyevich Nikonov (Russian: Вячеслав Алексеевич Никонов, born in Moscow on June 5, 1956) is a Russian political scientist.
New home for Torah from Birzh
By: Gilad Stern
Date: 05 August 2015
Sefer Torah donated, with Good Hope
Reading the Torah on Shabbatot and yomtovim is a cornerstone of Jewish life.
But Torah scrolls are not easy to come by. Both Highlands House Shul and
Tikva Tova, the egalitarian orthodox community, have benefitted from the
donation by Ben Rabinowitz of a Sefer Torah. The Rabinowitz family
originally brought a Sefer Torah from Birz, Lithuania to South Africa. The
family were congregants at the Bellville Shul for much of the 20th Century.
The Bellville shul closed, and merged with Durbanville shul. The Sefer
Torah which has now been placed at Highlands House has splendid calligraphy
– a clear script with distinctive character – the sofer (scribe) who created
it must have completed it as a labour of love and commitment.
The Torah cover was made this year at Astra, the Jewish sheltered employment
centre. The design depicts Table Mountain and Cape Town, and bears the
words Tikva Tova, meaning Good Hope, a fitting design for a Torah cover at
the Cape of Good Hope. The Torah cover has s dedication to the memory of
Shirley, Ben’s late wife, and to the Rabinowitz forebears who were part of
this community’s history.
Whilst the Torah will be housed at Highlands House, on Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur it will be used at the services of the egalitarian shul, Tikva Tova,
at the Herzlia High School hall. Details on www.tikvatova.co.za
Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/birzai/Torah.html
Sea Point (Afrikaans: Seepunt) is one of Cape Town’s most affluent and densely populated suburbs, situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town’s Central Business District (CBD). Moving from Sea Point to the CBD, one passes through first the small suburb of Three Anchor Bay, then Green Point. Seaward from Green Point is the area known as Mouille Point (pronounced MOO-lee), where the local lighthouse is situated. It is neighboured to the southwest by the suburb of Bantry Bay.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Point
Bantry Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town situated on the slopes of Lion’s Head and overlooking a rocky coastline, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Its neighboring suburbs are Sea Point and Clifton. It was originally called Botany Bay after a botanical garden that was planted here for the cultivation of medicinal herbs. The name was changed during World War I.
Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/capetown/Home.html
Arthur’s Road Shul, Sea Point
Last week I visited the Arthur’s Road Shul in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. My previous visit was in November 2012. Both also included research at the Kaplan Centre, UCT and the Gitlin …
Muizenberg is a beach-side suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast. It is considered to be the birthplace of surfing in South Africa[citation needed] and is currently home to a surfing community, centered on the popular ‘Surfer’s Corner’. Agatha Christie, famous author and playwright, wrote that after nursing duty she would daily take the train to Muizenberg to go surfing.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muizenberg
St James is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated on the False Bay coast between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay.[2] The suburb is situated between the rocky shore and a steep mountain, and measures about 200m by 2 km. Its name derives from the early St James Catholic Church, built circa 1880. Most of the suburb was built between 1910 and 1950, after the railway line was built connecting Cape Town to False Bay.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James,_Cape_Town
My Partisan Song Project presentation at Muizenberg High School Muizenberg High School principal Leonie Jacobsen and I first met on Thursday night, 8 February, at a delightful Yiddish music concert…
Source: elirab.me/mhs/
Situated in the lush Constantia Valley, Cellars Hohenort offers a world-class accommodation and dining experience like no other.
Source: www.thecellars-hohenorthotel.com
On 8 February United Herzlia Schools hosted an international online collaboration on The Partisans’ Song Project
< ► > Event being flimed for TV
|
Schools that participated in the online collaboration:
Source: youtu.be/nMOdyq-BXGY
With thanks to:
Irina Silaeva (Shemyakina) co-ordinator “Organization for Educational resources and technological training” (ORT-Russia)
Mark Helfrich – Herzlia
Ivor Joffe – Herzlia
Steve Sherman – Living Maths
Heather Blumenthal – Spirit Sister
Lydia Abel – Cape ORT
Miriam Lichterman & Ivor Lichterman
Lesley-Ann Knoll
Source: youtu.be/ZFyhsbmsZYI
The Partisan Song WE ARE HERE! The Herzlia Vocal Ensemble Highlands House Cape Town 8 February 2018
Source: youtu.be/GKKZgimSOtE
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
Herzlia is a Jewish community school and a leader in education in the Western Cape. Herzlia is one of the top feeder schools to UCT. About Us.
Source: www.herzlia.com/about-us/
World ORT is the world’s largest Jewish education and vocational training non-governmental organisation. Specialized in Technology.
Source: www.ort.org
People I met on my recent trip to South Africa
With Richard Narva
From Gerald Potash’s newsletter of 16 February 2018
My coffee catch-up this week was a very, very early in the morning breakfast with Eli from Perth. Long before the coffee shop opened for orders, in fact only as the first of the staff arrived to clean the tables at Knead in Sea Point, we were chatting away, catching up as we do. Eli has been very busy with the Patriot’s song at schools and also taking the ‘Memories of Muizenberg’ exhibition all over the world. It is always great catching up with Eli and if a third person was with us on Sunday morning they would have to put their hand up into the air to even get a word in. We only meet once a year and there is a lot to talk about.
(I got a call from Eli on Tuesday, he was on a plane back to Jo’burg on his way back home to Perth and sitting next to him is a couple from Oz with whom he started chatting……that’s Eli…….anyway they tell him they have been touring in Cape Town and he asks with whom? Yup, Ian & Sally…..so on Sunday I was with them both. Small world!)
