1.  Close your little eyes,
Here come birds
And circle around
The head of your cradle 
Our luggage in our hand,
The house in ashes and embers;
We are going to, my child,
Seek good fortune.
 
2.  God has closed down the world,
And everywhere it’s night,
It waits for us
With shudders and fear,
We’re both standing here
In difficult, difficult hours
And we don’t know where
The road is taking us.

3.  They pursued us practically naked 
From our house,
In darkness
They chased us into the field,
And storms, hail and wind
Accompanied us, my child,
Accompanied us to the precipice
Of the world.

Accordion, Ben Gown, Cello, Diana Parmeter
Sound engineer, Paul Levitt

Mach Tzu Die Eygelech by David Beigelman 1877-1942 of the Lodz ghetto

Here is a sneak preview from a recent rehearsal of Zachary Mayer’s newest arrangement of the song ‘Yisrolik’  written by the composer and writer Leyb Rozenthal who perished in the Holocaust.
Translation
So, come and buy my cigarettes,                      
Sweet’ner and other good things.
Try my bargains, I won’t be underbid.
A life for a penny,
My profit’s even less.
You must know me- 
the ghetto dealer kid.
 
Refrain
I’m called Yisrolik-
Your kid from the ghetto.
I’m called Yisrolik-
Hefty, tough, and strong.
I’m always broke and yet, oh,
I can muster
A whistle and a song!
A coat without a collar,
Pants made from a sack;
I have galoshes but no shoes inside.
No one better holler,
No one give me flak.
Don’t laugh at me- you see, I have my pride!
 
Refrain
I’m called Yisrolik-
Your kid from the ghetto.
I’m called Yisrolik-
Hefty, tough, and strong.
I’m always broke and yet, oh,
I can muster
A whistle and a song!

But that’s not how I started
Out in this tough place.
Mother, father made me a loving home.
But now I’m brokenhearted,
It’s no joke to face-
I’m left like the wind in the field, alone.
 
Refrain
I’m called Yisrolik-
And when no one sees me,
Quietly I wipe away a tear.
Of grief I’ve had my part.
Let’s not talk about it-
Why remember
And grieve my heavy heart.

Yisrolik Rehearsal May 22, 2021 Arrangement By Zachary Mayer

The translation to the verses of this sweet lullaby are listed here: 

Sleep my baby, my sweet comfort, 
Sleep my lovely son.
Hush my child, my precious darling,
Hush, my little one.

Mother sits beside your cradle
Crooning tearfully.
Some day, you will understand
What these tears mean to me.
 
Your daddy’s in America
A thousand miles away,
You are still a tiny baby,
What more can I say?

In the weekdays, so they tell me,
They eat white bread, son,
Chicken broth, I’ll make for you there,
Sleep now, little one.

Till that blessed moment comes
The days are sad and long.
Sleep is such a soothing comfort,
Sleep my son, grow strong.

Accordion, Ben Gown,  Cello, Diana Parmeter

Shlof Mayn Kind (Sleep My Child)words by Shalom Aleichem

Harriet is a professional singer who has experiences in opera, musical theatre, choral music, and solo recitals.  She is currently following her passion to preserve the Yiddish songs that were written in the ghettos of Eastern Europe between 1939-1945

Harriet Bennish

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