Making Matzo in Dabeik

Here are two stories about girls making matzo in Dabeik, the Lithuanian home shtetl of Judith (aka Y’hudis) Korim Hornstein (February 29, 1908-March26, 1996), zikhrona l’vrakha:

The first recording is of Judith answering her daughter Harriet’s questions circa 1990. In the second, years later, Harriet recounts a waking dream about her mother’s story.

Judith (Y’hudis) remembers making matzoh in Dabeik when she was a girl (around 1920).
Harriet dreams of Judith and her friends Drawing Water for Matzo

detail from photo by Elke Gorsein, Utian, [not Vilna] Lithuania, c. 1929

4 Versions of Chad Gadya

Chava Alberstein’s anti-violence adaptation of the traditional Passover song was written and first sung in 1989, as the lyrics tell us, before Pesach, even before it was Spring. With gratitude for Chava singing with courage, honesty and love; and for the interfaith Rana Choir of Jaffa who perform Chava Alberstein’s version in Hebrew and Arabic.

The Green Shul hopes to release a 5781 edition of its Patchwork Passover Podcast this year; but for now, of all the hundreds of seder songs, chants and nigunim, let’s start with the last.

See below: 1. Rana Choir; 2. PDF of Hebrew/Aramaic lyrics + transliteration + singable English translation by #thebeatgreens; 3. link to Chava Alberstein‘s studio version; 4. Yahoram Gaon‘s version of the Sephardic “Un Cavretico” ––and for something completely different, 5. the immortal Romanian-American cantor Moshe Oysher brings Chad Gadya back to its Aramaic roots & ebullient major key, with the subtext that this song traditionally concludes a jubilant feast of freedom, complete with four glasses of wine! Is this is the version Louis Armstrong first heard at a seder with the Karnofskys, his “Jewish family” in New Orleans?

Gut YomTov! Next year may we be at peace–– free from all hatred, fear and dangers that plague us!

Chava Alberstein’s adaptation of “Had Gadya” in Aramaic/ Hebrew with English subtitles
Yehoram Gaon: Un Cavretico (illustrated with old photos from Sephardic diaspora)
Is this the version Louis Armstrong learned from the Karnofskys, his “Jewish family” in NOLA?

Green Shul Purim Shpiel

A Sheynm Dank (a beautiful Thank You) to our guests who, along with shpielers Sallie, Sheryl, David, Peter, Rick, Walter, Candace, Gittl & Christopher, helped bring our 5th annual Green Shul Purim Shpiel to life, this year (2021 / 5781) as a Full Moon zoom. Next year together in real life, with horas & hamantashn!

© Harriet Jerusha Korim

WARNING: this takes a few minute to download!