This is one of the songs we used to sing in shule for Hannukah:
Arum dem fayer,men vert nit mider,
Di nakht iz tayer,mir zingen lider ,
Un zol der fayer, farloshn vern,
Shaynt oyf der himl, mit zayne shtern.
To kroynt di kep mit blumenkrantsn,
Arum dem fayer mir’n freylekh tantsn,
Vayl tants un lid iz undzer lebn,
Dernokh in shlof khaloymes shvebn.
Around the fire, we never get tired. The night is dear and we sing our songs. And if the fire goes out, the heavens shine with their stars. So crown our heads with flower wreathes, we’re going to dance around the fire, because dancing and singing are our lives, and then in sleep create beautiful dreams.
My mother used to sing this and cry, because of her partisan baby sister, but I never understood why – it seems like such a happy song. But now that I think of it, my aunt was in a mixed Russian-Jewish unit – they didn’t sing Yiddish songs
And she had nothing to sing about. She certainly didn’t think of survival, but revenge.
I’m not going to tell her story right now – but sometime soon.
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