Auschwitz 75: Martele Friedman, Dovid Lenga, Izzy Arbeiter

This week we observe Holocaust Rememberance Day as well as
the 75-year anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
concentration camp, by hearing from three survivors of Auschwitz.

Historian and Yiddish Voice cohost Sholem
Beinfeld provides introductory remarks with a brief
historical overview.


Margaret (Martele) Friedman, originally
from Groys-Kinyat (גרויס-קיניאַט), now Великі Ком'яти
(Velyki Kom'yaty), Ukraine, who was deported to Auschwitz
with her family from the Munkacs (Hungary) ghetto in spring
1944, sings lovely Yiddish songs that she learned as a
child before the Holocaust.


Izzy (Yisroyl) Arbeiter, originally from
Plotsk (פּלאָטסק), now Płock, Poland, a survivor of
Auschwitz and past president and cofounder of the American
Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater
Boston, talks about his survival and liberation
(interviewed by Iosif Lakhman ע״ה for and originally
broadcast by The Yiddish Voice in 2005).


David (Dovid) Lenga, originally from Łódź,
Poland (לאָדזש), who survived ghettos around Lodz, as well
as Auschwitz, talks about his survival as well as his
upcoming trip from Los Angeles to Poland, with over 200
former Auschwitz prisoners and Holocaust survivors, to
attend the Auschwitz Memorial during the 75th anniversary
of the liberation of Auschwitz, where they will sit in the
first rows inside a tent that will be built over the
historical gate of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp



Music:

The following sung by Martele Friedman, recorded by
Yiddish Voice on Jan 1 2020:

Vi Nemt Men (Words and music by Ben-Tsion Whittler)

Lib Hobn un Tsuzogn (On the 78 it's credited to Morris
Rund and Aaron Lebedoff (Lebedoff is most likely the
lyricist))

Az Ikh Bin a Kabtsn (We would like to know: lyricist?,
composer?)

Fraytik Tse Nakhts (Composed by Shuli Hollender,
Martele's first cousin, who died right after the liberation.)

Harey At (We would like to know: lyricist?, composer?)

Af Dem Pripetshok (Oyfn Pripetchik) (Words and music by
Mark Warshawsky)

Es Brent (Words and music by Mordkhe Gebirtig)

Tomer Her Ikh Muzik Shpiln (Words and music by a member
of the singer's family)

Intro and Outro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS,
an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The
Singing Waltz





Air Date: January 22, 2020