This song was written by M. Knapheise (b. 1910), poet who survived the war in Russia and migrated to Argentina, where he was editor of a Yiddish literary magazine. The music is by S. Beresovsky (1908-1975). The song was written after the Holocaust and was sung in the Displaced Persons camps in Europe.
Open door and open portal,
It’s enough, let’s not be mournful,
With flags unfurled and freedom’s torch held high.
From the burrow, from the bunkers,
Going onward’s what we long for,
While proclaiming: Am Yisroel Khay!
Once again our lives are thriving,
It’s our answer for surviving,
Our response to everything gone by;
Put a boulder on a boulder,
Placed above us winglike shoulders
Has our future: Am Yisroel Khay!
Again the sunshine’s ours,
Through tears our joy returns,
To life now, sisters, brother,
Our presence we affirm!
All the terror that existed
Bravely faced, our hope persisted,
Ghetto, death camp, full of pain and cries!
Jewish folk alive remaining
And once more our song containing
Our message: Am Yisroel Khay!
Yiddish language, mother language,
Was not silenced, dear its usage,
Stripped of pain, we know it will not die.
From the ashes, houses, spires,
Like a flag we held it higher,
We have done so: Am Yisroel Khay!
Again the sunshine’s ours. . .
Who’s to hammer, who’s to shovel,
Come on, fiddler, play your fiddle,
It wrings the heart and makes the spirit fly. . .
Mothers smile their children rocking,
Sing this song, their crying stopping,
Children sleep too: Am Yisroel Khay!
To the hoe and to the ploughshare,
Miracles will be performed here,
Add a hand and your devotion give,
While we all are here together,
Though we part, and paths may sever,
Sing with me: the Jewish people live!
Again the sunshine’s ours . . .
Efnt tir un efnt toyer,
Shoyn genug, genug der troyer,
Mit fonen-flater shpant atsind di fray.
Fun di bunkers, fun di lekher
Shtaygn veln mir alts hekher,
Vayl mir zogn: am yisroel khay!
Vider oyfgeyn vet dos lebn
Un dermit a tikn gebn
Veln mir dos alts vos iz farbay;
Leygt a tsigl tsu a tsigl,
lber undz geshpreyt di fligl
Hot der goyrl — am yisroel khay!
REFRAIN:
Es shaynt di zun shoyn vider,
Durkh trern shaynt dos glik,
Tsum lebn shvester, brider
Mir kern zikh tsurik!
Vifl shrek s’iz nor faranen
Heldish zaynen mir oysgeshtanen,
Getos, lagers ful mit payn-geshrey!
Yidish folk geblibn ze’mir
Un s’vet vider undzer zemer
Vayt farklingen: am yisroel khay!
Yidish-loshn, mame-loshn
Nit farshtumt un nit farloshn
Oysgesheylt iz shoyn fun payn un vey.
Fun di ashn, fun di shtoybn,
Vi a fon aroysgehoybn,
Hobn mir es — am yisroel khay!
עפֿנט טיר און עפֿנט טױער,
שױן גענוג, גענוג דער טרױער,
מיט פֿאָנען–פֿלאַטער שפּאַנט אַצינד די פֿרײַ.
פֿון די בונקערס, פֿון די לעכער,
שטײַגן װעלן מיר אַלץ העכער,
װײַל מיר זאָגן: עם ישׂראל חי!
װידער אױפֿגײן װעט דאָס לעבן,
און דערמיט אַ תּיקון געבן
װעלן מיר דאָם אַלץ װאָס איז פֿאַרבײַ;
לײגט א ציגל צו אַ ציגל,
איבער אונדז געשפּרײט די פֿליגל
האָט דער גורל — עם ישׂראל חי!
רעפֿרײן:
עס שײַנט די זון שױן װידער,
דורך טרערן שײַנט דאָס גליק,
צום לעבן, שװעסטער, ברידער,
מיר קערן זיך צוריק!
װיפֿל שרעק ס’איז נאָר פֿאַראַנען
העלדיש זײַנען מיר אױסגעשטאנען,
געטאָס, לאַגערס פֿול מיט פּײַן–געשרײ!
ייִדיש-פֿאַלק געבליבן זע’ מיר
און ס’װעט װידער אונדזער זמר
װײַט פֿאַרקלינגען: עס ישׂראל חי!
ייִדיש-לשון, מאַמע-לשון,
ניט-פֿאַרשטומט און ניט-פֿאַרלאָשן,
אױסגעשײלט איז שױן פֿון פּײַן און װײ.
פֿון די אַשן, פֿון די שטױבן,
װי א פאָן אַרױסגעהױבן
האָבן מיר עס — עם ישׂראל חי!
Song Title: Am Yisroel Khay!
First published in 1972, Mir Trogn A Gezang: Favorite Yiddish Songs was reprinted six more times (in 1977, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000) due to popular demand. The songs in this anthology represent a sampling of beloved folk and well-known Yiddish songs, many of which are scattered in various song collections; some appear in very rare and inaccessible collections; and some were never before published. Folk songs comprise about a third of this volume and were selected mainly on the basis of popularity and sometimes for their historic significance. Needless to say, they are only representative of the vast, rich treasure of Yiddish folk material. The selection was made not only on the basis of personal preference, but in the knowledge they are favorites of many who sing these songs. Most of the songs represent the repertoire that was sung at Yiddish summer camps, May 1st demonstrations and at social gatherings. Many songs were introduced to American Jewry by Jewish immigrants who came to the United States after World War II, for whom these songs had been favorites in Poland and other East European communities destroyed by the Nazis.
