LISTEN: 70 years after recording, Bubbe’s riddle is finally solved
Peter Freedman's chance discovery of a clip with his Polish-born grandmother in 1950s is deciphered as a song about immigrant life in London’s East End, albeit as a parody.
A man who unearthed a recording of his Polish-born grandmother singing an old Yiddish song after she had settled in London in 1903 has finally found out what she was singing about after 70 years’ of not knowing.
Peter Freedman, who now lives in Israel, recorded his grandmother Sarah singing – with backing from some of her grandchildren – in the 1950s, and for 70 years the song’s subject matter remained a mystery.
Now, with the help of the Board of Deputies’ archive project Hidden Treasures and Yiddishist Dr Vivi Lachs, it has been revealed that she was singing about immigrant life in London’s East End, albeit as a parody.
Sachs, whose book ‘Whitechapel Noise’ examines Jewish immigrant life in Yiddish song and verse in London between 1884 and 1914, was evidently the right person to ask – she immediately identified the song as ‘Hashiveynu Nazad’.
Sarah came to the UK from Posnan in Poland at the turn of the century, arriving in London and later going to live in Manchester. It seems the song she was singing was a parody of a song by Avrom Goldfaden from his opera, ‘The Jewish Faust.’
Listen to it here:
Lachs said it had been sung by Yiddish speaking Jews in London at the beginning of the 20th century, and had been given a very Jewish twist.
“The original song has a Zionist theme suggesting that life for Eastern European Jews would be better in Palestine,” said Lachs.
“The London parody suggests that life for Jewish immigrants in London, where they were poverty-stricken and subject to violent attack, was even worse than their life back in Eastern Europe and that they should return there.
“The parody is both moving and humorous and mentions local London landmarks such as Goulston Street and Petticoat Lane. It was popular in Britain and beyond and was reproduced in songbooks and song-sheets.”
Lachs added that it was “a unique recording, the only one by someone who obviously knew London and the Yiddish spoken there… It’s very exciting to have found it!”
The answer to Freedman’s 70-year puzzle was found with help from Peter’s great nephew Joel Salmon, who sent the recording to the Board of Deputies project.
“This certainly is a ‘Hidden Treasure’ and we are so pleased to have helped solve the 70 year old mystery of this family heirloom which has turned out to be so important,” said Board president Marie van der Zyl.
“Members of the Jewish community have been sending in pictures of a whole range of Jewish heirlooms. We look forward to seeing what else people have at home.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
