Re: Question: Zahavi & Haleecha L'Kesareya

[Cantor Neil & Katie Schwartz <schwartz...>]

>I've started a new Q&A column on my RadioHazak Web site, and I'm taking the
>liberty of turning here for some possible answers. To begin with,
>Diane Schmolka asks:
>
>I would like to know more about an Israeli poet named "Zahavi" who wrote
>"Haleecha L'Kesareya". It was set to music by Dr. William Sharlin. The words
(in transliteration) are: Eylee Eylee sh'lo yigamer l'olam. Hachol v'hayam
rishrush shel hamayim b'rak hashamayim t'feelat haadam. Hachol v'hayam
rishrush shel hamayim b'rak hashamayim t'feelat haadam. This song has meant
a great deal to me, and I would like to perform it, as I did many years
ago. Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Yours sincerely, Diane Schmolka
>
>Thanks!
>Larry Yudelson
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>My home page:                    (http://www.well.com/~yudel)
>RadioHazak - Israeli Music pages (http://www.well.com/~yudel/hazak.html)
>Bob Dylan - Tangled Up in Jews   (http://www.well.com/~yudel/dylan.html)
>------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry and Diane,

Sorry, you got this one confused!  The poetess is the famous Hannah Senesh,
the music was composed later by the Israeli composer David Zahavi, and the
arranger may be William Sharlin.

Hannah Senesh was a Hungarian Jewish teenager who made aliyah to Palestine
before WWII.  When the Nazi's invaded Hungary towards the end of the War,
Hannah and a few fellow kibbutzniks convinced the British to let them drop
by parachute behind German lines to try and save the Hungarian Jews.  The
entire group was captured and tortured, and at age 23 Hannah Senesh was
executed by the Nazi's.  She left behind a body of Hebrew poetry, some of
which was later set to music in Israel.

The arrangement which I perform was set to piano by Max Helfman.  It can
be found in "Harvest of Jewish Song" edited by Tzipora Jochsberger and
Velvel Pasternak, and available through Tara Publications at:

            1-800-TARA-400         http://jewishmusic.com

Good luck!  Larry, ask questions any time - it keeps us all on our toes.

                                                    Cantor Neil Schwartz

Cantor Neil Schwartz
or
Katie Schwartz, B.S.I.

schwartz (at) enter(dot)net