Holocaust Remembrance Service 2018
Our Holocaust Remembrance Service was unfortunately canceled this year because of an ice-storm in Bethlehem. The four artists who were to be part of the program have each sent us recordings pertaining to the Holocaust Service.
Pianist Marjan Kiepura plays the Dumka by Chopin while accompanying his 80-year-old mother renowned soprano, Martha Eggert. Here is the link, sent to us from 1992:
A DUMKA Bohdan Zaleski
My eyes mist over with tears from deep within me,
All around me darkness is gathering;
A dumka wells up and dies on my lips
In silence, ah, in the silence of unhappiness.
What bliss it would be to love and to sing!
Then I would dream in this alien
wilderness as I did at home;
I long to love — and there is no one.
I long to sing — and there is no one to sing to.
Shlicha Noam Wolf also sings two songs accompanied by pianist Elizabeth Borowsky:
Here is a remarkable letter from two very accomplished artists, Elizabeth Borowsky & Borisas Traubas who were scheduled to perform for us on Holocaust memorial Day, with links to the music.
From: Elizabeth Borowsky-LeBlanc
Date: Sun, Apr 15, 2018 at 5:20 PM
Subject: Remembrance Day
To: Martin Kessel
Dear Martin,
We extend our gratitude to all who were to take part in today's Remembrance Service at Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. Although the weather didn't cooperate in terms of us all coming together, we hope that each participant has been able to take some time to reflect on the past, present, and future in their own way.
We decided to record a couple selections from our Days of Remembrance tour (we have been performing daily since April 6) - although these are not the selections that we had intended to share at today's service, we thought that for an online audience, these would be most appropriate.
The first is a new work that will be officially premiered on September 23, 2018 in Vilnius -- the 75th anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilnius Ghetto. It is a "chamber symphony" but this movement is for violin and piano. The composer is Giedrius Kuprevičius. Some of the movements were inspired by poems by Violeta Palčinskaitė, and I selected one to share with the audience:
WHO CAN CATCH US NOW?
Who can catch us, who can feed us,
Seems that nobody can see us…
Our lullaby is missing,
Only wind through branches singing.
Our lullaby is ashes.
Our pillows – leaves and grasses,
Sleeping now in sandy cradles,
Little bones and little shadows.
Who can catch us now…
Falling Up, by Giedrius Kuprevičius
The second is the beautiful, haunting theme from "Schindler's List” by John Williams
With best wishes and greetings,
Elizabeth Borowsky & Borisas Traubas
