Safam Lyrics

Dreams Of Safam

MAH TOVU
Music by Joel Funk ©1976

Mah tovu ohalechah Ya’akov
Mishk’notechaYisrael
Va’ani b’rov chasd’cha avoh veitecha
Eshtachaveh el heichal kodsh’cha b’yiratecha
Hashem ahavti m’on beitecha
Um’kom mishkan k’vodecha

Chorus:
Mah tovu ohalecha, ohalecha Ya’akov
Mah tovu ohalecha, mishk’notecha Yisrael
Va’ani eshtachaveh v’echra’ah
Evr’cha lifneh Hashem osi
Ba ba ba ba ba….
Lifneh Hashem osi

Chorus

CHALOMOT BEN-GURION
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1976

David Green why does this happen
Every year about this time
You get the urge to return to Palestine
Well you’re okay up to Purim
But when the Nisan moon starts to shine
A promise made to Avraham upsets your mindWell at the Seder table

When we sing L’Shana Haba’a
You needn’t take it so literally
Don’t you know it’s just a song
So forget about this dreamer
Whom you’ve been listening to
It’s not the thing for a good Jewish boy to doWell mother and father you’re not listening
It’s not some fairy tale
Oh the man I heard was Herzl
And the dream he has is Yisrael
So he’s leaving on the next boat
By Shavuot he’ll be gone
To start a new life with a new name - Ben GurionLa la la....
Mi Eilat ad Metullah
Mi chof hayam l’Yarden
Hachalomot shel Ben Gurion ani choleim
Hachalomot shel chalutzim ani choleim
Hachalomot shel Yisrael ani choleim

V’SHAMRU
Music by Robbie Solomon and David Forman ©1976

V’shamru v’nai Yisrael et hashabbat
La’asot et hashabbat l’dorotam b’rit olam
Beini uvein b’nai Yisrael
Ot hi ot hi ot hi l’olam
Ki sheshet yamim asah Adoshem
Et hashamayim v’et ha’aretz
Uvayom hashvi’i shavat vayinafash

THE PURIM PARADE
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1976

Mordechai:
People come out and see
What He has done for me
Everything’s sunny, bright and gay
Oh won’t you help me praise the Lord

Townsperson:
Look who’s comin’ on a white horse
Mordechai is ridin’ towards us
Let’s follow him and see where he goes

Townspeople:
Joy is all around us
Love is all around us
Oh how glad I am it found us
Don’t let it go

Haman:
Mordechai, you’ve carried this too far
Now you’re high, but with the morning star
All the praise and glory will go just to me
While you’ll be swinging high up on the gallows tree

Haman:
Mordechai, oh ho you’re laughing now
But in the sky your doom is written out
When the morning comes the last laugh will be mine
And I’ll be celebratin’ then while you’ll be cryin’

JERUSALEM
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1976

Jerusalem oh I can recall
The first time laid eyes upon your golden wall
Jerusalem ah your very name
Brings the images of my year with you rushing back again

Jerusalem ah your precious stone
Tells the story of the ages that man has known
Jerusalem with each step I take
Brings me closer to the one I knew
And lets me see my heritage

Chorus:
From King David’s tomb up to Har Tzofim
Back to the Kotel again
You know I will return I’m going back some day
To Jerusalem

Jerusalem you will always be
The city of our people ‘til eternity
Jerusalem there are some of those
Who would see you burn they haven’t learned
That all mankind can call you home

Chorus

NOAH AND THE ARK
Words by Joel and Danny Funk - Music by Joel Funk. ©1976

It happened many years ago
The Bible tells the tale
The world was full of evil men
So Noah had to set sail
He heard a voice in his sleep one night
The Lord told Noah - get out of sight
There’s gonna be a lot of rain
I want to start againSo Noah built him an ark made out of wood
The Lord had spared him because he was good
Then Noah gathered all his clan
His wife and sons Japheth, Shem and Ham
The Lord said - Noah one more thing
Here’s the creatures you shall bringGo gather two of every kind
And all the others shall stay behind
Seven pairs of flying birds
And kosher things
He rounded all the creatures up
And led them into the boat
The people snickered and they laughed on land it’s not gonna float
But Noah warned you’ll change your tune
‘Cause soon we’re gonna embark
And reservations are filled up on the arkThe sky grew cloudy and day turned into night
Thunder and lightning brought panic and fright
Too late the wicked kneeled to pray
All the evil was washed away
The rain came down for forty days
And forty nightsThe ark went on a whirlpool ride
But all the people were safe inside
Forty days had passed at last
And none too fast
They landed on a mountain top
And called it Ararat peak
He sent a dove who soon returned
An olive branch in its beak
The olive branch meant there would be
A place where Noah could park
The stormy voyage had ended for the ark

The ark let down its loading plank
The earth was finally dry
Noah’s sons looked up and saw
A rainbow high in the sky
The rainbow was a sign from heaven
The world would never grow dark
The sun was shining on Noah and the ark
And that’s the story of Noah and the ark

BREAD OF AFFLICTION /HA LACHMA ANYA
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1976

Rise to meet the hungry stranger
Visions of Elijah calling out the new day
Let us now arise to give our wine
To give our bread
Rise with me to give our bread
To the hungry stranger
He’s the one the wise man said
Keeps us all from dangerOh son of mine
We’ve a rugged mountain path to climb
Along the way we recall the day
When we were strangers too
Bless the good things that we’ve had
Praise the secret power
Bless our fortune good and bad
That brought us to this hourOh son of mine
We’ve a rugged mountain path to climb
Along the way there may come a day
When we’ll be strangers too
Ha lachma anya

Encore

SONG OF SONGS
Translation and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1978

Arise my love my fair one,
And come with me to the fields of the heron,
For lo my love the winter’s over and done,
The rainy season is gone,
It’s the time for the song of songs.

Awake, awake oh you North wind,
And come thou south to play in her garden,
Fair as the moon and clear as the sun,
My love looks forth as the dawn,
To the time of the song of songs.

Open to me my sister my love,
For my head is filled with dew
My locks with the drops of the night.
As fair as Jerusalem are you my bride.
Much better thy love than wine.

Come hear the voice of the turtle,
The smell of myrrh and the fragrance of myrtle.
Let us make a leafy couch in the forest.
The rustling trees as our chorus,
We will sing to the skies above,
The song of songs, the song of love.

V’NE-EMAR
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1978

V’ne-emar v’haya Adoshem
L’melech al kol ha-aretz
Bayom ha-hu yih’yeh Adoshem echad, ush’mo echad

V’ne-emar: Zecharyahu yodei-a hu,
Nagid “Halleluyah”

Shehu noteh shamayim v’yoseid aretz
Umoshav y’karo bashamayim mima-al
Ush’chinat uzo b’gov’hei m’romim
Hu Elokeinu ein od
Emet malkeinu efes zulato
Ka-katuv b’torato v’yadata hayom
V’hasheivota el l’vav’cha

A SONG FOR LOT
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1978

All day you sit
Wondering what became of it
But don’t pretend
That you’re sorry it’s the end

Ahead is a bright tomorrow,
Behind you a life of sin,
Don’t ever look back once you begin.

Don’t let your mind
Slip away to olden times.
Just look ahead,
Turn around and Lot you’re dead.

The future is shining brighter,
While yesterday’s growing dim,
Don’t ever look back once you begin.

He will keep your family,
On the path of righteousness.
Sodom and Gemorrah falls,
Look ahead tomorrow calls.

Do not despair
For He knows that you are there.
Just go with Him,
There’s the key He’ll let you in.

Freedom is there for those
Who want to take a chance.

LEAVING MOTHER RUSSIA
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1978

They called me Anatole
In prison I did lie,
My little window looked out
On a Russian sky.
For nearly nine long years
Secluded and in pain
But all my people know
The charges were a frame.
See my accuser standing in the hall,
He points his finger at us all.
You now must pay the penalty
For the crime of daring to be free.

Chorus:
We are leaving Mother Russia,
We have waited far too long.
We are leaving Mother Russia,
When they come for us we’ll be gone.

For all those centuries
We called this land our home,
We loved the Russian soil
As much as anyone.
In countless armies
Our young boys have died for you,
But never did you call them “sons,”
You always called them “Jew”!
We fell in battle for the Tsar,
One hundred thousand died at Babi Yar,
And yet no monument will mark their grave,
Just on our passports the word “yevrai”.

Chorus

I send my song of hope
To those I left behind
I pray that they may know
The freedom that is mine
For in my darkest hour
Alone inside my cell
I kept the vision
Of my home in Yisrael.
My friends we know what silence brings,
Another Hitler waiting in the wings,
So stand up now and shout it to the sky,
They may bring us to our knees but we’ll never die!

Chorus

ONLY FOR THE CHILDREN /ARIEL’S SONG
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1978

I believe in fairy tales,
But you know it never fails
To leave me with the same surprise,
To pray to God and He replies.
Although it seems that all my life,
Sarah you have been my wife,
But now you bring to me a son,
Our married life has just begun.

Only for the children do we live,
Only through the children can we give,
Only for tomorrows that they bring
Can our lives mean anything, I pray,
The children are our future here today.

Isaac you will grow to be,
A famous man in history,
A shining light for good and bad,
You’ll be a leader like your dad.
God has given me His word,
From deep within a voice is heard,
“Your son will show the world to be
My kingdom for eternity.”

Sarah when we’re old and grey,
And Isaac will have moved away,
To start a family of his own,
We’ll still have God’s inheritance,
And with it goes a strong defense,
To guard from ever being alone.

A little babe was born today,
Join the world celebration.
Ariel brings a brighter day,
To a new generation.
For tomorrows that they bring,
Can our lives mean anything.
For the children we shall pray,
That our future’s here today.

LECH L’CHA (The Covenant)
Music by Joel Funk ©1977

Avram, Avram
Lech l’cha mei-artz’cha
Umimoladet’cha
Umibeit avicha
El ha-aretz asher ar’eka
V’e-escha l’goy gadol
Va-avarech’cha
V’agad’lah sh’mecha
V’heh-yeh b’racha
Habetna hashamayma
Us’for hakochavim
Im tuchal lispor otam
Ko yih’yeh zarecha
Lech L’cha Avraham

LO YISA GOY
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1978

If we try, we could come together,
You and I, don’t you think it’s time
We set aside the anger that began
So long ago.
Just as well, we’re from different mothers,
Who could tell that we once were brothers,
Ishmael, can’t you see I’ve suffered too?

Lo yisa goy el goy cherev
Lo yilm’du od milchama
(We gotta find a new plan)
(We’ll walk along hand in hand)
(We’ll plant a garden in the sand.)

Men of war, how they fight much better
Than before; do they know just what they’re
Dying for; isn’t there a better way?
Realize in our anger we have
Been so blind, see the smoke and ash we’ve
Left behind; isn’t there another way?

Sons Of Safam

SONS OF SAFAM
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1980

It’s been some time since I have put
These feelings into song,
How I love my little Ariel as
Father loves his son.
Now I give to you this blessing as my
Father’s father said,
“Y’simcha Elokim k’Ephraim u-M’nashe.”

Chorus:
Ari, Josh, and Aharon,
Heim b’nai Safam.
The promise that they hold for us
Is there for everyone
Ani ro-eh yavo hazman
Yit-achadu kulam,
V’kol echad yashir shirei Safam.

Though you’re just a child my Joshua,
Too young to understand
The challenges a Jew must face as
He becomes a man.
And as I watch you sleeping,
I can’t believe it’s true,
And I thank the Lord each night and day
For blessing us with you.

Chorus

Aharon was chosen as
The leader of his tribe.
And Byron now I pray that you will
Wear his name with pride.
Samuel my baby
Though you are the smallest one.
I know how David felt when he held
Little Solomon.

Chorus

JUDAH MACABBEE
Words and Music by Joel Sussman and Robbie Solomon ©1980

Oh When I was a boy
My one and only joy was pretending
I was living in the past.
So to get my little thrills
I’d storm down from the hills
A wooden sword held tightly in my grasp.

Chorus:
Oh, Judah Macabbee
How was I to see what you would mean to me?
No Syrian decree/Roman cavalry/German infantry
Could make you bend your knee
Not Judah Macabbee.

Ah, my friends all thought me strange
And sometimes would exchange a worried look
Or word behind my back.
No they couldn’t understand
The Romans were at hand
And they were getting ready to attack.

Chorus

In the Polish underground
I never made a sound while running through
The forest late at night.
Just like Mattathias’ sons
I knew the time would come
When I would need my courage to survive.

Chorus

Get down Judah, Judah Macabbee
He defied Antiochus and drove out the Syrian-Greeks
A little bit of oil lasted for a week.

ESTHER’S PRAYER
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1980

Pray for her
She’s lost in a foreign place
Knowing her life’s at stake
Show her the way
Raise your voice for her
You who have known her so well
Don’t spare your blessings now
Show her the way

Esther, my Queen, all that we have become
May vanish away like a dream
With dawn and the morning sun
My people, my friends,
We must not let her down
Somehow I know, a way will be found

Stay with her
If only a little while
Once more she’s an orphan child
Show her the way
And if she should fall
Stopped by the fear and pain
Set her aright again
Show her the way

Esther my child
You must not be scared of him.
Think how he’s loved you, your smile
And all that you’ve shared with him
And sometimes at night, when all is a magic dream
He’s been your king, you’ve been his queen

Pray for her
We’ll fast for a day for her
Let love be the conqueror
Let love be the way
Oh, don’t despair
And know if you truly care
Your love is the greatest prayer
Yes, love is the greatest prayer
True love is the greatest prayer!

WORLD OF OUR FATHERS
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1980

Came to America in nineteen hundred four,
I was fleeing persecution and the army of the Tsar.
Reached Ellis Island alone and half insane,
And I left there with a different name.
If it wasn’t for my people,
I don’t know what I’d do,
And I thank the Lord above me that I was born a Jew.
They sheltered me and fed me ‘til I got on my feet,
And my mother’s words came back to me.

Just don’t forget where you came from, my son
And the world of your fathers, you’ll soon leave behind.
Just keep the faith of your people wherever you go,
There a friend you will find.

Just another greenhorn looking for a job
I prevailed upon a landsman to finally take me on
Worked as a peddler ten hours every day
In the evening I brought home my pay
Scrimped and I saved ‘til I put enough aside
And I sent it to my father, his passage for to buy
Money for the steerage and money for the bribes
It was four years since my mother died.

I won’t forget where I came from, my Mother;
Each day in the synagogue I pray for you
I’ve built a life for us here in America
How proud you would be if you knew

Chorus:
Yai dai dai in America...

We worked to bring my sisters and my baby brother too
Then we moved up to New England near some people that we knew
I made a bit of money in Boston’s old North End
Which we gradually learned how to spend
A bunch of little citizens I brought into this world
But most of them were no-goods who squandered while I toiled
Sophisticate Americans they very soon became
Of their father they would grow ashamed.

Just don’t forget where we came from, my children
The world of our fathers is what made us strong
Don’t sell your souls for the thrills of America
What price must you pay to belong?

Chorus

It’s been so many years my grandchildren are grown
And the one who is a doctor, even keeps me in his home
He says to me, mein Zaide, when the children learn to speak
A bissel Yiddish you should teach them
There were times, so many times when I feared that all was lost;
We had come so far, so fast, that I wondered what the cost.
But now I see my father’s world begin to rise
In my great grandchildren’s eyes!

Bittersweet

TZUR YISRAEL (Rock of Israel)
Music by Joel Sussman ©1983

Tzur Yisrael
Kumah b’ezrat Yisrael
Uf ’dei chin’umecha
Yehuda v’Yisrael.
Go-aleinu Hashem tsva’ot sh’mo
K’dosh Yisrael.
Hoshanah hoshiah

A prayer from the morning service –– petitioning the Creator to come to Israel’s aid and fulfill the promise of redemption –– combined with the chant of Hoshanah (“save us”) from the festival of Sukkot.

JUST ANOTHER FOREIGNER
Words by Joel Sussman & Robbie Solomon Music by Joel Sussman ©1983

Sitting in a hall in Kiryat Sh’mona,
With Jews from Syria, from Yemen and Iran,
The only Ashkenazi in Kiryat Sh’mona,
I can hear their laughter but I cannot understand.

Just another foreigner in another foreign land,
But these strangers are my brothers as they take me by the hand.
“Aleikhem salaam, Salaam aleikhem, (heim sharu)
Bruchim haba’im, shalom aleichem.”

I met a man from Addis Ababa,
His skin was black and his features kind of strange.
He showed me a book that he said was the Torah,
And spoke of his people, Falasha was their shame

Just another foreigner in another foreign land,
But I knew he was my brother when he took me by the hand.
“O’tanasteli, shalom aleichem, (heim sharu)
Bruchim haba’im, shalom aleichem.”

A woman returns on the streets of Odessa,
From looking for a job in the cold Russian wind.
It’s been five hungry years while she waits for a visa,
She still lights the candles as Shabbos begins.

Just another foreigner in another foreign land,
But she’s joining all her people as she follows God’s command.
“O’Zhdarovoh, shalom aleichem, (heim sharu)
Bruchim haba’im, shalom aleichem.”

Welcome my brothers, welcome one and all!
Welcome my sisters, welcome one and all!
Bruchim haba’im, shalom aleichem’

YISMECHU (They Will Rejoice)
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1983

Yismechu v’mal’chut’cha
Shomrei Shabbat v’korei oneg Shabbat,
Am m’kad’shei shevi’i Shabbat.
Kulam yisb’u
V’yitangu mituvecha Shabbat.
V’hashvi’i ratsita bo v’kidashto Shabbat,
Chemdat yamim
Oto karata Shabbat
Zeicher l’ma-asei v’reishit

MY BELOVED
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1983

I am my beloved’s
And my beloved’s mine,
I’ll remember all my life,
How we spoke these words
And drank a cup of wine
As man and wife.

I am my beloved’s
And my beloved’s mine,
It will always be the same,
When I wake to find I’m looking in your eyes
I’m in love again.

I want to be there in the hard times,
When you really need a friend.
I want to be there in the joyous times,
Sharing your laughter over and over again.

I am my beloved’s
And my beloved’s mine,
As the years go passing through,
More and more I find
The meaning of my life
In loving you.

A line from Song of Songs, “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” often recited at the Jewish wedding ceremony

YAMIT
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1983

In Yamit the sun is setting
And the shadows start to grow.
The soldiers come; we are not ready,
We never thought we’d have to go.

Chorus:
Oh Yamit when all is said and done we pray
To know that peace will come one day
And we’ll remember Yamit.

Across these sands did our forefathers
Wander on for forty years,
To reach the land that they were promised.
They filled the desert with their tears.

Chorus

A boy of ten just sits and cries,
His birthplace struck before his eyes,
His father speaks of sacrifice.
His sister sitting in the sand.
She is too young to understand.
She asks her mother
“Can we ever go back again?”

In Yamit there was a school yard
Where the children used to play.
The pavement cracks the buildings crumble,
And soon the sand will have its way.

Chorus

And now the desert people scatter
And leave you silent as before,
A thousand years what will it matter?
Only the Sinai will endure.

The New York Times-April 23, 1982 – “(Jerusalem) – In a combined operation involving troops and firemen, Israeli forces this morning overpowered the main center of resistance to the evacuation of the Sinai town of Yamit… By noon the main street of what had been a neat thriving town of about 3,000 people was lined with two rows of rubble. The remains of Yamit will be pushed into deep trenches and covered with the sand of thedesert… After the squatters were brought down from the roof, with their hands tied behind their backs, they sang Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem). Their voices choked. Two soldiers, standing by, cried openly.”

L’CHA DODI (Come Beloved to Greet the Sabbath Bride)
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1983

L’cha dodi likrat kala,
P’nei shabbat n’kab’la.

Shamor v’zachor b’dibur echad,
Hishmi’anu keil ham’yuchad.
Hashem echad ushemo echad,
L’sheim ul’tiferet velit’hila.

Likrat Shabbat l’chu v’neilcha,
Ki hi m’kor hab’racha.
Meirosh mikedem nesucha,
Sof ma-asei b’machshava techilla.

Mikdash melech ir melucha,
Kumi ts’i mitoch hahafecha.
Rav lach shevet b’emek habacha,
V’hu yachamol alayich chemlah.

Bo’i v’shalom ateret ba’ala,
Gam b’simcha uv’tzohala.
Toch emunei am s’gula,

WINGS OF LOVE (Kanfei Hash’china)
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1983

When I take you in my arms,
My little Jewish boy,
Can I keep you far from harm,
Turn your sorrows into joy?
Your tiny hands and fingers
Clutching shadows in the air,
Sense a memory that lingers
Of the dreams that you will share.

Make a cradle from my arms,
My little baby son,
May it keep you safe and warm,
Now your life has just begun.
May you never know the sorrows
Or the ravages of war,
May the world of your tomorrows
See a peace that will endure.

Sleep tight while the angels hold you.
And may God enfold you
With wings of love.

When I take you in my arms
My little Jewish girl,
Can I keep you far from harm
As you grow up in this world?
You look so soft and tender,
Watching something from afar,
May you never need surrender
Your pride in who you are.

Shmor nah malachei halaylah,
She’yifros aleha
Kanfei Hash’china.

As I take you by my side,
My little Jewish child,
Will you think of me with pride
In your days of running wild?
Like the names you are receiving
There’s so much you can’t control.
But don’t ever stop believing
You have freedom in your soul.

The Sh’china is the motherly aspect of God as sung in a lullaby by a father to his children.

SHAVUAH TOV (A Good Week)
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1983

Hamavdil bein kodesh l’chol,
Chatoteinu hu yimchol.
Zareinu v’chaspeinu yarbeh kachol
V’chakochavim balaylah
Shavuah tov…

Yom panah k’tseil tomeir,
Ekra l’eil alai gomeir
Amar shomeir. atah vokeir
V’gam laylah
Shavuah tov…

AMNESTY
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1983

The history of mankind
Is filled with hurt and pain,
Oppressors they are overthrown
To return once again.
It started in the Bible
When Pharoah did decree,
“The slaves will build my palaces
And no man shall go free,”

Let ‘em out… tonight,
From Egyptian slavery
To Nazi Germany,

Whether it’s a Hitler
Brehznev or Assad,
They will never learn
That we’re all children of one God.
Locked in an asylum,
A ghetto or a jail,
Are we all not prisoners
Of systems that have failed?

Let ‘em out. . . tonight,
Let me make it clear to ya’,
Get ‘em out of Syria.

I can see tomorrow clearly,
We will leave these prison walls,
But there will always be
Some kind of tyranny,
That’s why we can’t forget this call

Let ‘em out… tonight,
Let the Lord’s word humble them.
Watch the Kremlin tumble in.

The oppressed they must go free.
In a world wide amnesty.
Let ‘em out… tonight.

Peace By Piece

SHALOM SHALOM
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1984

We can’t take this madness any longer,
Eye for an eye, bomb for a bomb,
How can prayers for peace be answered,
While the battle rages on?

No more, no more nightmares,
No more, no more bomb scares,
For the sake of the ones we love,
Shalom, Shalom,

Arab leaders why can’t you see,
What your rhetoric has done?
Now your children turn to violence,
As the savior with a gun.

No more, no more dogfights,
No more, no more long nights,
For the sake of the ones we love.
Shalom achshav
Shalom, Shalom

Are we so different that we cannot resolve
All of our problems
And let the love shine through
On me and you?

No more, no more air raids
No more, no more tirades
For the sake of the ones we love,
Shalom achshav,

No more, no more air raids,
No more, no more tirades,
We won’t stand for it anymore,
No war, no more.

No more, no more nightmares,
No more, no more bomb scares,
For the sake of the ones we love,
Shalom achshav,

No more, no more nightmares,
No more, rockets red glare,
For the sake of the ones we love,

ANIM Z’MIROT
Words by R. Judah of Regensburg
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1984

Anim z’mirot v’shirim e’erog
Ki eilecha nafshi ta’arog.
Nafshi chamdah b’tseil yadecha

Lada’at kol raz sodecha.
Midei dab’ri bi’chvodecha
Homeh libi el dodecha.
Yerav nah sichi alecha
Ki nafshi ta’arog eilecha,

I will chant pleasant melodies
And weave songs
For unto You does my spirit long…

TRIBUTE
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1984

Oh, the man was not a saint
Because no mortal man could be.
But the man he was the kind
I’ve tried so very hard to be,
For he said it does not matter
What you earn or where you live.
For a man he is remembered
By the way that he would give.

And the man he was a giver
And he gave with all his heart,
But it pained him so to take
Because he loved the giving part.
So I give to you my father dear
In sad memorium,
That this man he is a better man
For knowing he’s your son.

Yitgadal v’yitkadash sh’mei rabah,
Sanctified and hallowed is His
Kingdom over us all.
Oseh shalom bim’romav Hu ya’aseh shalom
Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael v’imru amen.

May God’s great name be praised
and acclaimed for now and evermore.
Y’hei sh’mei rabah m’varach
L’olam ul’olmei olmaya,

So I give to you my father dear
In sad memorium,
That this man he is a better man
For knowing he’s your son.

This song is dedicated to the memory of Max Sussman, a loving father and grandfather, and my dearest friend. J.S.

MAH NAVU
Words from Isaiah 52: 7, 8
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1984

Mah navu al heharim,
Mah navu raglei m’vaser tov,
Mashmi’ah shalom,
Mashmi’ah y’shuah.
Kol tsofayich nasu kol
Yachdav y’raneinu,
Ki ayin b’ayin yir’u
B’shuv Adoshem Tsiyon.

How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of the messenger of peace,
Hark! Thy watchmen raise their voices
For they see eye to eye
The Lord returning to Zion,

WE ARE ONE
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1984

Remember how we fled our homes
In the middle of the night?
Right across those stormy waters
We held on with all our might.
It took a lot of faith
Just to believe we had the right.

Remember how we wandered
All those years without a home?
We had to suffer the intolerance.
No place to call our own,
But we always had each other
When it hurt to be alone.

We are one, Am Echad
Do not try to separate us.
We are one, Am Echad
Like the waters of the sea,
We are one, Am Echad
In the eyes of them that hate us
(Through what fortunes might await us)
And to the One who did create us––
You and me.

Remember how we sang the song
Of freedom in our land.
And the promise of the future
Seemed to sparkle in our hand?
United in our vision
We returned to make a stand.
But a different kind of persecution
Now afflicts our soul;
We become our own oppressors
As we struggle for control.
Did we forget the very truths
That made our people whole?

Isn’t it time we should live with each other,
Building a world hand in hand?
Never too late to forgive and discover,
Only with love can we build the Promised Land,

Remember how it all began
With a vision that was new,
And together how we sacrificed
To make that dream come true?
Compared to all we share, my friend,
Our differences are few.

PEACE BY PIECE
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1984

The work is too heavy
For one person alone
And each day it just seems to increase.
But when carried by many
Oh how light it becomes––
Taking it peace by piece.

The world we are building
For our families to share
Is made up of our words and our deeds.
For the sake of our children
We must build it with care
Building it peace by piece.

Peace by piece.
‘Til we bring this world together.
Peace by piece,
‘Til we find release.
Peace by piece.

Some people may tell you
That it’s useless to try,
All your efforts are dust in the breeze.
But little by little
We just might stem the tide––
Taking it peace by piece.

There are millions of weapons
In hundreds of lands
And each moment their numbers increase.
But with love in our hearts
And with tools in our hands
We’ll dismantle them piece by piece.

AMAR RABI ELAZAR
Words from Talmud B’rachot
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1984

Amar Rabi Elazar, amar Rabi Chanina
Talmidei chachamim marbim shalom ba’olam
Shene’emar:
V’chol banayich limudei Hashem
V’rav shalom banayich.
L’ma’an achai v’rei’ai
Adabra nah shalom
L’ma-an beit Hashem Elokeinu
Avaksha tov lach, l’ma’an beit Elokeinu.
Hashem oz l’amo yitein,
Hashem y’vareich et amo vashalom.
Shalom ba’olam.

Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: “Great scholars increase peace in the world.”

BASHEIRT
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1984

Oh Mother, I remember,
How you would comfort me
When life seemed more than I could bear.
You’d tell me God would give us
Only what’s meant to be.
Someday we’ll know, son, it’s basheirt.

And so, life is passing by,
But let’s not wonder why
While love exists outside of time
I know how hard it is to smile
Let go for just a while
And be the moment’s child.

Although I told my children
We must be strong and brave,
Sorrow still finds me unprepared.
And so I hold on to it,
The answer my mother gave,
Someday we’ll know, son, it’s basheirt.

Basheirt is a Jewish mother’s answer to the inexplicable tragedies of life. It means both that it was meant to be and, in some strange way, it’s for the best. This song is dedicated to my mother, Shirley Solomon.
R.S.

BROTHER ON BROTHER
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1984

You got it, I want it.
What’s mine is mine.
You stole it, now show it,
Put it all on the line.
When we were both children,
You deceived and you lied,
My birthright was taken,
My future denied.

Jacob, Jacob, why did you steal it?
Jacob, Jacob, why oh why?

That’s not how it happened,
That’s just not the way,
It wasn’t important,
You sold it away
A hunter, a fighter,
You lived by the sword,
You just had no interest,
In serving the Lord.

Esau, Esau, let’s put this behind us,
Esau, Esau, let’s live in peace.

Two brothers, together,
That’s how it should be.
Each one has determined
His own destiny,
A hunter, a fighter,
One lives by the sword.
The other has chosen
To worship the Lord.

Brother on brother,
They can agree blood is thicker than water,
Brother on brother, so much to be gained.
Brother on brother,
Look at them now embracing each other.
Brother, brother. . . . Peace will reign!

LULLABYE
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1984

Go to sleep
My Jonathan and Ariel,
It’s time for sleep,
To sing the Sh’ma Yisrael.
Joshua and Aaron little one.
Layla bah v’hashemesh don.
Samuel and Byron,
It’s time for bed,
All is well,
The day is done the stories read.
So go to sleep
Our children of Safam.
A kiss goodnight,
Our pride and love,
Layla tov.

To our children:
Ariel, Jonathan and Mera Sussman
Joshua and Aaron Funk
Byron and Samuel Solomon
Michelle and Adam Nelson
Who ALWAYS WANT ONE MORE SONG!

A Brighter Day

DODI LI
Original Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1986

After waiting all these years,
Can’t believe it’s finally here.
At last I can hold you near
And show I love you well.
Standing ‘neath the canopy,
It’s the groom and bride to be,
Harei at m’kudeshet li
K’daat Yisrael.

Dodi li vaani lo
Haroeh bashoshanim.

Like Jacob and his Rachel,
I’ve been captured by your spell.
All I want to do is tell
The world of our love.
Raise the cup and drink the wine,
Break the glass and now you’re mine,
Let the world know that I’m
The one you’re dreaming of.

Mi zot olah min hamidbar
M’kuteret mor ul’vonah

Like the evening stars above,
Rising with the winged dove,
We will spread unending love
As time goes on and on.
Seven blessings we receive,
They will seal our destiny.
Yet I still cannot believe
That we are now as one.

AL HANISSIM
Original Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Al hanissim v’al hapurkan,
V’al hag’vurot, v’al hat’shuot,
V’al hamilchamot sheasitah
La’avoteinu.

Bayamim haheim baz’man hazeh

Biy’mei Matityahu ben Yochanan
Uviy’mei Mordechai v’Esther hamalka
Uvayamim shel Mar Hertzl uVen Gurion
Amad’tah lahem b’eit tsaratam.

A BRIGHTER DAY
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1986

Four hundred years of suffering ‘neath the pharoah,
Misery and torment were all we saw.
Moses led the children to the desert,
There God revealed His sacred law.
Forty years of wandering and searching,
Trying to lose the vestiges of slaves.
Then one day they crossed the River Jordan
Returning to the land that God once gave.

Chorus:
Through each disaster a feeling survives us,
And from the ashes a phoenix arises,
No matter what the cost, we’re still the optimist
We cannot stop looking for a brighter day.

Two thousand years of wandering ‘round this planet,
Six million murdered by a world gone mad,
But what should happen then,
We returned to the Promised Land,
A home to end our wandering at last.
All those years and some are still in darkness,
Shadowed as an iron curtain’s drawn,
Leaders have come and gone, but the suffering goes on,
Waiting for redemption for so long.

Chorus

Our faith in God and in man is what guides us,
A hope that one day the world realizes,
No matter what the cost, when all our hope is lost,
We cannot stop looking for a brighter day.

HAVDALAH
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Hinei keil yeshuati
Evtach v’lo efchad
Ki ozi v’zimrat kah
Adoshem, vay’hi li liy’shuah

Ushavtem mayim b’sasson
Mimaynei hay’shuah
Adoshem hay’shuah
Al am’cha birchatecha, selah

Behold the Lord is my deliverer
I trust in You and I am not afraid
For the Lord is my strength and my stronghold
The source of my deliverance

FALASHA NEVERMORE
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Open wide your loving arms,
See your children coming home.
Give them shelter from the storm,
They’re coming home.

We were dying in Africa
In the region of Gondar.
And the children were crying out
With disease and with hunger.
So we set out on the road to freedom
Five hundred miles to the north.

We were 10,000 refugees
On a line from Lake Tana.
We were met by the Sudanese
As we left Ethiopia
Carrying our one possession,
The holy books, the Torah.

Chorus:
Now we’re going home
As the eagles soar.
We have found Shalom
At your open door.
We will be Falasha
Nevermore
‘Cause we’re going home.

Oh my name it is Avraham
I’m the priest for all my people.
When we moved into Ashkelon
I was sick, I was feeble,
But the gates of Shaarei Tsedek opened
Wide for my whole family,

Beta Israel
Is the name we have taken
Though they called us Falasha
In their scorn and their hatred.
Now with your help and kindness
We are learning to be Yisraeli.

Chorus

HOME TO JERUSALEM
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Chorus:
Home to Jerusalem
Our love will never end.
You are the strength that flows through my right hand.
I’ll never forget you, Jerusalem.

High up in the hills is your golden dome,
Calling to your children to bring them home.
And they shall be like dreamers awakened from a sleep
To go up to Jerusalem.

Often in the night, we have called your name
(Jerusalem),
Burning with the light of a holy flame
(Jerusalem).
And now you stand before us with open arms.
Welcome back to Jerusalem.

Chorus

Im eshkacheich Yerushalayim,
Oh, tishkach yemini.
No one can possess you
Though some have tried.
Too many are your lovers
To be denied.
Now gather here the faithful of every tribe.
Pray for peace in Jerusalem.

People of the world,
Now the time has come
To put away our hatred
And carry on
In song and celebration
For everyone.
We rejoice in Jerusalem.

PHOTO ALBUM
A musical drama dedicated to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Scene 1

Young man:
Why are you crying, my old friend?
Looking at photographs again.
That’s just ancient history
Why don’t you tell me what you see?
Talk to me.

Old man:
These are the benches where we children sat,
Learning our lessons; I can still feel the sting
Of the teacher’s ruler.
I can still hear him sing, “Aleph, bais,”
Still see the look on his face.
You never saw anger like that;

Rebbe:
Children sit down and be quiet.

Old man:
Never saw love like that

Rebbe:
Soon will be the holiday of Passover
And for this you must know the Mah Nishtanah.
Learn it well because someday you’ll teach it to your children.
“Mah nishtanah halaylah hazeh mikol halaylot...”

Cheder (Mah Nishtanah)

Mah nishtanah halaylah hazeh mikol halailot
Sheb’chol halailot anu ochlin chametz umatzah
Halalalalaylah, halaylah hazeh kulo matzah
Sheb’chol halailot anu ochlin sh’ar y’rakot
Halalalalaylah, halaylah hazeh maror

Chorus:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
Out of the slavery of Egypt into freedom’s holy light.
Tell me, why is this night different from all other nights?
It’s freedom’s holy light.

Sheb’chol halailot anu ochlin chametz umatzah
Sheb’chol halailot anu ochlin sh’ar y’rakot
Halalalalaylah, halaylah hazeh kulo matzah
Halalalalaylah, halaylah hazeh maror

Chorus

PHOTO ALBUM
A musical drama dedicated to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Scene 2

Young man:
Why are you sighing, my old friend?
Lost in your photographs again.
It’s a new world, can’t you see.
And you can always talk to me.

Old man:
Here is your cousin with his baby boy.
Look at how proud; he would have been your age now
Or a little bit older;
We could have saved them somehow, if we only knew.
We would have saved them somehow
But we didn’t know
How could we know?

Escape

It was a cold hard day in Poland.
The year was nineteen thirtynine.
He told his father, “I’m going to America.”
He could hear the thunder rolling
Before the Germans crossed the line
He bought a pass, and started out all alone.
His family was still unaware of the danger
He said he would send for the rest of them later.
He knew he’d be starting again as a stranger
But he was young and he had to try.

Come to America,
The Land of Liberty.
Come to America,
To see what you could be.
Come to America,
With all your hopes and dreams.
America the free.

He was three weeks on the ocean
Before they sailed into New York.
He saw a hand reaching out from America.
But then the man from immigration
Said they weren’t taking any more:
“Turn around, you’re not wanted here at all!”
He rushed to the front of the line and he shouted:
“You made a mistake I am sure when you counted.
The rights of these people must never be doubted;
Our only hope is if you let us in.”

I hear America calling me
With the promise of life and equality
And I know that a new world awaits for me
In America the Free.

Then the man came ‘round the table,
And he looked him in the eye
And he said, “Son, welcome to America.
What makes you think that I should save you
More than the thousands I deny?
We’ve got a quota, and my friend, that is the law!
Just get over there now and fill out those papers.
Sit down, and don’t ask me for any more favors.
Those others with you can come in when I say so.

PHOTO ALBUM
A musical drama dedicated to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1986

Scene 3

Young man:
What are you looking at, my fine old friend?
Some kind of boutonniere from God knows when.

Old man:
It’s a driedup flower pressed into the page
Just a wildflower from a long time ago
Oh, I wish you could know how it was...

Reminiscence

When I was young I had a fantasy
That I would marry royalty.
And everything seemed possible
In the days when I was young.
And I recall I had a sweetheart then.
At times I still remember when
We ran through fields of wildflowers
In the days when I was young.

But then there came a time of darkness
When the whole world fell around us,
And the Nazis came and dragged us to the ground.
And I don’t know why I survived it
When so many others didn’t.
They took the best and left us nothing
In the days when I was young.

And now I know you are my family:
You took me in out of my misery,
And we have traveled down these many years as one.
But yet I sometimes still remember those
Who perished, while the whole world closed
Their eyes and turned away
In the days when I was young.

Postscript

Old man:
Now you are busy with your busy life
Minding your business,
I just don’t know anymore
Why I keep these pictures.
It just upsets me, I’m sure, though I can’t explain.
It’s not a matter of pain,
Just the question why?

The Greater Scheme Of Things

RIVERS OF BABYLON
Words and Music by Joel Sussman and Robbie Solomon ©1989

Two rivers flowed
In a land long ago
And a voice from the waters said “follow me”

I sat and cried
By the dark riverside
So afraid that the waters would swallow me

Chorus:
Run, run Babylon
Swiftly to the sea
Let me ride upon your current
Let me feel my destiny
I was exiled in your cities
But your waters set me freeRun, run river
Rivers of Babylon

Sad was my song
In the land, Babylon
With a heart that kept yearning for Zion

Dreamed of a sign
Thru the rivers of time
With a power my heart could rely on

Chorus
Oh my heart it was in prison
And your waters held the key

You can never go way back to the world that we once knew
You can never go all the way back even if you wanted to
There must be a change
Nothing stays the same

Chorus
Will your waters flow inside my soul
For all eternity.

THE GREATER SCHEME OF THINGS
based on selected passages from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

Im ein ani li, mi li
Uk’she-ani l’ atzmi, mah ani
Im ein ani li, mi li
V’im lo achshav eimatai

When I was a younger man
Life was always very confusing
As I tried to understand
Who I was and what I should be

So I read the Holy Books
For words of wisdom they may bring
And I asked them what my place should be
In the Greater Scheme of Things

If you’re not for yourself,
Then who will be for you?
But if you’re only for yourself,
Why are you here at all?

It seems that this was good advice
But not always could I succeed to
Put these values in my life
Thru the years and try as I might

So I found myself a rabbi
She was wise in many things
And I asked her to explain again
About the Greater Scheme of Things

Life can answer us very well,
But why we’re here
Only time will tell

Time will tell, only time will tell
Why we are here at all.

Now I go on ever seeking
To find the comfort wisdom brings
And so my life’s an endless search
In the Greater Scheme of Things

See the time has grown short
The Master is pressing
There’s still so much to do,

YIRAM HAYAM
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

Yiram hayam um’lo-oh
Teivel v’yoshvei vah

N’harot yimcha-u chaf
Yachad harim y’raneinu

Lifnei Hashem ki vah lishpot ha-aretz
Yishpot teivel b’tsedek v’amim b’meisharim

Ki vah lishpot ha-aretz
Yishpot amim
B’meisharim

TALMUD TORAH
Words and Music by Joel Sussman & Robbie Solomon ©1989

See the children, smiling faces
As the day’s begun
They’re our future, teach them brightly
Blessed every one

Education, obligation
True for everyone
So we study, Talmud Torah
K’neged kulam

And sometimes I know it’s true
You’re too tired to learn
But there’s a spark inside of you
Waiting to return

See the children in those pictures
When this school was young
They’re your parents loved Talmud Torah
K’neged kulam

See the faces of the founders
Proud of what they’ve done
They were children, just like you are
Blessed every one

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked
Honor Dad and Mom
But to study Talmud Torah
K’neged kulam.

Mishnah Peah 1:1–– These are obligations for which no limit is
proscribed: the corner of the field... honoring father and mother,
the practice of kindness... hospitality to strangers, visiting the
sick... but the study of Torah excels them all (talmud torah
k’neged kulam). Dedicated to the Talmud Torah, Edmonton,
Canada and to a dear friend of blessed memory, Bennett Solomon.

YIGDAL
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

Yigdal Elokim chai v’yishtabach
Nimtsah v’ein eit el m’tsi-uto
Echad v’ein yachid k’yichudo
Ne’elam v’gam ein sof l’achduto

Ein lo d’mut haguf v’eino guf
Lo na’aroch eilav k’dushato
Kadmon l’chol davar asher nivra
Rishon v’ein reishit l’reishito.

Yigdal Elokim chai v’yishtabach
Nimtsah v’ein eit el m’tsi-uto

Lo kam b’Yisrael k’Moshe od
Navi u-mabit et t’munato
Torat emet natan l’amo keil
Al yad n’vi-o ne’eman beito

Meitim y’chayei keil b’rov chasdo
Baruch adei ad shem t’hilato

CAFE TEL AVIV
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

In the Cafe Tel Aviv
In a building just outside the square
It was early summer’s eve
At a table in the open air
Two of us talking and reading Ma’ariv
With our friends in Tel Aviv

On the crowded avenue,
People passing by would listen in
And the conversation grew
Over coffee mixed with cardamon
Sit down at our table and join the company
With our friends in Tel Aviv
With our friends in Cafe Tel Aviv

Later that evening we took a walk
Under the lights of the fountain
Life was so easy on Dizengoff
Hours went by with no one countin’

So we talked all night
Drinking coffee ‘neath the stars above
Everything was alright
And our problems seemed to just dissolve
Had no appointments, no particular place to be
With our friends in Tel Aviv

We would discuss the economy
Sometimes we spoke of religion
We’d change the world, yes, you and me!
If someone could come to a decision

So we talked all night in the innocence of that café
Everything was alright
I remember to this very day
How we were so happy
In the early 70’s
With our friends in Tel Aviv

NO EASY WAY
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

Children, why do you dance and sing?
Building store cities for the king
Baking bricks for a pharoah’s dream
It’s gonna take a long, long time

Tell me, how will you deliver?
(Pithom and Ramses)
We’ll float it on the river.
(Pithom and Ramses)
But the cities lie way upstream
It’s gonna take a long, long time

Chorus:
There’s no easy way
To cross the raging water
No easy way
But we do what we gotta

Children who’s gonna save you?
(Who’s gonna save you?)
From those who enslave you
(Who’s gonna save you?)
Brother Moses will set you free
It’s gonna take a long, long time

Chorus

Children how can you laugh and sing
(Pithom and Ramses)
Thru a lifetime of suffering
(Pithom and Ramses)
While these cities will all fall down
We’re gonna last a long, long time

THE MORNING LIGHT
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

I’m traveling home tonight in the rain
I know my life can never remain the same
Oh, the morning light
Will soon be rising in the sky
And I know you won’t come round anymore

I think of the friends I’ve known in the past
And all of the lovely moments gone by, so fast
Oh, the morning light
Will soon be rising in the sky
And I know they won’t come round anymore

We wander down so many roads
But they lead to the same end
No matter what we do or know
It’s just that way, my friend
But it would be a pleasure so
Just to see your face again
Smiling in the morning sun

I think of you sadly now and recall
How into every life a little rain must fall
But the morning light
Is slowly rising in the sky
Even though you won’t come round anymore

Dedicated to the memory of our friend, Dennis Schneider

SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1989

My father gave his life
His father before
So many young men
Have died in war.

Trained as a soldier
By choice and by design
But even warriors
Must somehow draw the line.

Chorus:
Soldiers of conscience
Soldiers of peace
More than just fighters
It is truth that we seek
Soldiers of conscience
Soldiers of peace
Soldiers of Israel

Three times I’ve been called to war
Three times I’ve gone
Never a question
Of what must be done.

But this time it is different
From what was meant to be
Women and children
Are now the enemy.

Chorus

I sit in prison
And wonder every day
Can this be bravery
Or just the coward’s way.

Chorus

The nations of the world
Use military might
But as a Jew I ask
Do we have the right?

Chorus

Somehow hope and peace
Will return to the land
When children of one father
Can live with one another
It all begins right here, we’re...

Chorus

JONATHAN (David’s Lament)
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

Jonathan, Jonathan tell me what are you gonna do
Will you follow your conscience or will you
Follow your king?

Your father is angry and so your friend is in danger
It is a matter of loyalty
Now which way will you turn?

Jonathan, caught between king and conscience
Jonathan follows a lonely road.

Jonathan, Jonathan where are you gonna go
Will you follow your conscience or will you
Follow your king?

Life would be easy if you could stand and do nothing
But when you know what you know, it spoils
Everything

Jonathan, caught between king and conscience
Jonathan follows a lonely road.

You try to do what’s right
Sometimes even right is wrong
Oh, is it worth the price
The price that you paid?
You thought you had to fight
But you were just a pawn
Only a pawn in the game

Oh, Jonathan,
Jonathan my friend
Oh, Jonathan,
How you have fallen!

Oh, Jonathan,
Slain upon the high places
Oh Jonathan fallen!

Jonathan, caught between king and conscience
Jonathan, how you have fallen!

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

B’NAI SAFAM
Words and Music by Joel Sussman & Robbie Solomon ©1989

There are little people hangin’ ‘round
Living in our house
Could it be they are our children?
With names like Sam and Joshua
Mera and Michelle
Seems to me they are our children

Safam, b’nai Safam
Heim b’nai Safam

Little Adam just has learned to walk
Byron drives a car
Could it be they are our children?
Aaron, Jon and Ariel
Well, you know who they are.
Proud to say they are our children.

Y’sim’cha Elokim k’Ephraim u-M’nasheh
Y’simeich Elokim k’Sara, Rivka, Leah, v’Rachel

On Track

GRANDFATHER’S TRAIN
Words & Music by Robbie Solomon & Joel Sussman ©1993

Ya’akov was born in the town of Kiev
On a cold winter’s morning in ‘54
His childhood was haunted by a monster who lived
Out in the forest of Babi Yar

His grandfather told him, “Try to be brave,
For there’ll be a train coming through someday.
You don’t have to live where you do not belong!
Just get on that train; it will take you home.”

Home, home.
The train will arrive it will take the children
Home, home,
Although it delay the train will take you home.

Frightening dreams that young children have
Should soften and fade with the passing time
But the nightmares were real for the Jews of Kiev
Knowing the monster was still alive

And all through his life, Ya’akov was taught
There is no God for a Soviet
But deep in his heart the vision remained
When things would get dark, he’d get on that train.

In nineteen and ninety he was suddenly free
He packed up his bags and his family
They boarded a train, and their journey began
Traveling home to the Promised Land

Now Ya’akov looks back to his years in Kiev
Where the snow lies so deep on his Zaide’s grave
The monster is silenced; it lies in its shame
‘Neath the thundering wheels of his grandfather’s train

Ya’akov’s arrived; the train now is gone
He’s finally home in Jerusalem

(Chorus based on Russian song entitled “7:40”)

HAMAVDIL
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1992

Hamavdil ben kodesh
Ben kodesh l’chol
Chatoteinu hu yimchol
Zareinu v’chaspeinu
Yarbeh kachol
V’chakochavim balaylah
Shavuah tov
Yom panah k’tseil tomeir
Ekrah l’eil alai gomeir
Amar shomer, atah vokeir
V’gam lailah
Shavuah tov
Tsidkat’cha k’har Tavor
Al chataai avor taavor
K’yom etmol, ki yaavor
V’ashmurah balaylah
Shavuah tov

SHALOM RAV
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1992

Shalom rav al Yisrael am’cha
Tasim l’olam; ki atah
Hu melech adon l’chol hashalom

V’tov b’einecha l’vareich
Et am’cha Yisrael
B’chol eit uv’chol shaah
Bishlomecha

BAD CHOICES
Words & Music by Joel Sussman ©1991

Hearing the word but ignoring the call
Seeking relief from the pressure.
Moses still thinks he can handle it all
But we’ve gotta get out of this desert.
Prophets may come and prophets may go
Can there be only one that’s true?

Who’s got the answers, and who’s got the light
Shining the way to the future.
Oh there’s always two choices but which one is right,
Water won’t come from a rock
You take Moses, we’ll go with
Korach. (Bad Choices)

Make a donation send it today
To the guiding light of the nation,
Someone must study while someone must pay
For there’s always a price to salvation.
Profits may come and profits may go
Can there be only one that’s true?

Who’s got the answers, and who’s got the light
Shining the way to the future.
Oh there’s always two choices but which one is right.
Who is ahead of their time (He’s right all the time)
You take Hillel, our man is Shamai.
Seems like every generation’s got to make a choice.
Let’s hope when it’s our turn it’s the right one.

Who’s got the power, and who’s got the might
Leading the way to the future,
Who’s the man of the hour, the doer of right,
Your man is slightly insane (water on the brain)
You take Noah, we’ll stick with the rain.

Showing the way to the future.
Oh there’s always two choices but which one is right.
Here we go again
You take the two tribes, we’ll take the big ten.

ELIYAHU
Music & English Words by Robbie Solomon ©1992

I had a dream that I could change
A world that was not free
And turn a cry of anger into song
As time went by the dream remained
But oh how hard it proved to be
I knew I could not make it on my own

Chorus:
Eliyahu hagiladi
Eliyahu hanavi
Eliyahu hatishbi
Eliyahu come to me tonight
Eliyahu hanavi
Eliyahu hatishbi
Come and turn our darkness into light

Chorus

MORANNO
Words & Music by Joel Sussman ©1993

A New York boy was on the go
Living in New Mexico
He was lonely cause he did not have a friend
He tried to find out who he was
But it was difficult because
The Jewish soul inside his heart was dead.
Then he met Maria, like a vision in the night
He thought he saw the answer hiding somewhere in her eyes

Friday night they had a date
Maria, she was running late
So he went upstairs and waited by her door
From in the room he heard a song
It sounded like melech haolam
And he looked to find her standing in the dark
Then he saw a vision that cut him like a knife
Maria lit two candles and she covered up her eyes

Chorus:
Ah, Moranno, “Converso” was their name
From the Spanish Inquisition they would hide
themselves away
The places they go, the secrets they know
Ah Moranno

Maria told her New York man
It’s a family custom
And for centuries we’ve done it just this way
On Friday night each woman took
Two candles to a darkened room
Then she sang the words she’d heard her mother say
I used to know the lyric, I’m afraid that I forgot
The New York boy said, “Could it be L’had lik ner shel Shabbat?”

Chorus
Torquemada’s coming now
Hide the women, hide the children
He can not discover
Let them think that we’ve become
Followers of Christendom
It doesn’t really matter
We know who we are

The New York boy, he found his way
Sometime on a Saturday
In the synagogue is where he realized
The silent voice within his soul
The questions he had long ago;
And all the time the answer was inside.
He even knew the lyric; as once he had been taught
Now he and his Maria, they both sing zemirot shel Shabbat

Chorus

NACHAMU AMI
Original Words & Music by Joel Sussman ©1991

Dabru al lev Yerushalayim
Vkiru eileha
Ki mal’ah tz’vaah
Ki nirtzah avonah

Ki lak’cha miyad Hashem,
Kiflaim b’chol chatoteha

Chorus:
Nachamu ami
Yomar Elokeinu.

Speak to the heart Jerusalem
And proclaim unto her,
Done is the term of punishment
Gone is the guilt that was hers.

Chorus

Kol korei bamidbar
Panu derech Lashem
Yashru baaravah
M’silah Leilokeinu
Nachamu ami.

Chorus

WHERE IS THE LIGHT
Words & Music by Robbie Solomon & Rick Woods ©1993

Men of courage, men of reason
Fearful of the rising tides
Women with your gentle wisdom
Children still with wonder in your eyes
Our strength is in our numbers
We outnumber those who hate
But unless we stand up and be counted
Hate will dominate.

Chorus:
Where is the light
From the Age of Aquarius?
How did it ever get so dim?
Where is the light,
Let it shine on through the night, again

History oh history
Read about it, learn it well
Once forgotten, twice repeated
It can make the earth a living hell
Now do we teach our children
Fear the stranger, lock the door
What became of “All You Need Is Love”
Now we need it even more

Chorus

We walked along and talked awhile
Beside the waters of the river
And through the haze I saw you smile
We thought that the light would last forever... forever
Behold the dawn is breaking
Over yonder mountain top
It’s a chance we should be taking
Come along we’ll never stop ‘til we...

Bring back the light
From the Age of Aquarius
Don’t ever let it get so dim
Bring back the light
Let it blaze on through the night again

NEVER GIVE UP
Words & Music by Joel Sussman ©1993

Judah and his brothers
They had a noble cause
So they followed the Greeks for a couple of weeks
To figure out their flaws
Well they had a plan for Jerusalem
Though the odds weren’t on their side
But they never ever gave up

Chorus:
Never give up
From making the lantern light shine
Never give up
‘Cause there’s always another way
Never give up
Ya’ gotta keep on trying
Keep on trying ‘cause ya’ never give up.

Battle after battle
Is what war’s all about
Well the Macabbees had their victories
And freed the Temple Mount
When they found the lamp it had gotten damp
With no eternal flame
But they never ever gave up.

Chorus

Oh the miracle
Is that the light shines to this day
Yes it’s a miracle
That we still feel its rays

There was no way they were gonna find
A jar that wasn’t smashed
There could be no flask that was still intact
There among the smoke and ash
Then a guy announced that he’d found an ounce
Of that precious lantern oil
For you see he never gave up

Chorus

So when you think you’ve got your problems
And they seem too much to bear
Just remember when the Hasmonians
Were facing their despair
You must learn to win as Judah did
By meeting them head on
And never ever give up.

Chorus

EITZ CHAYIM
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1989

Eitz chayim hee lamachazikim ba
V’tom’cheha meushar
D’racheha darchei noam
V’chol n’tivoteha shalom

Hashiveinu Adoshem elecha v’nashuva
Chadesh yameinu k’kedem

Eitz chayim hee lamachazikim ba
V’chol n’tivoteha shalom

After All These Years

SHEHECHEYANU
Music and added Words by Robbie Solomon ©1995

Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu melech ha-olam
Shehecheyanu, v’kiy’manu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

You sustained us, You reclaimed us
And brought us to this place.
You upheld us, You allowed us
To reach this wondrous day.

You united, You provided
The strength to carry on.
You restored us, You assured us
Your love would keep us strong.

COMFORT ME RACHEL
Music by Joel Sussman, Words by Joel Sussman & Robbie Solomon ©1995

It’s lonely in the desert with a rifle in my hand,
Protector of my family, defender of the Land.
I can see the town of Hebron as I gaze across the sand,
And I hear the voice of Mother Rachel crying.

Like Jacob alone in the night,
I pray that our way will be right.

Chorus:
Comfort me Rachel, are we dreaming,
Can it be Rachel, Shalom is near?
Answer me Rachel, I’m tired of weeping,
Can it be Shalom is here?

Through all the years of fighting, and all the years of pain,
The victims of a thousand battles lie beneath this plain.
O’ Rachel can you tell them that their hopes were not in vain,
And in this land their children will embrace as friends

Like Jacob alone in the night,
I pray that our way will be right.

Chorus

Kol b’Ramah nishma, n’hi v’ chi tamrurim,
Rachel m’vakah al baneha.

WITH THIS GOLD RING
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1995

First dance together as husband and wife,
After waiting so long.
This is forever, the rest of our lives,
How we’ve waited, anticipated.
The sheva b’rachot have been said,
The whole k’tubah has been read,
We drank the wine, I broke the glass,
But we saved this dance for last...’cause

Chorus:
With this gold ring on your finger
You’re telling the world you are mine,
I know that we’ll be together ‘til the end of time,
And today I finally said the words
That I’ve always longed to say,
Harei at m’kudeshet li.

Under the chupah with family and friends,
Oh we truly are one.
Like Ya’akov and Rachel, the love never ends,
B’taba-at zu, oh how I love you.
The sheva b’rachot have been said,
The whole k’tubah has been read,
We drank the wine, I broke the glass,
But we saved this dance for last...’cause

Chorus

Dance with me, dance with me
Until the night is through,
I will always be there for you, forever.
Dance with me, dance with me
Don’t ever let it end,
We’ll remain the best of friends, together.
....And today I finally said the words
That I’ve always longed to say,
Harei at m’kudeshet li.

With this gold ring on your finger
You’re telling the world you are mine,
I know that we’ll be together ‘til the end of time,
And today I finally said the words
That I’ve always longed to say,
Harei at m’kudeshet
Now that we are finally wedded,
We will stay as close as two can be,
Harei at m’kudeshet li.

A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1995 (Lyrics inspired by the writings of Maya Angelou)

Chorus:
Do I, do I make a difference in this world?
I wonder why we’re afraid to just be friends;
Why don’t we try now
You and I are alike in fundamental ways
And I like the way we’re different in this world

Like the fragrant spices in your kitchen
Where the sweet aromas rise
It’s the awesome wonder of diversity
Gives a flavor to our lives

And out of the spinning dance of rhythms
Comes a music bright and clear
The world is so much richer ‘cause you’re here.

Chorus

Every single color in life’s tapestry
Is important to the whole
As the awesome wonder of diversity
Brings a beauty to the soul
And every life can be a blessing
When we learn to conquer fear
The world is so much richer ‘cause you’re here.

Chorus

Do I, do I make a difference in this world?
I wonder why, why can’t we just be friends?
Come on let’s try now
You and I are alike in fundamental ways
And I like the way we’re different in this world
I like the ways we’re different
Yes, I like the ways we’re different
We like the way we’re different in this world.

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1995

Friends before partners in ‘74
Playing a gig in December,
Each one has taken the stage before
But that was the first time together.
All of the cheers as we played with Zamir
Had something historic begun?
For who would believe after all of these years
That we’d still be here as Safam?

Live from New York it’s Saturday night
Where is the band gonna play?
Maybe in Boston or out in the suburbs,
Writing the music and working on new words
Telling the wives “we know it’s absurd
Your husbands are always away!”
There is a cost and a price to be paid.
And each one has paid for it dearly,
Never around for the friends to be made
And time spent away from the family
The music’s too loud but the families are proud
Of all of the things that we’ve done
For who would believe after all of these years
That we’d still be here as Safam?

Ah the music is in our heart and soul
As the lights begin to dim,
We can feel the rush of adrenalin
When all is said and done we know it’s time to go
A quick goodbye and then
Tomorrow night we’ll do it all again.

But how could we change even one little thing
Once the magic of playing’s begun
For who would believe after all of these years
That we’d still be here as Safam?

Live from New York it’s Saturday night
Where is the band gonna play?
Maybe New Jersey or out on the West Coast
Coming home late from somewhere only God knows
The children say “Daddy I love you the most,
Now what did you bring me today?”

Jerusalem I can still recall
Ay dai dai in America
Let ‘em out, let ‘em out, let ‘em out tonight
We are leaving Mother Russia,
We have waited far too long
Who could believe after twenty long years
Ya better believe that in twenty more years,
That we’ll still be here as Safam.

FAMILY
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1995

The Good Lord said in days gone by.
“Go be fruitful and multiply!”
Since Adam multiplied with Eve
All of us are family

Old Noah sailed upon the ocean,
But in the ark, a great commotion.
When back on land, he stopped to pray.
They all were in a family way

Family
We’ll find you a place on our family tree
Family

The word came down to Avraham:
Your wife will bear to you a son.
But Sarah laughed when she was told,
For she and Abe had grown too old

From Jacob came a dozen tribes
But Mother Rachel sat and cried;
For ten were lost and now are gone
And two were left to carry on the...

Family
You look like my cousin from Tel Aviv
Family

It could take a lifetime
Just to work it out
We could spend a lifetime
Trying to learn what this family’s all about

The Good Lord said in days gone by,
“Go be fruitful and multiply!”
Since Adam multiplied with Eve,
All of us are only one big...

Family
Come meet my mishpacha from Minnesota
Family

CANDLES OF THE MENORAH
Music by Joel Sussman Words by Joel Sussman & Robbie Solomon ©1995

Oh the winters are cold so it was on a late December 23rd,
I took my family to see where America’s founding fathers
Wrote their words.
As we walked along the way,
A homeless person found our gaze, and candles of the
Menorah brightened up the night
There in Philadelphia.

One of my children began, “Why is this man lying on
the street when it’s so cold?”
How could a child understand,
People like us could be safe and warm
While someone froze.
Down the street a well lit store, we bought some blankets,
three or four,
And candles of the Menorah brightened up the night
There in Philadelphia.

What a way to celebrate the festival of lights, perhaps to
help in some small way
This stranger through the night,
And as my children spoke of it
I saw within their eyes,
The candles burning brightly.

Charity’s only a word until it finds one who’s reaching
out to someone else,
Now all of my children have learned,
Chanukah is a festival for giving help.
The chance is there for just an instant,
You and I can make a difference,
As the prophet Elijah cries out I will be there
There where freedom’s light began,
I would come to understand,
How candles of the Menorah can brighten up your night
There in Philadelphia.

KEDOSHIM MEDLEY
Tribute to Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
Music and Added Words by Robbie Solomon ©1995 [Esa Einai music by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach]

I
Kedoshim tih’yu ki kadosh
Ani Hashem Elokeichem
Holy you shall be, holy you shall be
Ko amar Hakadosh Baruch Hu
Lai la lai, etc.

II
He was such a humble man
But great riches he possessed
In the magic of the songs he sang
All of us were blessed
In the magic songs that Shlomo sang
All of us are blessed

III
Esa einai el heharim
Mei-ayin yavo ezri
Ezri mei-im Hashem
Oseh shamayim va-aretz

IV
Amar Rabi Akivah
Zeh klal gadol batorah
V’ ahavtah l’ rei-acha kamocha
Ya ba ba bim bam, bim bim bam
Thus said Rabi Akivah
This is the essence of Torah
Love your neighbor as yourself
Zeh klal gadol batorah.

YAH RIBON ALAM
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1995

Yah ribon alam v’almayah
Ant hu malkah, melech malchayah.
Ovad g’vurteich, v’timhayah,
Sh’far kawdamach l’hachavayah.
Yah ribon
Sh’vachin asader, tsafrah v’ramshah,
Lach, Elahah kadisha, div’ra chol nafsha.
Irin kadishin, uv’nei enasha
Cheivat barah, v’ofei sh’mayah.
Yah ribon
Ravr’vin ov’dach, v’takifin,
Macheich ramaya, v’zakeif k’fifin.
Lu yechei g’var,
sh’nin al’fin,
La yei-ol g’vurteich b’chushb’nayah.
Yah ribon

In Spite Of It All

IN SPITE OF IT ALL
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©1999

Oh, my cousin was a soldier in the Yom Kippur War
He was only nineteen as he marched to the North
How we laughed through our tears when he came to the door
With his stories, his smile, and his song

Lada dada dai dam, dai dam
Sing us a song
Lada dada dai dam, dai dam
In spite of it all

It’s a tale so familiar in the lives that we’ve led
How we find some amusement in the good times and
the bad
For humor’s an elixir to the angry and sad
And to a people so long on the run

Chorus:
They say it’s a long rocky row that we hoe
And the end of the line always finds us alone
But it seems that what matters, more and more as we grow
Is the love between family and friends... Oh

The most beautiful sound that you ever will hear
Is the laughter of babies so high and so clear
And the smile on your face as you hold them, my dear
Is the unquestioned joy of my life.

Chorus

We have all had our troubles, some great and some small
And they’re likely to find us again before long
But we keep our good humor in spite of it all
So it’s time that you joined in the song...Oh

Chorus

POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1999

Avram planned a nice vacation, took his boy to mountain climb,
Wife thought it would give them both a chance to have some quality time.
Isaac volunteered to carry the knife, the rope and the firewood,
That’s a man with confidence and a positive mental attitude.

Chorus:
It’s all right now... looking at the way we live,
It’s all right... don’t ya be so negative.
It’s all right now... always look for what is good,
It’s all right... with a positive mental attitude.

Israelites were in the desert, soon they started to complain,
Reminisce about the old days when they were the Pharoah’s slaves.
Moses found the quick solution, give-a-them water, givea- them food,
Stopped the “kvetching” with the use of a positive mental attitude.

Chorus

You don’t need no marijuana to impress your loser friends,
You don’t need the latest fashions or drive a Mercedes Benz.
See the cup is it half empty,
No the cup it is half full,
You will always be the winner with a positive mental attitude.

You don’t need no Doctor Laura, you don’t need no Doctor Ruth,
To avoid a “ken ayin hora” and to always find the truth.
Although bad things sometimes happen to the people who are good,
You will always be the winner with a positive mental attitude.

Daniel climbed in with the lions, friends they said “don’t go in there,
If you’re gonna be with the lions, you will need the whip and chair.”
Daniel said, “I do not need them, I have something here to prove.
I will tame the mighty beast with a positive mental attitude.”

Chorus

L’CHA / ROMEMU
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1999

L’cha Hashem hag’dulah
V’hag’vurah v’hatiferet
V’haneitsach v’hahod
Ki chol bashamayim uva-aretz

L’cha Hashem hamamlacha
V’hamitnaseh l’chol l’rosh

Romemu Adoshem elokeinu
V’hishtachavu
Lahadom raglav kadosh hu
Romemu Adoshem elokeinu
V’hishtachavu
L’har kodsho
Ki kadosh Adoshem elokeinu

DO WHAT YOU DO
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1999

So many people rely on belief
On the road to heaven that’s their guarantee
When judgment day finally comes around
You know it’s not the thought that counts. (it’s what you)

Chorus:
Do...do...do...do
Do what you do
Do what you do but do it in this life

No sense in letting time slip by
Always waiting for the afterlife
It’s what we do with our time spent on earth
That determines what we’re worth

Chorus

Good intentions pave the road to hell,
While saying you love your neighbor as yourself,
But they’re just words and talk is cheap,
You gotta practice what you preach.

Chorus

HOLY GROUND
Music and English Words by Robbie Solomon ©1999

There’s a fire in the mountain, O Lord
There’s a bush there and it’s burning, O Lord
(Singin’) Hallelujah, take your shoes off now
This is holy ground

There’s a cry in the thunder, O Lord
There’s a roar in the waters, O Lord
But a still, small voice is plainly heard above it all
‘Cause it’s holy ground

It’s holy ground
And there’s a power everywhere
Can you hear the sound?
A change is coming in the air
It’s such a feeling
Like we’ve reached the Promised Land
Tell your neighbors, tell your children
Cause they’ve got to understand
This is holy ground.

The forest is on fire, O Lord
And the oceans are a-dying, O Lord
And the people wring their hands
‘Cause they did not understand
This was holy ground

It’s holy ground
And there’s a power everywhere
Can you hear the sound?
A change is coming in the air
It’s such a feeling
It’s your joy and sorrow, too
Do not violate the sacred trust
That God has made with you
This is holy ground.

Shal na-alecha mei-al raglecha
Ki admat kodesh hu

It can make you tremble
Take your shoes off now
You must remember
Do not violate the Holy Ground

MIZMOR L’TODAH (Psalm 100)
Music by Robbie Solomon ©1999

Hariu Ladoshem kol ha’aretz
Ivdu et Hashem b’simcha
Hariu Ladoshem kol ha’aretz
Bo’u l’fanav birnana

Mizmor l’todah todah

D’u ki Hashem hu Elokim
Hu asanu v’lo anachnu
D’u ki Hashem hu Elokim
Amo v’tson mari-otav

Mizmor l’todah todah

Bo-u sh’arav bo-u b’todah
Chatseirotav bit’hilah
Bo-u sh’arav bo-u b’todah
Hodu lo hodu lo barchu sh’mo

Mizmor l’todah todah

MI SHEBEIRACH
Music and English Words by Robbie Solomon ©1999

Mi shebeirach avoteinu
Mi shebeirach imoteinu
Yishlach b’rachah
V’hatzlachah
B’chol ma-asei yadecha
V’nomar, amein.

With our prayers we send you
A healing touch
May they comfort and mend you
And bring you back home to us
And with radiant blessings
Like the stars above
May you always be sheltered
In the arms of love

When kind words have been spoken
May they ease your pain
When your heart has been broken
May God make you whole again
And with infinite blessings
Like the stars above
May you always be sheltered
In the arms of love

In the arms of love there is such tenderness
In the arms of love we are forever blessed

And with Heaven to guide us
Like the stars above
May we always be sheltered
In the arms of love

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
Words and Music by Joel Sussman ©1999

Look how far we have come
In half a century,
From the ashes of war,
We stood alone, but now we’re home.

Chorus:
Where do we go from here?
We are the keepers of our brothers,
Well after 50 years,
Let’s find a way to love each other...now.

While others called us names,
We always stood together,
So let’s not play their games,
We should not fight, we must unite.

Chorus

Some want to study and some work the land,
Some make their own way and some need a hand.
If we could get past the things that divide,
K’lal Yisrael, would do us well,
Keeping the spirit alive.

We’re like a boat at sea,
Adrift on the water,
So come and join with me,
Just grab an oar, we’ll reach the shore.

Chorus

TZEDEK TZEDEK TIRDOF (Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue)
Amos 5:24, Deut. 48:20 Music and English Words by Robbie Solomon ©1999

Yigal kamayim mishpat
Utz’dakah k’nachal eitan

Chorus:
Tzedek, tzedek
Tzedek tirdof
L’maan tichyeh
Tzedek tirdof

Father I don’t understand
When I see injustice everywhere
I see a world of inequality,
Poverty, and greed
And people who just don’t care

Do not be discouraged, son
Listen to the prophet’s dream
He said that justice shall roll down like waters
And righteousness shall descend
Like a mighty stream

Chorus

Yigal kamayim mishpat
Utz’dakah k’nachal eitan

Is it just a fantasy
Could we see it all come true?
A world where honor and integrity
Will guide us through our lives
And justice we shall pursue!

If we have the will, my son
Then it will not be a dream
A time when justice shall roll down like waters
And righteousness shall descend
Like a mighty stream

Chorus

Chanukah Collection

EIGHT LITTLE CANDLES
Words and Music by Robbie Solomon ©2002

It’s Chanukah
The lights are low
Eight little candles all in a row
They cast their light
Into the night
That we may remember the glorious fight

And all of the eight days of Chanukah
These sacred candles in our home
They’re a sign of freedom, they’re a sign of light
Always may we watch them glow, watch them glow

Haneirot hallalu
Anachnu madlikim
Al hanissim v’al hanifla-ot
V’al hamilchamot
She-asitah la’avoteinu
Bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh

Oh Chanukah
A song of joy, a song of pride
Oh Chanukah
Our hearts are filled with delight

BLESSINGS FOR CHANUKAH
Original Music by Joel Sussman ©2003 Original Words by Joel Sussman & Robbie Solomon

Baruch atah Adoshem Elokeinu melech ha-olam
Asher, kid’shanu b’mitz’votav
V’tzivanu l’hadlik ner
Shel Chanukah... Amein

Baruch atah Adoshem Elokeinu melech ha-olam
She-asah nissim la’avoteinu
Bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh... Amein
Bayamim hahem, baz’man hazeh

For the songs we sing, and the lights we bless
As we tell the story again and again
Bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh

MI Y’MALEIL (Judas Macabbeus)
Original Music & Words by Joel Sussman ©2003

There is music in the air
For a holiday that everybody treasures
When family and friends
Made a point to always get together
And mother’s house was filled
With sufganiot and sizzling latkes
And father would re-tell
Stories of Judas Macabbeus.
(Singing) La La La La La.... Judah Macabbee
Mi y’maleil g’vurot Yisrael
Otan mi yimneh
Hein b’chol dor yakum hagibor
Go-el ha-am.
Sh’ma!
Bayamim haheim bazman hazeh
Makabi moshia ufodeh
Uv’yameinu kol am Yisrael
Yitached yakum v’higa-eil

Ever since I was a child
There was a holiday that I would treasure
When family and friends
Made a point to always get together
And mother’s house was filled
With sufganiot and sizzling latkes
And father would retell
Stories of Judas Macabbeus.

WE CALL IT CHANUKAH
Joel Sussman ©2003

Long ago and far away, in the village of Modi’in
There lived a man the likes of which the world has never seen
Matathias and his sons formed the Macabbees
And they fought the fight and earned their right
To a place in history
So we celebrate for eight days
What the Macabbees have done
And we call it Chanukah.

Though the Bible tells the tale of a flame that wouldn’t die
It is just a parable of a spirit deep inside.
Judah found the lantern but the flame had been consumed
Just a little jar of oil was all they
Found among the ruins
But a miracle occurred that night for the fire would not go out
So we celebrate for eight days
All the victories they won
And we call it Chanukah

Oh Chanukah (it’s a celebration)
Oh Chanukah (of a dedication)
Oh Chanukah, oh Chanukah, oh...oh...oh...oh.
Children of all ages all around the world
Lighting the menorah and singing Maoz Tsur (Maoz tsur y’shuati)