Israel Stands Alone
by Shifra Hoffman
www.shuva.net
                         
It's time to face the facts at last,
To see the die which has been cast...
For after all is said and done
"There's nothing new under the sun"
              
Israel is condemned by all
Nations large, and nations small
All join hands to heap their scorn
On the Jewish state...reborn!
 
The British sent their willing knave 
To lecture us "how to behave"
These paragons of humanity
Who held Jews under lock and key
 
The Soviets say :nyet, nyet, nyet"
Israeli oppresion we cannot let
Whose notorious iron gate
Prevented Jews to emigrate
 
Of French honor we surely know
As their vichy records show
Then,perhaps Israel should heed
Germany's "moral word and deed"
 
Of course, there's always the U.S.A.
To whom we look to "save the day"
Can it be...our only "friend"
Joins all the others in the end?
 
Oh, foolish Jews, have you not learned
As far as this old world's concerned
If Israel were to disappear
These nations would not shed a tear
 
For that which torah sages knew
Proves time again to be so true
Except for G-d, it's clearly shown
Israel...stands alone!

I Was Holding On To You
      By Yehezkel Laing
 
In the darkest days of Europe
When God hid his face from man
The Nazi fiends built killing camps
To fulfill their master plan
 
And on one night in one of these camps
The Nazi commander proclaimed
All the prisoners must dig a pit
And then they'll be a game
 
This game could not be won
It could not even end in a tie
All prisoners must jump the pit
And those who failed would die
 
A very odd couple of friends
Stood quietly and heard this news
One pious and old the other bare head and young
Both with the star of the Jews
 
We'll never make it across that far
Said the younger man to the old
The cards of our fate have been dealt to us
I think its time to fold
 
It's forbidden to take one's own life
Said the older man to the youth
Even just to live one more second
Before we reach the world of truth
 
So if its dig a pit and jump across
That they command the Jew
Dig the pit and jump across
Is exactly what we must do.
 
They dug and dug for hours
Till their bodies started to slump
All to make this enormous hole
Which they knew they could not jump
 
Then the Nazis lined the prisoners up
And the friends were told to run
Towards this hole they could not cross
So the fiends could have their fun
 
As their tired feet pushed off the ground
Their hearts made a thunderous thumping
Yelled the Rabbi to his friend
This is it! We are juuuuum-ping!
 
With their eyes shut tight
And their hearts in their throats
They rose up into the air
And time for a second froze in its place
And Heaven seemed to stare
 
And when at last, they opened their eyes,
Certain that they had died
They found themselves, safe and sound,
On the other side
 
How did you manage to do it?!?
Asked the skeptic man to his friend
One old man couldn't make this leap!
It must take the strength of ten!
 
Not I alone made the leap
I could never do something so bold
But called to Heaven in my forefathers' name
Their coat tails I took hold
 
And how in the world did you make the leap?
Asked the bearded Jew
Simple said his bare head friend
I was holding onto you.

The Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast will once again feature listener submitted poetry for the 3 Weeks period. Please email your poems of Jewish and / or Israeli content to bbresky@israelnationalradio.com with the subject line: Poetry Submission. If we like it, you will have the opportunity to read your poem live on the air. "The Beat with Ben Bresky" airs live every Tuesday at 5pm Israel time on Israel National Radio and is available as a podcast. For archives click here: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/Author.aspx/1180

Fallen Kingdom
by Svietka Ora
http://www.heder21.org

After signing of a “war” treaty Oct.16,1993

Sitting alone
On top a Judean mountain,
Looking down and beyond,
Feeling like an ancient queen,
Loving the kingdom-
She is about to loose.
Looking up
To the calmness of the sky,
Touching the stars as they stare back,
Bleeding like an ancient warrior,
Loving the country-
He just lost in the battle.
Standing un-sturdy
In the dune sands of a dream,
Grabbing the winds of a loss,
Crying like an ancient people;
Loving the land
They sold to the butcher,
Pound by pound-
Never to nurture it again.

--------------------

He Has Giveth (Yom Ha’Zikaron)
by Svietka Ora
http://www.heder21.org

He gave you fluffy clouds
     As reminder of my hugs.
He gave you big trees
      To conceal yourself from the enemy.
He gave you cold streams to bath in
      After a knight’s long march.
He gave you rain
      To mix in with your tears.
He gave you smiles of children
      To remember in combat.

He gave you the moon and the stars
      To guide you in your battle.
He gave you the smell of earth
      As a reminder of your roots.
He gave you a power of choice
      As in which unit you shall serve.
He gave you a nation
      To belong to and fight for.
He gave you a country
      To die for.
I am not Him!
I can only give you
Yellow flowers
For your grave.

----------------

If you would like to submit your poetry of Jewish and / or Israeli content, email bbresky@israelnationalradio.com

The annual Tzfat Klezmer Festival will be held this year August 10th - August 12th 2009. Although I don't have a complete schedule yet, I just recieved the program for the Beirav Synaogue performances which will include, as usual Israel National Radio's own Binyamin Shmuel Nakonechny.

Songs andf stories of Shlomo Calebach - Beirav in Gan Ha'ir Park

Monday: Aaron Razel, Rabbi Eyal Ya'akobovitch, Binyamin Steinberg
Tuesday: Yehudah Katz of Reva L'Sheva, Shlomo Katz, Meir Glazer
Wednesday: Chaim Dovid, Ben-Zion Solomon, Binyamin Nakonechny

Also performing will be Udi Davidi, Adi Ran, and of course, countless klezmer musicians from around the world.

For more info visit www.beirav.org
http://www.safed.co.il/klezmer-festival-safed.html
And our photo essay from a previous year: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/107187