Jewish Music in Poland between the World Wars - Pages 247-248, 260, 283, 304

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[Pages 247-248]

Chaim Beigelman

Translated from Hebrew by Ada Holtzman

He was a violinist and a saxophone player. He was the son of Szymon. He was born in Lodz at 1916 and studied music there. He was educated in the environment and atmosphere of Jewish music lovers and he excelled in his music playing. He played in the entertainment theater “Ararat” and later in night clubs.

Chaim was the only survivor of the Beigelman family. After ghetto Lodz he was in various German Concentration Camps and in the end was liberated in the small town of Kamm in Bavaria, where he founded an orchestra name “The Happy Boys”, who served the American Forces in Germany. With this orchestra he also played before the Displaces Persons Camps in Germany. Later on he immigrated to the United States and he settled there.

[Page 252]

Pola Braun

(? - 1943)

Translated from Hebrew by Ada Holtzman

She was a composer and texts writer. She lived in Warsaw and composed music to the Polish theater. In the Warsaw ghetto she wrote poems which were sung by the singer Diana Blumenfeld. Among her famous poems: “Zuruk a hajm” (return home), “hat rachmanut” (please have pity), “a chalom” (a dream) and others. She was murdered in Majdanek during the year of 1943.

[Page 260]

Israel Yehoszua Gelbert

(1895 – 1942)

Translated from Hebrew by Ada Holtzman

Music teacher in Jewish schools in Lodz . He was born in Ozorków. He was the brother of a famous musician in America, Michal Gelbert. He studied music in Lodz and was a teacher of music and singing in secular schools at that town. He fulfilled his positions with much dedication and responsibility. He excelled in his love to the Jewish child. Gelbert also wrote music to Hebrew texts.

He perished during the Nazi German occupation in one of the Actions (Akcja).

[Page 283]

Zimra Zeligfeld

Translated from the original text in Yiddish by Berta Kipnis*
Edited by Ada Holtzman

Zimra Zeligfeld (? – 1942) – folk singer, interpreter of Yiddish songs. She was born in the little town of Staszow and was the oldest daughter of a poor heder teacher ("melamed"). Since childhood has she shown a musical gift and was blessed with a beautiful soprano voice.

When the family moved to Warsaw, new opportunities were open for the young Zimra. She joined the M. Shneur's folk choir. The conductor took interest in the gifted singer and promoted her to a soloist. And when Menachem Kipnis left the Opera, he found in Zimra a partner who joined him in popularizing Yiddish folksongs in Poland.

Zimra Zeligfeld sang with ease, and her lyric soprano resonated pleasantly. She never sang out of her register, and various melismatas and embellishments she did softly and calmly. Her interpretation was thought through and well prepared and she has never acted on her whim. After Zimra married M. Kipnis, the couple Kipnis-Zeligfeld became the most popular singing duet in the Yiddish artistic and musical world. With their numerous concerts in little towns and cities they revealed to the “Amcha" (the common folk) Jew the sounding world of the musical creativity and for the sophisticated intellectual listener – the originality of the Yiddish melodies.

Even in Warsaw ghetto Zimra Zeligfeld took part in concerts ventured by the Jewish Organization. In one of the “actions” she was captured by the Nazis and sent to Treblinka, where she was murdered.

Bibliography

Zalmen Zylbercweig, “Leksikon fun Yidishn teater”, Kadoshim-band, Mexico-City, Farlag “Alisheve”, p.3799-3803)

Redaktsie-kolegie: “Dos Bukh fun Lublyn”, Parizer komitet, Paris, (p. 306)

Zigmund Turkow: “Di ibergerisene tkufe” (p. 207)

Yonas Turkow: ”Azoy es iz geven…” (p. 243)

M. Kipnis: “Hundert folks-lider”, Buenos-Ayres, 1949(p. 17-21)

Yonas Turkow: ”Farloshene shtern: “ (p. 137-142)

*About the translator

Berta Kipnis was born in Ukraine, immigrated to the US in 1979. In a few years, while visiting Israel with her husband Nahum, she met his great uncle, famous writer for children, Levin Kipnis. Levin, then in his late 90's, told them the fascinating story about Menachem Kipnis, who was a brother of Nahum's great grandfather and as an orphan was brought up in the home of Levin's father in Ukraine.

Back in the US, Berta and Nahum with the help of YIVO found memoirs about Menachem and his own books and articles, published in “Haynt”, and were able to enjoy his wit and knowledge of Yiddish music.

[Page 300]

Cwi Naparstek

(1895-1982)

Translated by Ada Holtzman

A clarinet player, saxophone and bassoon player. He was born in Warsaw and since 1903 lived in Łódż. He was a descendent of a musicians' family and ever since he was a child he played the clarinet. He was the pupil of Prof. Zilberberg in the conservatoire of Winicki in Łódż and afterwards he was the pupil of Prof. Hilcher.

In the tears of 1913-1914 he played in the opera of Kalisz and while the philharmonic orchestra of Łódż was established, he was among its first members. For a certain period he played with the philharmonic orchestra of Warsaw but in the year of 1922 he returned to Łódż and played with the philharmonic orchestra there until 1938. He arrived to Eretz Israel, following the invitation of Bronislaw Huberman, and was among the first players of the Israeli philharmonic orchestra, where he played until 1961.

[Page 304]

Leon Pomeraniec

Translated by Ada Holtzman

A pianist, accompanist and theater player. He was active for many years in entertainment music and jazz, together with the best musicians in this field. During WWII he managed to arrive to Japan and from there to America, where he accompanied Misha Alman and Yasha Hefetz with the piano. He was also a member of a musical triplet who played on a very highly valued artistic level.

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