HAZANUT - CANTORIAL MUSIC

Long playing 33 1/3 R.P.M. record produced by Hed-Arzi Ltd Israel

The Best of Malavsky

Side A

1. Shomea Kol Bechiot ( שומע קול בכיות)

2. Maran Dvishmaya (מרן דבשמיא)

3. Ata Yodea (אתה יודע)

4. Hoshana (הושענא)

Side B

1. Beyn Melitz (באין מליץ)

2. Zechor (זכור)

3. Al Het (על חטא)

4. Ashamnu Mikol Am (אשמנו מכל עם)

The Hazanut Chapter
My Parents Beti and David, were great lovers of Hazanut. They knew by heart all the names of the big Hazanut performers( Rosenblatt, Koussevitzky, Werdiger, Pinchik, Glanz, Vigoda, Sirota, Malavsky etc...), and all the famous masterpieces sung by these cantors ( Kol Nidrei, Avinu Malkenu, Shir Hamaalot, Slichot, Hineni, Ribon Haolamim, Tov Leodot, Halelu Es Hashem etc... ).

My Mom and Dad were addicted listeners to the Hazanut radio concerts and also kept and played some records at home. Mom had a good voice and she used to try and immitate the hazan's performance - usually with good results.

In East Europe where we came from, a great hazan (jewish cantor) was considered one with an above -average voice (an opera singer's voice) and a thorough knowledge of the prayers ( a baal tefila) that will enable him to successfully conduct the religious service at the synagogue during the Holidays ,and attract through his performance, a great audience.

Among the famous cantors there were three well known opera singers that appeared on the stage of most important opera houses in the world: Joseph Smith, Jan Peerce, Richard Tucker.

חזן מועדף

על חזן להיות טוב בתפילות

לדעת להרטיט לבבות

בקול של זמר אופרה

ונשמה של בעל תפילה

הורי בטי ודוד היקרים

"היו לגמרי "מכורים

לפרקי חזנות ולקול חזן

הן מקומי והן מן העולם

הם ידעו 'לגלגל' על לשונם

שמו של כל חזן מפורסם

רוזנבלאט, שטרן, ויגודה

מלאבסקי, פינצ'יק, סירוטה

ועוד כהנה וכהנה מפורסמים

שהושמעו ברדיו וע"ג תקליטים

כגון הטנורים טאקר ויאן פירס

וכן הגדול מכולם, גיוזף שמידט

אמי אהבה מדי פעם לנסות

את הקולות "הגדולים" לחקות

ובקולה הרם, הצלול, והחם

הגישה ביצוע לא רע בכלל

Cantor de sarbatori

La sinagoga, un cantor bun

Atragea enoriasii la rugaciuni

Prin glasul lui dramatic de tenor

Prezenta , si stil acaparator

Imi amintesc ca se vroia neaparat

A sti cine e cantorul angajat

De sarbatorile cele Mari

La cantatul capitolelor 'tari'

Ai mei erau mari admiratori

Ai unor cantori nemuritori

Ca Rozenblatt, Stern, Vigoda

Pinchik, Malavsky, Sirota

Acasa ascultau la radio regulat

Programul de Hazanut difuzat

Si apoi au trecut la cel televizat

Care le oferea ore de neuitat

Mama incerca sa imite

Prin vocea ei, cele auzite

Si o facea destul de bine

Cu talent si siguranta de sine

My Mom's Crochet Work

Various Doilies

My Mom Beti (Bracha) enjoyed crocheting with her small crochet hook. It gave her pleasure, relaxation and...fun.

She concentrated on small doilies that could use as table ornaments or coasters. She also crocheted some bigger items such as shawls, scarves, tablecloths, vests, and even a dress.

Unfortunately, I don't have her skill, so I cannot give information on the techniques of her crocheting, stitch and pattern details. I can only mention that she preferred D.M.C. cotton yarn, the ecru colour, and that she put love in every stitch.

Mom gave away some of the crocheted dolies as a gift to relatives, friends, neighbours. I keep the remaining items in a special box, taking them out now and then to enjoy their beauty and delicacy and remind myself of their creator, my dearest Mom.

מפיות סרוגות

אמי השקיעה המון אהבה
בכל פריט שהיא סרגה
לרוב היו אלה מפיות
ששמשו קישוט על שולחנות

עשתה שימוש בחוטים

בשלל מידות וצבעים

המציאה דוגמאות שונות

פשוטות וגם מורכבות

פה ושם נתנה כמתנה

אחד מן הפריטים שסרגה

את מה שנותר אני שומרת

בקופסא מיוחדת, למזכרת

Milieuri Crochetate

In timpul liber Mama crocheta

Cu placere, din toata inima

Milieuri facea ea multe

Dar si esarfe, shaluri, veste

Intrebuinta diferite fire

Ca culoare si grosime

Nu se uita prin jurnale

Ci crea pare-se originale

Cand si cand a dat cadou

Un mare sau mic milieu

Restul intr-o cutie pastrez

Scot, de ea sa-mi amintesc.

HERSHOLE

Hersh (Herman) Cojocaru

My Brother Herman

He was the Talent in the family. He had talent for music, languages, figures. Unfortunately, he loved soccer more than anything else, and so he spent the best hours of his boyhood on the"maidan" (field) playing soccer or watching others do that.

He didn't take school too seriously, but did well on violin private lessons, attending regularly and practising as required. At that time, though, there was no high school or any vocational school in our small home town Saveni, and my parents didn't have the means to keep him at school in another town. They sent him, however, to a commercial school in a bigger city where he attended some short basic course in commerce and accountancy and came back to start working and earning a living.

I don't know how he did it, but at merely 16 he got to manage a kiosk at the only mechanical plant in town. It sold chocolates, cigarettes, light beverages ,beigels. He did a good job and made a nice side profit too. However, in a year or so it closed down, and he was glad to be accepted as assistant to the manager of the cooperative grocery store in the center of the town.

In Israel, while in the army regular service, he was persuaded to attend a course in turnery , he did so, and then ,surprisingly , he sticked to this trade for many years.

My brother liked to have friends around him. He was tall and good looking, had great humor, and this attracted people. Now and then, he enjoyed playing the violin for his own pleasure or for a small audience of friends and neighbours.

The death of his only child , Shai, and the difficulty encountered by the couple in having another one, destroyed his health. He loved children in general , he used to be mad about his own child, so he was facing now a tragic situation.

By the end of June 1998, his wife insisted that they fly to the Spa of Herculane in Romania , have some light treatment, and continue from there to Budapest by train. He wasn't feeling well , so he refused the plan at first, but changed his mind as he didn't want to let her down (She hoped to meet some relatives of hers, residents of Budapest) . Looking back, I guess he was also afraid of being left  alone at home  while feeling not so well and being before an important heart echo test.

The outcome of the trip was terrible. His wife returned on the plane without him .  He, or rather his coffin with his remains, came later because of arrangements that had to be made. The tragic irony of his untimely death (on the 4th of july) was that he had collapsed suddenly in front of the TV set while watching ....the Mondial (World Cup) soccer games ! Soccer - the thing he loved most.

אחי היחיד הרמן

הרמן, אחי הגדול

היה נאה, ובעל כשרון

במוסיקה, שפות, חשבון

אך אהב כדורגל יותר מכל

למגינת לבם של ההורים

העביר זמנו במגרש המשחקים

יותר מאשר בכיתת הלימודים

והדבר הפריע לקידומו בחיים

הוא אהב אוכל טוב וטעים

ואף ניסה את ידו בבישולים

אך אהבה זו, כידוע ברבים

לא תורמת לחיים בריאים

,פטירתו של שי, ילדו הקט

סכוי נמוך להולדת ילד נוסף 

הביאו להתדרדרות במצבו

והחישו, כך נראה, את מותו

יולי 1998 הדבר הנורא קרה

בחדר בבודפסט, תוך צפיה

במשחקי גביע המונדיאל

גופו לפתע קרס, לבו נדם

אחי "שב" מהטיול בארון

איזה גורל מר, איזה אסון

אין מילים לתאר את השברון

מנת חלקי, מאז ועד היום

כאילו היה זה אתמול...

כאשר קרה הנורא מכל

והוא הלך ממני בלי שוב

בהשאירני עם לב שרוף

מכאב, ואף רגשות אשם

שלא עשיתי די להחזיקו כאן

Fratele meu Hersh (Herscu)

Herscu, singurul meu frate

Avea talent si calitate

Mai mult ca orice-i placea,

Football pe teren a juca

Dupa un curs de comerciala

A fost angajat la 'Alimentara'

Strungar a devenit aici, in tara

Lucrand in industria militara

Multi amici si cunoscuti avea

Cu care deobicei se intrunea,

discuta, se distra ,se sfatuia

El  fiind 'Meleh Hahavura'

Shai, unicul sau copil, baiat,

De o cumplita boala a decedat

Sanatatea lui Hersh a deteriorat

Ca urmare al acestui tragic fapt

In iulie '98, seara, in Budapesta

In camera doar Hersh si nevasta
El urmarea cu pasiune meci pe ecran

In cadrul jocurilor Cupa Mondial

Si dintrodata, pe neasteptate, subit

Cu tot trupul pe jos sa prabusit

Sotia , a mai apucat sa vada

Caderea lui tragica,  finala

Acasa, a ramas orfana

Vechea sa, loiala vioara

'Es Toighinisht'
Herscu , mai frate

Ai fost ceva aparte

Stiu bine ce-am avut

Si pe cine am pierdut

"Toighinisht"- iti era lozinca

In Yidish, ce mult ma enerva!

Dar azi vad clarviziunea ta
Tu, nu noi, ai inteles realitatea

Imi lipsesti si te regret

Cer iertare, dau respect

Sufletului tau nemuritor

Amintirii tale de fratior

KUPAT HOLIM CLALIT

Primary Clinic in "Qedma" in Ramat-Hasharon

Clalit Health Services

Kupat Holim Clalit is a major health organization in Israel that has primary as well as specialized clinics, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, etc... In almost every neighborhood there's a primary health care clinic which serves the community.

My parents had a 'soft spot' for this institution. The Clalit Clinic was the first vital place in Israel they visited as new immigrants, hoping to find there care and healing. Besides, the clinic (even more than the synagogue) was a central place where people met bi-weekly or monthly for a chat before entering and/or after leaving the doctor's office or the pharmacy.

Up to the end, Mom and Dad respected Kupat Holim Health Provider , and were confident in the family medical staff, despite many disappointments , regarding the attitude and treatment they received over the years.

Kupat Holim should have been there for teaching prevention and treating urgency, yet it mostly made people dependent on the family doctor and the medicines he/she prescribed (not always successfully).

Looking back, I would say my parents reached old age not becase of Kupat Holim, but in spite of it and its services.

קופ"ח כללית

קופת חולים או שרותי בריאות

לא חשוב השם כי אם המהות

הורי האמינו במוסד הנ"ל

אך זה 'בגד' בהם לא פעם

הם נתנו אמון ברופא המשפחה

אך הוא לעיתים גרם אכזבה

נהג לרשום להם תרופות

מבלי תחילה לערוך בדיקות

מתן תרופות זהו שם המשחק

שמתנהל בין הרופא והאזרח

אי הקפדה בבחירת תרופות הופך את החולה לשפן נסיונות

היתה בכולנו וגם בהורי, תמימות

בכל הנוגע למערכת הבריאות

מבנה, שיטות, תרופות, רופא

ומה שזה עשה לאדם החולה

אני נוהגת לפעמים לומר

שהורי הגיעו לגילם המבוגר

למרות פעלולי הקופה

לא בשל השרותים שלה

Kupat Holim si Parintii Mei

Kupat Holim Clalit

Cu clinica -n orice district

Acorda constant ajutor medical

Contra suma de asigurare minimal

Parintii mei aveau incredere-n 'Kupa'

Si-n doctorul de familie la 'Marpea'

Insa uneori acestia au dezamagit

Prin acordare de tratament gresit

Mergeau parintii, lunar, pe indelete

Sa-si ia saculetul cu medicamente

Tata pentru arsuri si hypertensiune

Mama pentru vaz, auz, si slabiciune

Obisnuiesc sa spun si eu cateodata

Ca parintii au ajuns la o varsta inaintata

In ciuda serviciilor primite la 'Kupa'

Si nicidecum datorita acestora.

MOM, THE BLESSING

Beti (Bracha) Cojocaru 

My dearest Mother

Mom had two first names: Bracha (Bruha ) and Beti. Bracha means 'blessing' in Hebrew, and indeed she was a Blessing to her family and to all around her. She could do anything, be anything. She could sew, knit, sing ,cook wonderful dishes, heal certain ailments . She had wit, humour, a nice voice, a good -looking figure. She was both kind and tough. full of energy, inventive, and - despite of the hardships of life - optimistic.

My Mom was the Engine behind her immediate family which included Dad, Me, and my Brother. She had to be, as we were shy and rather slow, surely compared to her.

Besides being a good homemaker, she contributed to the family's modest budget with money she earned from sewing for the rural women from the villages around Saveni, and from practising some forms of healing (cupping, anemas, massage).

Bracha, my mother, had a passion for crochet-knitting and music. Both hobbies, unfortunately, became difficult for her as the years went by, because she was gradually becoming deaf and blind.
Blindness was due to the glaucoma disease with which she was diagnosed in her late sixties. With deafness it's an earlier story. During the Holocaust, she got hit on her head and ears by a german officer . The consequence was a perforated ear and frequent headaches, all of which led to the beginning of her deafness condition . Her ears weren't any more what they used to be before the incident with the officer's bayonete.

After losing, in the Holocaust, her little girl Mina Ruhale and her youngest sister Rifca as well as most of her own health, she returned to town a human wreck. Fortunately, her optimistic nature and inner vitality helped her a lot in her efforts to recovery.

אמא שלי, ברכה קוז'וקרו

אמא ,אמא יקרה שלי

היהלום שבכתר המשפחתי

חריפת שכל, ברוכת כשרונות

כמוה פוגשים לעיתים נדירות

בעלת עור ושיער בהיר היתה

תכולת עיניים, קלת תנועה

על אף הופעתה העדינה

ידעה גם כיצד להיות קשוחה

היא תרמה לכלכלת המשפחה

עם כסף שהרוויחה מתפירה

ומביקורי בית בעניני רפואה

כגון כוסות רוח ושטיפות קיבה

אהבנו התבשילים והעוגות

מעשה ידיה המיומנות

ממולאים, מרקים, קציצות

עוגת שיש, קוגל אטריות

תחביבה - סריגה במסרגה אחת

עם חוט בהיר ,מסוג מיוחד

עשרות מפיות היא יצרה

עד לרגע בו מאור עיניה נפגע

(בשל מחלת הגלאוקומה הארורה)

גם מוסיקה לשמוע אמא אהבה

בין היתר, פרקי חזנות כבקשתך

עד לשלב ששמיעתה התדרדרה

ואז, גם הנאה זו ממנה נלקחה

איבוד הדרגתי של ראיה ושמיעה

לא פגם ברצון החיים העז שלה

מבחינה זו מיוחדת היתה במינה

ראויה לכל הערכה ואף הערצה

עברו עליה פרקי חיים קשים

השואה, שכול של יקירים

גם המוות לא חסך ממנה יסורים

עד לרגע בו נגמר פתיל החיים

Beti (Goldesfarb) Cojocaru

Bruha, Beti, mama mea

A avut o viata cam grea

Fiind insa optimista si isteata

Sa " mentinut la suprafata"

Din Transnistria a revenit schimbata

Bolnava, trista, si indoliata

Caci a pierdut acolo o copila si o sora

Deabia mai putea sa scoata o vorba

Era ea o binecuvantare, o 'bracha'

Pentru rude, vecini, si familia sa

Harnica, desteapta, inimoasa

Cu asta a fost ea norocoasa

Stia sa gateasca minunat

Sa puna legume la murat

Prepara dulceata si compot

Facea copturi simple dar si tort

Lucra la masina de croitorie,

Ajuta cateodata lui tata in frizerie

Mai castiga un ban (fara scuze)

Din 'specialitatea' ei- lipire de ventuze.

Ii placea sa citeasca, sa cante, sa crocheteze

Treptat insa a fost nevoita sa abandoneze

Aceste 'hobbies', pe care le-a savurat

Caci vederea si auzul s-au deteriorat

Cuvinte in Adagio

Oh mama, mama mea

Stau si gandesc la fiinta ta

Ochii tai albastrii si senini

Glas expresiv si cristalin

Tenul neted si frumos

Parul moale, matasos

Oh mama, mama mea

Mi-e dor si resimt lipsa ta

Ma doare si plang mereu

Far'de tine mi-este greu

Te caut si nu te zaresc

Caci esti in mediul ceresc

Oh mama, mama mea

In veci eu nu te voi uita

Caci m-ai crescut si educat

Intotdeauna ajutat

Cu ce-ai putut, si ce-ai avut

Mari eforturi ai facut