I recently had the great pleasure of presenting this webinar at La Crosse, Wi's Global Initiatives Week and would like to share the video with you! There is a slight sound-delay in the beginning, so just let it play until the sound begins. https://www.anymeeting.com/WebConference-beta/RecordingDefault.aspx?c_psrid=E058DB868746 Peace and all good! Sonja It is amazing how the culture of my Norwegian family's heritage and that of the Jewish community I am researching has come together so unexpectedly! Last night I had the phenomenal opportunity to see Jewish-Norwegian singer Bente Kahan perform live at a concert the Witold Lutoslawski Concert studio of Polish Radio in Warsaw. I'm not sure if I have ever before been so moved by a performance. She was so authentic; she completely embodied the music, the stories, and the human beings who endured the atrocities of the Holocaust. Though the songs were in Polish and Yiddish, there was no need for me to know the translation. The meaning shot straight to my heart from hers; truly soul-to-soul communication. "Performing" (I would think its more like "communicating") any music from the Holocaust, of any tragedy or historical event, holds so much weight and responsibility. Bente Kahan's interpretation --- embodiment, really --- clearly reminded me how absolutely important it is to be AUTHENTIC in "performance". I so wish I could have shared this incredible experience with everyone, but I have found some videos that can at least introduce you to Jewish songs and Bente Kahan. These were songs that were actually sung in the ghettos and concentration camps of WWII; she truly enlivened the music of the Holocaust. More information about Kahan can be found on her website: http://www.bentekahan.eu/biography.php I was most moved by Undzer shtetl brennt (Our Town is Burning!) Lyricist: Mordecai Gebirtig Composer: Mordecai Gebirtig Original Title: Undzer shtetl brent! Mordecai Gebirtig, born in 1877 in Krakow, Poland, was a Yiddish folk poet and songwriter. He wrote "Undzer shtetl brent!" in 1936, following a pogrom in the Polish town of Przytyk. During the war, the song became popular in the Krakow ghetto and inspired young people to take up arms against the Nazis. It was sung in many ghettos and camps, and translated into Polish and several other languages. Gebirtig was killed in June 1942 during a roundup for deportation from the Krakow ghetto. Today, "Undzer shtetl brent!" remains one of the most performed commemorative songs. English Language Lyrics: It's burning, brothers! It's burning! Oh, our poor village, brothers, burns! Evil winds, full of anger, Rage and ravage, smash and shatter; Stronger now that wild flames grow -- All around now burns! And you stand there looking on With futile, folded arms And you stand there looking on -- While our village burns! It's burning, brothers! It's burning! Oh, our poor village, brothers, burns! Soon the rabid tongues of fire Will consume each house entire, As the wild wind blows and howls -- The whole town's up in flames! And you stand there looking on With futile, folded arms, And you stand there looking on -- While our village burns! It's burning, brothers! Our town is burning! Oh, God forbid the moment should arrive, That our town, with us, together, Should go up in ash and fire, Leaving when the slaughter's ended Charred and empty walls! And you stand there looking on With futile, folded arms, And you stand there looking on -- While our village burns! It's burning, brothers! Our town is burning! And our salvation hands on you alone. If our town is dear to you, Grab the buckets, douse the fire! Show that you know how! Don't stand there, brothers, looking on With futile, folded arms, Don't stand there, brothers, douse the fire! -- Our poor village burns! This information is from the United States Memorial Museum Website: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_so.php?ModuleId=10005213&MediaId=2621 More videos of interest:
Today I went to my first Hebrew language class --- taught entirely in Polish. I arrived early enough to strategically hide myself somewhere in the middle and back behind a tall Polish man, hoping that I would be able to happily take in the class and never be called on --- lest I didn't understand a question asked in the complicated language of Polish about the even more complicated language of Hebrew. I was actually able to understand quite a few of the teacher's comments on Hebrew grammar, that she was going to teach us conversational Israeli Hebrew and not the Biblical Hebrew of the Torah, and that, so sorry, but the text book is in Hebrew and English, not Hebrew and Polish (VICTORY!). Quite pleased, I said polite "Thank yous" and "Here you gos" to my neighbors while passing photocopied worksheets to one another, thinking that I would successfully hide my non-Polish identity and be on my merry way home after class. I realized in horror, however, that the next task in the class was standing up and introducing yourself to the whole group as well as sharing why you wanted to learn Hebrew. My heart started to pound and as others introduced themselves, I tried to formulate a competent introduction with my limited vocabulary. When it was finally my turn, I stood up and said, "Dzien dobry! Jestem Sonja. Usze sie polskiego..." "Hello! I'm Sonja. I'm learning Polish..." and before I could say anything else, the instructor exclaimed (in Polish), "What!? How much of the last hour have you understood? Only a little?" "Tak, troche." "Yes, a little" "Skad jestes?" "Where are you from?" "Jestem z Stanow." "I am from the States." "Dlaczego jestes w Polce?" "Why are you in Poland?" At this moment I was so thankful that I had earlier noticed a poster in the room that said, "Building a Jewish Future in Krakow" in both Polish and English, so even though I can never remember the word for Jewish, I could steal a quick look at the poster. "Studiuje musyki zudowskjei tutaj na JCC!" "I study Jewish music here at the JCC!" "Musyka Zudowska?" "Jewish Music?" "Tak." "Yes." She asked how long I have been in Krakow, and when I said, "4 togodny," "4 weeks." She exclaimed, "Only 4 weeks and you speak so beautifully? Bardzo swietnie. Witamy z Polsce." "Very wonderful. Welcome to Poland!" Red-cheeked and having caused waves of whispers across the room, I was more than relieved to sit and listen to the next introduction. It is so humbling to be so frequently in situations where I must speak in a new language. So often we judge people's intelligence based upon their ability to communicate in OUR language. It makes me cringe to think about what people think of me sometimes. I'm in Poland on a prestigious scholarship to do independent research, but the man who asked me for directions on the street to day or the woman from the local store would never guess that based upon my pre-school locational vocabulary or ridiculous pantomime illustrating my need for a kitchen sponge. Even so early on in my experience here, I have gained so much perspective on our perception of intelligence and even personality through language. I have an immense amount of respect for anyone who comes to a new country and attempts to learn and use a new language. It takes so much effort, intelligence, and guts. It is an incredibly humbling feeling to struggle to say the simplest of things; not being able to express yourself freely is exhausting and frustrating. Its something we take for granted in the United States; especially in rural or mono-cultural communities we do not encounter English-as-a-Second-Language speakers as often as people in Europe. True, there are loads more languages spoken here and frequent exchange across foreign borders, and here it is almost essential to know at least two languages. Many speak at least two fluently, and many know a few more at beginner levels. I'm not harping on Americans for their lack of bi- or tri-lingual skills (I will admit it is practically less necessary), but I definitely think that more credit should be given to ESL learners, and more patience and understanding should be extended to them. Now, if someone has been in a foreign country for many years and has made little to no effort to learn the language and requires others to accommodate their lack of language skills (as I have frustratingly run into with some expats here and individuals stateside), that is another story. But I cannot explain how much it means to me when Polish people encourage me and/or repeat themselves more slowly and clearly (not with more volume, mind you). I am so grateful to the Polish people who have taken the time to spend time with me, not just to help me in desperate situations of need but actually invite me out to coffee, gently correct my grammatical mistakes, and offer to help me with seemingly simple situations and the post office or shoe repair shop that become intensely complicated with a limited vocabulary. If people judged my personality based on my Polish, they would find me a timid girl with an occasional stutter who didn't pass 2nd grade. I hope that perceived personality loses its stutter and passes 6th grade by the time I leave! All in all, I do make a fool of myself every day, but I am learning to laugh about it and just be a fool. That is how I will truly learn and become more confident in this language. I find that the Polish people are generally so grateful that I am making an honest effort to learn their language and immerse myself in their culture, and in return they have something to laugh about at the dinner table with their friends and family. "So today this one girl was trying to speak Polish..." From the point when I started to write my Fulbright application to the point when I arrived in Krakow, Poland, I have been asked, "What is the Fulbright?" "Why Poland?" and "So, what will you be doing, exactly?" These questions and more will answered below for inquiring minds who want to know! Tune in to a later post that will address, "How the heck did you end up in Poland?"...its a longer story. "What's a Fulbright?"
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AuthorFulbright Scholar and coloratura soprano Archives
July 2016
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