English

Songs and Piyyutim

Name of speaker: 
Hadassa Toledano
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Executive at the Israeli tax authority
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
78
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Hodaya Toledano
Year of recording: 
2018

Shabbat and holiday foods

Name of speaker: 
Hadassa Toledano
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Executive at the Israeli tax authority
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
78
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Hodaya Toledano
Year of recording: 
2018

The Jewish school in Tripoli

Name of speaker: 
Hadassa Toledano
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Executive at the Israeli tax authority
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
78
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Hodaya Toledano
Year of recording: 
2018

Tale of the Sultan and the loaf of bread

Name of speaker: 
Hadassa Toledano
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Executive at the Israeli tax authority
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
78
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Hodaya Toledano
Year of recording: 
2018
Translator: 
Wiktor Gebski

Translation: 

(1) once upon a time there was a Sultan (2) that Sultan was thinking what to do in order to
see the people of the city (3) he took off the clothes of sultan and put on what all the people
wear (4) and he went down to the town to see how they live, what they think, what they do,
how they work, how they live (5) and went and started from the new city and saw rich people,
they sell and buy and live well (6) then he went to the old town and was going around (7) and
he saw a blind-alley in which houses were old, they are going to fall down, and they live hard
life, they do not have anything to eat or to drink (8) and he knocked on one of the doors of
the building and entered (9) and the woman and man who lived in that house took him inside,
and showed him respect and said: we are very much inviting you, and we would like to pay
you respect, and they took out whatever they had, and gave him job and gave him everything
(10) and he left (11) when he was leaving he said: what should I do to help them so they live
happily with a lot of children, in a big family, how should I help them so they live happy life
(12) days were passing by after two or three months he sent one of his helpers to call that
man whom he visited (13) two of his helpers went, they knocked on the door, and told the
man: the Sultan is calling you (14) he feared great fear and said: what the Sultan wants from
me? What have I done? I have not done anything (15) and he went, the Sultan called me, he
said, so I must go (16) he went with them, the man first and the two helpers behind him,
scarred what the Sultan wants from him (17) he arrived at Sultan’s house, the entourage of
the Sultan received him (18) the Sultan greeted him and sat down next to him and said:
today you are my guest (19) and he threw for him great dinner, and he sat down next to him
at the table and was eating with him, and after he dinned with him, he went to his baker, the

Sultan’s baker, and told him: bake for me big bread and fill it with coins, gold (20) he put
inside the coins in the bread, put it in a bad and gave it to him (21) the man left, put the bag
with the bread under the armpit and got on the road (22) on the road he encountered his
friend (23) the friend told him: where have you been? Why are you wearing so festive and
clean clothes? (24) he told his mate, his friend: the Sultan called me and invited me inside
and dressed me up and cleaned me and I ate at his place and he gave me this bread to take
it home (25) he said: will you sell me this bread? (26) he said: yes, I will sell it to you (27) I
will give you ten francs (28) the poor man told him: ten francs? I will be able to buy bread for
the whole week and give it to my children to eat (29) he said: all right, take it (30) he gave
him the bread and took ten francs (31) he went home and told his wife what a treatment he
received from the Sultan and that he took ten francs so they can buy food for their children all
week (32) the days passed by and the Sultan called him, he sent for him his people and they
brought him (33) he was not afraid of the Sultan, because he knew what the Sultan is going
to do (34) he went with them and the Sultan did what he did the first time (35) I forgot to tell
you that before he called him up, the Sultan had sent someone to see what he did with the
money, I mean if his house looks better, if the children are well dressed and how his wife is
doing (36) and he saw that nothing has happened, as it has been before he was leading poor
life (37) so the sultan took pity on him for the second time in order to see what he will do if he
gives them money again (38) again he sat down and ate with him and again he gave him that
bread filled with coins, gold, and he put it in a bag and gave him and he put it under the
armpit and left (39) and he met his friend, like the first time (40) he told him: oh, the Sultan
called you again? (41) he said: yes (42) he told him: what do you have under your armpit?
(43) the bread that the Sultan gave me (44) he said: will you sell it to me? (45) he told him:
yes, I will sell it to you (46) he said: I will give you in return fifty francs (47) for fifty francs I will
put food on the table for my children, my family (48) he took from him fifty francs and went
home (49) he told his wife what happened, he ate and drunk for one month or two for those
fifty francs and then came back to be poor again (50) the days passed by and the Sultan
said: we will go to see, we will send him people so we can learn how he lives after I gave him
twice money and gold (51) the Sultan send his people, and they went and saw that he lives
in poverty as he used to live before, and his children wear dirty clothes, poor life (52) they
went to the Sultan and told him: he lives as he lived before, nothing helped (53) the sultan
said: let’s check for the third time (54) he called him again and he came to his house (55) the
Sultan again received him like the first time, he made for him big bread full of gold and gave
it to him (56) while he was going down the Sultan’s stairs, he slipped and a big blow
happened and blood started dipping from him and from this blood came out an inscription on
the wall: if I made him poor - try to make him rich, if I killed him – try to make him alive (57) it
means everything comes from the God (58) the God wanted his man to be poor, without anything, without food, the money that the Sultan gave him was not for him, but for the friend
that he met on the way (59) and when the God killed him, the Sultan could not make him
alive, wake him, I mean try to make him alive, you are not able to resurrect him.

Transcription: 

(1) kān ya ma kān, aʿlā́ wā́ḥəd ṣəḷṭā́n (2) hadā́k ṣəḷṭā́n qaʿd yəxə́mməm kifā́š yʿáməl bāš yā́ṛa ulā́d lblād (3) naḥā́ ḥwā́yžu nčʿ ṣəḷṭā́n u lbəṣ li ləbsū́ nās lkəll (4) u ṅẓəl lblād bāš yā́ṛa kifā́š ʿayšī́n, šā yəxámməmu, šā yʿámlu, šā yəxádmu, kifāš ʿayšī́n (5) mšā bdā filblād lždī́da u ṛā nās čʿa ʿširī́n u yəbʿýu u yəšṛə́yu u ʿayšī́n bā́i (6) u mšā lblād qdī́ma u qʿad yədū́ṛ (7) u ṛā ẓə́ṅqa ləḥyā́š fīya qdəmm u mašī́n yətī́ḥu u aʿyšī́n bəṣṣā́b u ma aʿndə́mš ma yā́klu ma yəšáṛbu (8) u dəqq ʿala wā́ḥəd bāb čʿa ḥūš li māš yətī́ḥ u dxəl dā́xəl (9) u lmṛa u ṛā́žəl li saknī́n fi hadī́k əlḥūš daxxlū́ u ʿamlū́lu kaḅū́ḍu u qalū́lu: aḥnā́n ʿazmnā́k bzā́yəd u naʿmlu kabūdək bilʿándna u taḷḷʿulu li ʿándam u ʿatā́wu xádma u ʿatáwu kəll šəyy (10) u mšā (11) kif əmšā́ qāl: šā nʿáməl bāš naʿwənnəm bāš yʿáyšu bā́i bzáyd ulād u fʿā́ila kbī́ra, kifā́š nʿawə́nnəm bāš yʿáyšu ʿáyša bā́ya (12) mšáu yām bʿad šahṛī́n tlā́ča baʿṭ wā́ḥəd mən dā́yṛa čʿau yətábbaḥ ʿal adā́k əṛṛāžəl li mšā ʿándu (13) žau zūz mən dā́yṛa čʿau, daqqū́ ʿal adā́k əl bāb u qā́lu lrā́žəl qallū́lu: əṣṣəḷṭā́n yətábbaḥ ʿalīk (14) ūwa xāf xū́fa kbī́ra qāl: šu ḥābb áʿndī əṣṣəḷṭā́n? ša ʿamə́ltš? ma ʿamə́ltš šəy (15) u mšā əṣṣəḷṭā́n tabbā́ḥ ʿaləy qāl lā́zəm nə́mši (16) ū́wa mšā mʿam, ržəl qaddā́m u zūz rəžlī́n wṛā, xā́yəf ša ḥābb ʿándu əṣṣəḷṭā́n (17) wuṣúḷ lḥōš əṣṣəḷṭā́n, qbúlhu əddā́yṛa čʿa əṣṣəḷṭā́n (18) əṣṣəḷṭā́n ṣəllī́m ʿalə́y, u qʿad ḥdā́u u qállu yūm ča əḍḍīf čʿai (19) u ʿamə́llu ġdā kbī́r u qʿad maʿ fəṭṭā́wla u čə́ġda mʿa u bʿa ma čə́ġda mʿa žā əlxabbā́z čau ča ṣəḷṭā́n qállu: xbə́zli xábza bā́ya kbī́ṛa u ʿabbə́ya bilwīz, dhəbb (20) ḥátlo fī́a lwīz, dhəb filxə́bza u ḥattā́lo filkī́sa u aʿtā́lo (21) mšā adā́k ərrā́žəl, ḥatt əlkī́sa mʿa lxā́bza čaḥ čbʿtu u mšā fəṭṭrī́q (22) fəṭṭrī́q lqā ṣáḥbu (23) ṣáḥbu qállu wən kə́ntš? kifā́š ə́nča lā́bəs bā́i u ṅḍīf u kəll šəy (24) qāl lḥbī́bu, lṣáḥbu: ayda əṣṣəḷṭā́n təbbā́ḥ aʿlī́ya u daxxā́lni u lbə́sni u xaṣṣə́lni u klīt ʿándu u ʿatā́ni ād əlxə́bza nə́rfʿa lbīč (25) qállu: čbī́ʿali ād əlxā́bza? (26) qállu: bā́i, nbʿak (27) nʿátək ʿášəra fṛəṅq (28) ū́wa adā́k zawā́li qállo: ʿášra fṛəṅq? nə́qdar nə́šri xábza žə́mʿa ʿala ṭū́lha nʿatā́ lẓġā́ri yā́klu (29) qallo: bā́i, xū́da (30) ʿatā́ adā́k əlxə́bza u xdā mə́nnu ʿášra fṛəṅq (31) mšā lḥūš qāl lmə́rču ša kaḅū́ḍ ʿamə́llu əṣṣəḷṭā́n u xdā adā́k lʿášra fṛəṅq šu yəsrī́u mā́kla lẓġā́ru žə́mʿa ʿala ṭū́lha (32) u mšā́u yām u žā́u yām, ṃáṛṛa čā́nya, bʿad šaṛī́n tlā́ča, tabbā́ḥ aʿli əṣṣəḷṭā́n bʿáṭlu nās u žabū́ (33) ma xā́fš məṣṣəḷṭā́n yʿanī́ yʿárəf ša ḥābb əṣṣəḷṭā́n yʿamə́llu (34) mšā mʿamu u əṣṣəḷṭā́n ʿamə́llu ma ʿamə́llu ṃáṛṛa lū́la (35) nsī́č nqulə́lkəm li qbəl ma təbbā́ḥ ʿalī́ əṣṣəḷṭā́n bʿač wā́ḥad bāš yā́ṛa ša ʿaməll bilflū́s yʿani kān bilḥū́šu ṣaṛ bā́i, lulā́d labsī́n lbās bā́i, u mə́ṛču ša ḥā́la (36) u ṛa li ḥátta šə́y mā ṣāṛ, kif ma ū́wa qʿad faʿī́ša ča zawalī́ya (37) az bqaḥ ʿalī́ ṃáṛṛa čā́nya bāš yā́ṛa kifā́š yʿáməl yʿatəm máṛṛa čā́nya flūs (38) ṃáṛṛa čā́nya qʿad klā mʿau šrəb mʿau u ṃáṛṛa čā́nya ʿatā́ adā́k əlxə́bza məlyā́na bəlwī́z, dhəbb, u ḥattā́lo fikī́sa u ʿatā́ u ḥattā́ čāḥ čbaʿtu u māši (39) u laqā́ ṣáḥbu kif filṃáṛṛa llū́la (40) qā́llu: a, əṣṣəḷṭā́n təbbā́ḥ ʿaləyk ṃáṛṛa čā́nya? (41) qállu: eyh (42) qállu: ša ʿándək čaḥ čbā́tək? (43) qállu əlxā́bza ʿatā́li ṣṣəḷṭā́n (44) qā́llu: čbʿā́li? (45) qā́llu: nbʿā́ləka (46) qā́llu: anā́ nʿatī́k fī́a xamsī́n fṛə́ṅq (47) ʿalā́ xamsī́n fṛáṅq nə́qʿad nʿā́yš ulā́di u ʿaī́lči (48) xdā mən adā́k xamsī́n fṛə́ṅq u mšā lḥū́š (49) u qāl lmə́ṛču u klā u šṛab kaddā́š šhəṛ ulā šahṛī́n bʿad akəl xamsī́n fṛə́ṅq u qʿad fiḥā́lu kif ma ū́wa zawā́li (50) mšā́u əyyā́m əṣṣəḷṭā́n qāl nə́mši nā́ṛa nəbʿáṭlu nās bāš nā́ṛa kifā́š ʿā́yš kif ū́wa ʿtə́ču məṛčī́n flūs u dhəbb (51) mšā́u əṣṣəḷṭā́n bʿáṭəm u ṛā́u li ū́wa ʿāyš kif ma ū́wa zawā́li u ẓġā́ru labsī́n ḥwā́yəž mqṭʿī́n u ʿā́yša mūš (52) mšā́u ləṣṣəḷṭā́n qallū́lu ū́wa ʿāyš kif ma ūwa mā zād fi šəy (53) əṣṣəḷṭā́n qāl nā́ṛa ṃəṛṛa čə́lča (54) mšā təbbā́ḥ ʿaləy ṃə́ṛṛa čə́lča u žā lḥū́š ṣəḷṭā́n (55) əṣṣəḷṭā́n kif ma ʿalə́llu kaḅū́du kif flmṃə́ṛṛa lū́la u lṃə́ṛṛa čā́nya ʿamə́llu xə́bza kbī́ṛa u məzyā́na u mə́lla bildhə́bb u ʿatā́lo (56) ū́wa nā́ẓəḷ mən drū́ž ča ṣəḷṭā́n u ẓḷaq fəddrū́ž tāḥ u kṛa xə́ṛṭa kbī́ṛa u dəmm yə́ṭḷʿa mə́nnu u mən dəmm čáu nə́kčəb filhī́ṭ: anā́ ʿanī́ču o ḥaṭṭə́ču zawā́li qūm u čaġnī́ anā́ qčə́lču qūm u čaʿaȳ́šu (57) yʿanī́ mā́na kəll šə́yy mən yədd ā́ḷḷa (58) áḷḷa ḥābb bāš ā́da ṛā́žəl yəkū́n zawā́li ma ʿandū́š šəyy ma ʿandū́š ma yā́kəl, əlflūs li ḥaṭṭā́lu ṣṣəḷṭā́n ma mūš lī́lu, ča ṣáḥbu li laqā́ fəṭṭrī́q (59) u kif ūwa qáṭlu ṛáḅḅi mə́yyču yʿani ma qdə́rš ṣəḷṭā́n yʿaýšu, qə́ymu, yʿanī́ qūm aḥī́, ma čqdə́rš čqūm cʿaȳ́šu

 

'Ha Laḥma ʿAnya' - Basra tradition

To the Morag family

Name of speaker: 
Jacob Morag
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Regional manager at Amigour
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
71
Year of immigration: 
1946
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Documentation: 
Liron Leibo
Year of recording: 
2017

'Laglag' song

In memory of my grandparents Jacob and Amuma Azar; In memory of my uncle Joseph, uncle Jehuda, aunt Samira, and uncle Sallaḥ, Azar. In memory of my aunt Pirḥa's husband, Isaac Jacob, and in memory of my mother, Daisy (Dalia) Abugoz-Azar.

Name of speaker: 
Pirḥa Azar
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
86
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Tuvia Kravchek and Shosh Kravchek (Azar)
Year of recording: 
2017

"Dililol" song

In memory of my grandparents Jacob and Amuma Azar; In memory of my uncle Joseph, uncle Jehuda, aunt Samira, and uncle Sallaḥ, Azar. In memory of my aunt Pirḥa's husband, Isaac Jacob, and in memory of my mother, Daisy (Dalia) Abugoz-Azar.

Name of speaker: 
Pirḥa Azar
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
86
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Tuvia Kravchek and Shosh Kravchek (Azar)
Year of recording: 
2017