English

Songs in Ladino

Dedicted to our children, Eli, Tsaḥi and Tomer 

Name of speaker: 
Shlomo Cohen
Participants in the conversation: 
Sol Cohen
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Mechanic in the past
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
85
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Alona Dashevsky Apkarian
Year of recording: 
2019

Jokes and fables

To my deceased parents, and to the whole Kurdish community 

Name of speaker: 
Dalya Ḥarfuf (ʿAmedi)
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Tour guide abroad and works with the disabled; host at the “Kurdish Experience”
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
69
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Alona Dashevsky Apkarian and Yaʿel wecsler
Year of recording: 
2019

Proverbs and family expressions

To my deceased parents, and to the whole Kurdish community 

Name of speaker: 
Dalya Ḥarfuf (ʿAmedi)
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Tour guide abroad and works with the disabled; host at the “Kurdish Experience”
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
69
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Alona Dashevsky Apkarian and Yaʿel wecsler
Year of recording: 
2019

Recipes

To my deceased parents, and to the whole Kurdish community 

Name of speaker: 
Dalya Ḥarfuf (ʿAmedi)
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Tour guide abroad and works with the disabled; host at the “Kurdish Experience”
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
69
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Alona Dashevsky Apkarian and Yaʿel wecsler
Year of recording: 
2019

Aliya and family

To my deceased parents, and to the whole Kurdish community 

Name of speaker: 
Dalya Ḥarfuf (ʿAmedi)
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Tour guide abroad and works with the disabled; host at the “Kurdish Experience”
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
69
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Alona Dashevsky Apkarian and Yaʿel wecsler
Year of recording: 
2019

On Shabbat I will Praise (song)

To my wife Raḥel and my son Oved Z"L

Name of speaker: 
Ḥanina Pedahel
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Hebrew language teacher
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
83
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Ḥava Shmulevich
Year of recording: 
2019

Love songs, matchmaking and wedding

To grandmother Tuboy Oros and grandmother Nekdam Tsvia and the grandfathers, to my mother Ktsiʿaa Levi and especially to my family and the coming generations 

Name of speaker: 
Menuḥa Tova Dahan
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Storyteller
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
70
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Ḥava Shmulevich
Year of recording: 
2019
Translator: 
Menuḥa Tova Dahan

Translation: 

Dadim pachta mekoret (my father plants cotton and collects white gold)

This song is about a young girl telling that her father grows cotton. This may suggest that they are a wealthy family since families from the cotton industry were in fact wealthy.

The girl says, “My father plants cotton and collects white gold”, and that she wants the cover and veil to burn and turn to dust. She does not want to cover her face and says she is young and so deserves a young man.

Many times they would marry the young with older men, and daughter Sara, for she is from a wealthy family, is allowed to marry whomever she wants.

The song is slightly rebellious in the way that it goes against wearing facial veils and forced marriage.

 

Azizam (my dear)

In this song, the girl turns to her beloved and says:

“My dear, what have I done that distant you from me,

I am in your memory and you are with me,

I miss seeing you,

My tongue and mouth crowning my head,

If I have said anything wrong I apologize,

 I am in your memory and you are with me.”

 

Osfuni pur citurat (the skies plant stars)

This song is a bridal song separating from her family and asking the matchmaker to stand up for her rights.

“The skies plant stars and my head thinks love thoughts about you, I turn around your head like a dove and water you with bird milk.”

She promises many impossible things, but knows that marriage will not be simple.

When she thinks of the place she is going to, she thinks about eating bread and dates at her father’s house, when at her new home, her husband is waiting with a lock and chains. Meaning, she will be locked and chained.

She asks the matchmaker to stand up for her rights when signing the terms, and sends her on her way with flowers “I will spread flowers on the way you walk in.”

 

Chudram bsaram jeram (the matchmaker song)

The matchmaker wants to match a girl, probably to her nephew. She is telling him she is covering herself and going to the girl’s family house.

He warns her that he won’t get to see the girl before the wedding – he won’t marry her.

She says that is the custom. The young man cannot see the girl before the wedding. She tells her nephew that he wants her to match him with a girl: “Your aunt will be your atonement”, it is an idiom that means he should trust her.

A love song from Psalms

To grandmother Tuboy Oros and grandmother Nekdam Tsvia and the grandfathers, to my mother Ktsiʿaa Levi and especially to my family and the coming generations 

Name of speaker: 
Menuḥa Tova Dahan
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Storyteller
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
70
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Ḥava Shmulevich
Year of recording: 
2019

Life story

To my Yemenite and Jewish people of all walks with love 

Name of speaker: 
Alice Madmoni
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
kindergarten aide
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
63
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yaʿel Baruch
Year of recording: 
2019

Grandmother

To my Yemenite and Jewish people of all walks with love 

Name of speaker: 
Alice Madmoni
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
kindergarten aide
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
63
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yaʿel Baruch