If, like me, you enjoy listening to old recordings of the iconic folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, you may want to check this out: a new Yiddish version of their Hanukkah song “Light One Candle,” sung by another talented trio Rabbi Avram, Elisha and Sarah Mlotek. (A transliteration of the lyrics appears beneath the video below.) The three siblings are the grown children of Zalmen Mlotek, musician and director of the Yiddish National Theater Folksbiene, and his wife, Debbie Mlotek. Rabbi Avram is a writer, Elisha is a filmmaker and Sarah is studying music at a conservatory in Israel and just became a mom. Their singing is backed up by C. Joseph Lanzbom on guitar and Elisha on percussion. The original song, which was written by Peter Yarrow, became an anthem for the Soviet Jewry movement in the 1980s, symbolizing their struggle for freedom. It was translated into Yiddish by the theater producer Moishe Rosenfeld and Avram Mlotek. “‘Light One Candle’ was one of our Bubbe’s favorite songs every time we got together for a Hanukkah sing-along,” Avram said. Their Bubbe was the renowned scholar of Yiddish song, Chana Mlotek. For many years, she and her husband, the Yiddish cultural activist Yosl Mlotek, ran a column about Yiddish songs and poetry in the Forward. Although Hanukkah is still a month away, Bubby Chana’s grandchildren had a meaningful reason for publishing it now: This week marks her yortzeit. TRANSLITERATION Eyn likht shaynt far di heldishe kinder A dank vos dos likht geyt nit oys Eyn likht shaynt far di payn un di laydn Di sakone’z geven azoy groys Eyn likht flakert far korbones un laydn Az yoysher un frayhayt zol zayn Eyn likhtl flakert far khokhme un visn Far frayhayt un sholem zol zayn. Lesht nit di likhtlekh oys! Zey flakern shoyn doyres-lang Lesht nit di likhtlekh oys! Balaykhtn durkh undzer gezang! Eyn likht flakert tsu gebn undz koyekh Az eybik mir’n blaybn getray Eyn likht flakert far mentshn vos laydn Oykh mir zenen nisht geven fray Eyn likhtl flakert far zise khaloymes Tseteyln zol undz nisht der kas Un eyn likhtl flakert tsu haltn tsuzamen Mit sholem un mer nisht kayn has Lesht nit di likhtlekh oys! Zey flakern shoyn doyres-lang Lesht nit di likhtlekh oys! Balaykhtn durkh undzer gezang! Vos iz di mayse vos iz azoy tayer Vos lebt eybik in undzer flam? Vos iz di shvue tsu fargangene doyres Az es lebt undzer folk, undzer am? Mir kumen, mir geyen, mir hofn, mir gloybn Az yoysher vet vern der klal Dos iz der viln, dos iz di shvue A shenere velt iberal!.
https://forward.com/yiddish-world/785419/video-peter-paul-mary-light-one-candle-yiddish-mlotek/