Mir filn a viln
dem veytik tsu shtiln,
mit a lidl, a tentsl,
a bisele shpil.

We feel an urge,
To quiet our pain,
With a song, a dance,
And little music

- Zelik Barditshever


"Z. Barditshever was a Yiddish teacher in Bessarabia; the majority of his work was done in Balti...About his influences, his theatrical and pedagogical work as well as his literary work, others should tell [about them] because I do not know enough. He died in 1937 in Iași, he was 39 years old.

"Barditshever published practically nothing, not even his own songs. He wrote them, and sang them, and that is how they were made public. They arrived to us through song.

"In early 1937 I wrote to him, telling him that we were preparing to print a booklet of his songs. He immediately agreed and replied, 'My sickness is getting worse. I must travel to Iasi for a longer period of time to recover. Understandably, my mind is otherwise occupied at this time. But I have included ten songs, which I am sending you. I depend completely on you...'

"In a later letter, 'I trust you, because I know that you will undertake the burden of my little songs, which is not worse than they remaining with me. Please understand, if there is a cover, if there is an image on it, it should be in good taste, but folksy, like I love...the same with the foreword; no advertisements, no exaltations- just straightforward and honest. Maybe with a motto? Write: mir filn a viln/ dem veytik tsu shtiln/ mit a lidl, a tentsl/ a bisele shpil. We feel an urge/ to quiet our pain/ with a song, a dance, and little music.'"

- Hirsh Segal, from the self-published edition of Lider mit nigunim, published in Rehovot, 1980. Translated by B. Fox-Rosen


I recorded this EP at the end of a Fulbright Fellowship to the Republic of Moldova in 2012-13. There are several people with whom that experience would not have been possible, and they played a major part in my time in Chișinau and are therefore implicated into this project. Firstly, Efim Chorny and Suzanna Ghergus, whom I first met at the Klezkanada Retreat in 2008. Their performances at that retreat first tempted me with the sounds of Moldova. They later welcomed me graciously to their home town. Jake Shulman-Ment, who introduced me to musicians Adrian Receanu and Petru Baranciuc and who inspired me with his own research in Botoșani, Romania. Sebastian Shulman, who hosted me during my first visit to Moldova and in whose presence we tasted the sweet fruit wine of the Ribinitser Rebbe’s neighbor. Diana Bunea, who introduced me to my Moldovan voice teacher, the incredible Ioan Paulencu. Maestro Paulencu himself whose generosity of spirit rivals only the depths of his voice. Irina Shikhova, who gave me the PDF of Barditshever’s songs. Slava Farber, singer, entertainer, lover of all things Yiddish and interpreter of Barditshever’s work. Petru Baranciuc, who essentially produced this EP, connecting me to Grigore Pătrașcu, Slava and their wonderful recording studio. The musicians Marin Bunea, Victor Coman and Sergiu Diaconu who played wonderfully and immediately connected to this material, and made time for the recording during ‘wedding season’. Thank you to Alice Popovici for photographing the recording session. To Eve Sicular, for encouraging me to finally share these recordings. And thanks to Sonia Gollance and Itzik Gottesman for taking the time to help me with the translations of these songs. Finally, a tremendous thank you to my partner Julie Dawson for your curiosity for this part of the world which infected me so thoroughly.