Hanukkah, 7th Night

This hanukkiyah belonged to my friend Joyce and was given to me by her husband after she died. Joyce was a sweet, joyful woman. Tonight, as I watched the candles burn out one-by-one, I thought of all the people who are no longer with us.

Joyce's hanukkiyah is made of some kind of silver-colored metal. It seems that the star is made of something different as it is shinier. All the other parts seem to be made of aluminum but I'm not certain.

The sound on the video (below) is from a CD by Muzsikás, Máramaros -- The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania. Background information and reviews of the CD can be found on the Amazon link in the previous sentence. (Click on "customer reviews.") They explain how the music on this CD differs from "authentic" klezmer music. Nonetheless, the differing instruments and style create something quite magical.

Muzsikás is a Hungarian band. This CD holds a special place in my heart, in part, because my mother's mother's parents came here from Budapest. The song on the video is entitled Jewish Dance from Szaszregen but those familiar with klezmer standards, will recognize the melody of Belz, a nostalgic tune about the vocalist's hometown of Belz. I love Muzsikás addition of the somber tango rhythm. The liner notes say:

This piece was remembered by Arpad Topni as a favorite of the Jewish community in Szaszregen. According to him, the Jewish dance parties always started with this number. Men and women danced it together, forming a closed circle.The melody of this song belongs to a well known melodic type of Jewish song, variants of which can be found all over Eastern Europe. The model of this piece is the famous Yiddish song "Belz". This Yiddish melody, usually heard in parlando-rubato style, is performed here metrically with Tango-like rhythmic accompaniment.

Turn up the sound, and enjoy!

Here's a link to another song from the Muzsikás CD.