Con grandes dificultades a Palestina entrimos,
imaginándomos masiah que tupimos,
fist’a la ses la hora, mosotros laburimos,
maldichos los kaplanes, veinte groses ya ganimos.
Aide, many, many,
dice Kaplan Jany,
no puedemos, estamos en taanit.
Da de sabat se hace, a la playa nos vamos
curiendo detrás de bajurot, ya mos amurchamos,
se gozan de la vida, mosotros encantados.
Cargados de burnuses a casa mos tornamos.
No spantes, amigos,
buen kazik comimos,
y enteros mos enchulimos.
Para ganar cincuenta groses, lavoro demandimos.
– Vene, fijos, dijo el Kaplan, a acarrear ladrillos.
Fist’a la ses la hora, mosostros laburimos.
Sukur Alah, sukur Alah, vente groses ya ganimos.
No spantes, amigos,
buen kazik comimos,
y enteros mos enchulimos.
With great hardship we made our way to Palestine,
dreaming we would find the Messiah.
We worked until six o’clock,
cursing the foremen — and earned just twenty groschen.
Help us, dear friends,
says dear Kaplan,
we can’t go on — we’re fasting!
When Sabbath came, we went to the beach,
looking at the girls, we collapsed
They enjoyed life and we were enchanted
wearing our beach robes, we returned back home.
Don’t worry, friends,
they fed us a stick,
and we crawled home covered in mud.
To try to earn fifty groschen, we went looking for work.
“Come, boys,” said Kaplan, “let’s haul bricks.”
We worked until six o’clock,
Thank God, thank God, we finally scraped together twenty groschen.
Don’t worry, friends,
they fed us a stick,
and we crawled home covered in mud.
From Arboleras vol. 3, Sephardic songs from the 20th century, 2000
One of the first songs (composed by Beni Benayora, one of the first promoters of the new settlements) that tells of the difficulties of agricultural work, especially for those who came from the city. The song was performed by the Bet-Hanón group, which was established in 1950 by immigrants from Turkey and Greece
This website was created by Orit Perlman with the collaboration and blessings of Dr. Susana Weich-Shahak in 2025