| Rabbi makes presentation at Glasgow Gaelic School, Holocaust Memorial Day |
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Rabbi Danny was invited to Glasgow Gaelic School to take part in a set of presentations to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. Rabbi Danny gave the audience a moving message of hope and faith finishing with a haunting rendition of Ani Maamin (the twelfth of Maimonide’s principals of faith; faith that Moshiach will come). The melody itself was composed in the cattle cars to Treblinka by Reb Azriel David Fastag, a renowned Chassid and composer of Niggunim (Chassidic melodies). Although he perished in the concentration camps the melody was miraculously preserved. Two men managed to escape through the roof of his cattle car after Reb Azriel had promised half his portion in the ‘world to come’ to anyone who would take the song to his beloved Rebbe. The first died instantly upon impact with the ground. The second survived and eventually brought the tune to Tel Aviv, to the Rebbe who had escaped Europe.The Rebbe (Rabbi Shaul Yedidya Elazar, known as the Modzitzer Rebbe) would say of the melody "With this niggun, the Jewish people went to the gas chambers., and with this niggun, the Jews will march to greet Moshiach." Rabbi Danny reports: The evening opened with the school orchestra playing 3 pieces of music reflecting different aspects and emotions related to the Holocaust. Apart from being impressed by the fabulous display of musicianship, I was moved by the maturity of the concepts reflected in their music. There were three pieces that flowed one into the other. The first was a waltz, styled on Chopin that gave you a feel of the pre-holocaust sense of ‘belief in humanity’ prevalent amongst Jews; the solid rhythm of the waltz gave the listener a sense of life’s consistency and predictability. The second piece was deliberately dissonant, giving a distinctly edgy feeling. Motifs borrowed from well known melodies like Hava Nagilah and Hatikva were woven into the piece, enabling the audience to feel some sense of the chaos and turmoil at the outset of the Holocaust. Finally the last piece was ‘minimalist’ based around two basic chords, building to a crescendo with the bagpipes featuring at the end! This part represented the rebuilding of life in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the inspiring and courageous message of hope Jews brought to the world. The exhibition following the presentations was truly remarkable. A train track formed the backdrop to the displays and art work which literally spiralled around the school tracing the rich history, culture and religion of the Jewish people and their contributions to society. As I moved round the train tracks, it became clear to me that the children had understood more than just the physical and even psychological tragedy of the Holocaust; they had understood a much neglected aspect of Holocaust history - the loss of a whole spiritual world.
To read the full and inspiring story of the ‘Ani Maamin melody’ please visit http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/107189/jewish/Ani-Maamin.htm To hear this inspiring melody sung by Mordechai Ben David visit the music page on www.modzitz.org |
