This artist is the premier voice of Yiddish culture in Israel and the world, and her work in tracking down old songs and even setting Yiddish poems to music is a bridge to a vibrant culture and language that is disappearing. When it came to selecting the songs for this 1999 release, she sought to portray Yiddish life in as much complexity as the repertoire itself conveys. Except for Dana, Dana (Dona, Dona) which was written in America, all the songs here were written in Poland, Romania and Russia, portraying daily village life of the past as well as contemporary history, such as the Holocaust, and the partisans in Poland during the rebellion of the Warsaw ghetto.

Alberstein,Chava