Chiri Biri Biden

Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden provided a video address to the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial in San Diego last week, and we thought we'd share here on our congregational blog:






And just in case you didn't get the reference to the Yiddish folk song in the title of this post, well, here you go:






This is a special version of the song, and here;s the write-up from YouTube:

The Barry Sisters, Clara and Minnie Bagelman, first known as the Bagelman Sisters, were popular Yiddish jazz singers in the 1940s to 1960. The sisters performed on the New York Radio Show "Yiddish Melodies in Swing," on WHN (Sunday at 1 pm), which would play songs incorporating a fusion of jazz, swing and klezmer in the Yiddish language.

Lyrics:

"Chiribim Chiribom"

Lomir zingen kinderlakha zemerl tzuzamen
a nigendl, a freylekhen mit vertelakh vos gramen.
Di mame kokht a lokshn zup mit kashe un mit kneydlakh
kim der iom tov purim veln mir shpilen zikh in dreidlakh.

Chiribim, chiribom,...

Amol iz undzer rebeniu gegangen unter vegn
mit amol heybt on tzupliukhen on gisen a regn.
Shreyt der rebe tzu der khjmare er oif gisen vaser,
zainen ale khasidim trinken arois...nor....Der rebe iz arois a naser.

Chiribim, chiribom...

English Translation [Source: Cantatica]

Let us sing, children, a little song together,
A little melody, a happy one, with words that rhyme.
Mame cooks a noodle soup with kasha and with kneidlekh,
And when Purim comes, we'll play dreidels

Chiribim, Chiribom . . .
Once our dear Rabbi was going down the road
All of a sudden it started to storm and the rain poured down.
Yells the Rabbi to the storm to stop this pouring water
All the Chassidim came out dry, but the Rabbi is drenched.

Chiribim, Chiribom . . .

And with that, we say, Shabbat Shalom!