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In 2017 I had a pleasure to meet Mr. Shlomo Schlesinger, one of the last Jews from Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland who was an Alexander Chassid. At the age of 5 he received a blessing from the “Tifferes Shmil”, the Alexander Rebbe. When I asked him if he knew any songs in Polish he sang for me a song of the Gerer Chassidim that the Chassidim would sing on their way to see the Gerrer Rebbe in Góra Kalwaria, Poland before the war. What is also special about it is that the Chasidim did not sing it in Hebrew or Yiddish, but they sang it in Polish.
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| Source (Polish) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry Stare, Młode i bachury Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą |
The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger Old men and young. They are going, They are going, They are going. repeat 2× |
Chociaż w domu wszystko mają, wszystko mają A do Góry Uciekają Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
Although they have everything in their house They all run away to Ger They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… repeat 2× |
W Czwartki, w piątki nie sypiają, nie sypiają całe noce chassidus gadają Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
On Thursdays and Fridays they don’t sleep Ḥasidism they discuss all night. They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… |
Wszyscy mają jedną wolę, jedną wole Stać blisko przy Rebbe stole Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
Everyone has one wish To stand close to the Rebbe’s table. They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… |
Nic nikogo nie pytają, nie pytają tylko z Rebbe się witają Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
They don’t ask anyone anything They just go out to meet the Rebbe They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… |
Kiedy Rebbe daje sz’rajim, daje sz’rajim z tego mają Yiras szamaim Jadą, jadą , ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
When the Rebbe gives out shirayim[1] Shirayim (food from which the Rebbe has already partaken) refers to a kind of ḥassidic gleaning ritual where the gleaned food received takes on a highly charged significance. For more, find the article, “Shirayim” by Rabbi Ari Enkin at All Parsha. From that they get the fear of heaven They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… |
Mięso jedzą, wódkę piją, wódkę piją Jejcer Horo za kapure biją Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
They eat meat and they drink vodka They beat the Yetser haRa for the atonement. They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… |
A gdy Rebbe mówi Tojre, mówi Tojre uczy ich Avodas HaBojre Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą… (3×) Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry… |
When the Rebbe says Torah He teaches them how to serve the Creator They are going… (3×) The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger… |
A gdy z Rebbe się żegnają, sie żegnają Chassidus ze sobą zabierają Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą Chassidim do góry, do góry Stare, Młode i bachury Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą Jadą, jadą, ja-a-a-dą |
When they say goodbye to the Rebbe They take the Ḥassidism with them They are going, They are going, They are going. The Ḥassidim are traveling/going to Ger Old men and young. They are going, They are going, They are going. |
The song “Jadą Chassidim do Góry” (יאַדוֹם חֲסִידִים דוֹ גוּרִי, “The Ḥassidim are going to Ger”) by an unknown author (or authors) was arranged in its recording by Yaakov Wasilewicz. Yaakov was gracious in sharing the lyrics in Polish with an English translation at the Open Siddur Project discussion group on Facebook on 9 January 2025. There he writes:
I am deeply moved and with great pleasure present to you a pre-war song of the Ger Chasidim performed by me….The Ger Chasidim are no longer in Poland, but their song remains. So I invite you to listen to the song of the Ger Chasidim – “Jadą Chassidim Do Góry”.
Recording(s)
Notes
“Jadą Chassidim do Góry (יאַדוֹם חֲסִידִים דוֹ גוּרִי) | The Ḥassidim are going to Ger (translated by Yaakov Wasilewicz)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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