Ha'ayara Bo'eret

Song MeaningThis is a cover of a poem originally written in Yiddish as "S'brennt" by Polish Jewish poet Mordechai Gebirtig after nazi's burnt down a jewish ghetto in Krakow. The poem was a cry for help for the rising antisemitism. The poem dates from 1938 and has since the Holocaust become a sort of anthem sung to remember those who died in the camps. The poem was translated to Hebrew as Ha'Ayara Bo'eret, "The small town is burning". It has been sung on memorial days for holocaust victims for many years. When Salem made a heavy metal cover with a shocking video that shows footage of the war (not for sensitive eyes) the Israeli parliament had to discuss if a metal band was allowed to cover such songs. The band however explained they wanted to make a statement to make sure young Israelis listening to metal would never forget what happened. That gave the band green light to release the song, although the cover remained controversial. The translation, more or less:


Burn, brothers, burn!
Our little village is burning
Black spirts are raging through it
The flames of destruction are raging
No traces will be left from the fire
And you watch without offering help
Without stretching your hands to help stop the fire
The fire of our little town

Burn, brothers, burn!
Because the hour is chas ve chalila near
As the flames will continue and destroy us all
Only walls will testify what has once been
And you watch without offering help
Without stretching your hands to help stop the fire
The fire of our little town

Burn, brothers, it's burning!
Only in your hands lies salvation
Quick, stretch your hands and stop the fire
With your blood, stop the fire
Stop the fire with your blood, don't stay at a distance
Because the flames are raging higher
It is burning! (literally ; more proper translation: "The fire is high!")



"Chas ve chalila" is impossible to translate. It's something like "please don't make this happen", like "god forbid" or something.

This is, in its context and meaning, one of the most original covers ever and one with a very deep meaning. 6 million died in the camps. We indeed should never forget. If a young crowd listening to metal is remembered this way of the horrors of the war, then I would say Salem have succeeded in their message. Of course that people considered this controversial is normal, this is a very sensitive song and few can hold tears when it is sung during memorial services.

The band Oi Va Voi recorded a more acoustic cover of the song using the original Yiddish lyrics (thus called "S'brennt")

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