and about twenty never published – this is the literary-musical heritage of M. Gebirtig. At that time the songs were published in different forms. The largest publication, under name “Mayne lider”(My Songs) was in New York, at 1948, and included songs from “Folkstimlekh” (Popular) (Krakow, 1920), Mayne lider (Vilno, 1936) and “S’brent”(It Burns) (Krakow, 1946). G. Chanin wrote a long introduction to this book.
In 1954 the publishing house “Avigdor Shpritser” of the Association of the Jews from Galicia in Argentine published “Geklibene Lider” “Collected Songs” of M. Gebirtig (with sheet music). The introduction was written by the poet Israel Ashendorf. Another book, titled “Mordechai Gebirtig Sings” was published in 1963 in Buenos Aires by the publishing house “Ikuf”. This book includes a number of songs in Spanish translation, and has a preface by A. Laufer.
In 1967 “Moreshet” publishing house, together with “Sifriat Hapoalim” (Library of the Workers) in Tel-Aviv published a grand edition, "Mordechai Gebirtig: Ündzer shtetl brent," in which there are 21 songs, some with sheet music and ornamented with original photographs which survived from Jewish Community of Kraków. The book is bilingual, Yiddish and Hebrew, and because of that, has a special importance. The book was edited by Mordechai Amitai.
Mordechai Gebirtig’s name is lauded with many plaudits: “the Jewish folk-troubadour," “the last of the Broder-singers," “the singer of the perished masses,” and so on. The truth is, he was all these and much more.
He was an educator of the Jewish masses, and his words, full of truth, made an impact on all those who heard them. He awoke compassion for the poor, sympathy for the suffering, love for fellow men, and strength in the fight with the enemy. He revived people’s hearts.
Let us crown him with divine love for the Jewish people, from which he drew spiritual nourishment, and let us sing his songs loudly, so that people in all the Jewish communities of the world can hear them. Let them echo in the hearts of our children, so they can transfer from yesterday to tomorrow, from generation to generation.
This would make the nicest spiritual monument for Mordechai Gebirtig.
1. Zalman Reizen: Leksicon fun der Yidisher literatur, prese un philologie, oysgabe: farlag Kletskin, Vilne, 1928
2. Yonas Turkow: “Farloshene shtern”, oysgabe: tsentral farband fun poylishe yidn in Argentine, 1953, band 1 (zz 228-234)
3. Itzhak Turkow-Grudberg: “Oyf mayn veg”, oysgabe: tsentral farband fun poylishe yidn in Argentine, 1964, (zz 74-84)
4. Nachman Meizil: “Yidishe temes un yiddishe melodies bay bavuste muzikers”, oysgabe:
farlag “Ikuf”, New York, 1952.
5. Shlita-Shteinits: “ishi hamusika haisruilyut hikalelut” – hotsaat Yehoshua, Tel-Aviv, 1950, z. 167.
6. Mordechai Gebirtig: “S’brent”, 1939-1942, oysgabe durkh yidishe historishe commisie, Krakow, 1946.
7. Mordechai Gebirtig: “geklibene lider”, farlag “Avigdor Shpritser” bay tsentral farband fun galicianer yidn in Argentine.
8. Mordechai Gebirtig: “haeyra boeret”, bahutsaat “Morshes”, beys eydes Mordechai Anilbits, sifreot hapoalim, Isroel, 1967.
9. Israel Shlita: “hamusika haihudit veyotsriya”, “Yehoshua” hatsaat sferim, Tel-Aviv, 1960, z.187.
10. Leksikon fun der nayer yidisher literatur, (tsveyter band). Oysgegebn fun alveltlikhn yidishn kultur-kongres, New York, 1958 (zz 286-290).
11. Z. Zilberzweig: Leksikon fun yidishn teater”, kadoshim band, yidishe aktyorn union in Amerika. Meksiko city, 1967, farlag “Elisheva” (zz 4471-4495).
12. Ber Mark:Umgekumene Yidishe shraiber fun di ghettos un lagern, aroysgegebn in Warshe 1954 (zz 187-194).
13. B. Heler: Antologie fun umgekumene dikhter, aroysgegebn in Warshe, 1951 (zz 49-62).
14. I. Pat: “Ash un fayer”, aroysgegebn in New York, 1946.
15. “Mordechai Gebirtig zingt” – Aroysgegebn :”Ikuf”, Buenos-Ayres, 1963.
16. Zigmunt Turkow: “Di ibergerisene tkufe”, Buenos-Ayres, 1961 (z 106).
17. Michal M. Borwicz: Piesn ujdzie calo…Centr. Komisja Hystoryczna.
Przy C.K.Z.P. Warszawa-Lodz-Krakow, 1947 (zz 287, 234).
18. Seyfer melhomot, Heurhim Itzhak Zukerman v