der Reisen’s influence, Mordechai Gebirtig began writing theater reviews and, somewhat later, also poems. At the same time he expressed interest in social and political problems and became a member of the “Jewish Social-Democratic Party” in Galicia. In those years he published his poems in the party newspaper “Social-Democrat” and read his poetry at the literary-artistic evenings.
During the WWI, he served for five years in the Austria-Hungarian Army. Even then, using every free moment, he wrote poems that attracted attention and were sung as songs. Some of those songs soon became popular throughout Poland. The “Little Orphan” and “An Angel Is Born” even crossed the seas and spread among the Jews of the world. Soon new songs came out like “Hershele," “Unter geyt di velt," "Viglid," etc. In 1920 his first book of songs was published in Krakow under the title: "Popular Songs".
The songs became popular across the Jewish world and touched the hearts of the people. So it is no wonder that Boaz Yungvitz-Yung put Gebirtig’s songs into the Moyshe Sher’s operetta “Di Romenishe Hasene” (Romanian Wedding) and they became the nucleus of the show. “Huliet, huliet, kinderlekh” (children, enjoy yourselves) and “Kinderyorn” (childhood years) became Jewish world hits. Molly Picon, Haya’leh Grober and Yosele Kolodny popularized them, and the name of Mordechai Gebirtig entered the columns of all the Jewish newspapers. Directors of many provincial theaters in towns and shtetls in Poland found in Gebirtig’s songs (such as “Abraml Marevikher," (naughty Avraml) “Motele," “Moyshele," “Dos alte parfolk” (the old couple) and others, interesting stage material, and based a series of shows on his songs. Even such sophisticated little ensembles like “Azazel" (hell) “Ararat," “Sambation," “Moidim” and others became very taken with Gebirtig, considering him a real great literal source. Some theaters arranged complete “Gebirtig Nights." Such events happened often in Krakow.
The first great satisfaction in his life came to Mordechai Gebirtig in 1936 when a public social committee, specially created to mark the thirty year jubilee of his literary and musical work, published the second book of his songs under the title “Mayne lider” (my songs). The book contained over fifty songs with musical notation, and a thousand copies in a nice format were released in Vilna. Menachem Kipnis’ preface brought the utmost joy to Gebirtig. Below is some of what Kipnis wrote:
“Mordechai Gebirtig is a blessed and gifted poet and folk singer who sings, composes and cries out his songs in his room, but the songs throw open the doors and windows, and fill the street with music extolling Yiddish life, Jewish love, Jewish family life, mothers and children, Jewish suffering and poverty. All of this he painted with such warm, genuine and true colors that only a fine poet with a true sense of the people’s soul as Mordechai Gebirtig could create these colors and tones.“
… The true character of the folk Jewish music is the distress heart… his songs grasp the heart, warm the Jewish soul and fill it with its sweet melancholy and joyful vibration.
When the simple rhythm and strange African syncopation of the fox trot and tango dominate the street, all the silenced souls of the poets and singers of our people echo in Mordechai Gebirtig – the only national composer of the Jewish street in Poland.
…A sign of the true Jewish poetry is that it touches the heart… Gebirtig sings not from a rich saloon but from the four bare walls of a Jewish home, as a lullaby from a mother to a child within the four bare walls of a humble Jewish home.
…And another sign of authentic sincere poetry and folk song: the more you hear it, the more it inspires you, warms and touches you. This is the power and secret of Mordechai Gebirtig’s poetry and song, that it has already become the poetry and song of the entire nation”.
The collection - which included the songs most well known and popular among the public - produced a most positive response in the literary and musical circles of Jewish Poland, and reviews appe