MAR 29, 2024 JLM 62°F 08:04 AM 01:04 AM EST
A memorial song for holocaust survivor with an outstanding story through the art of her grandson

Shy Nobleman, an acclaimed Israeli rock singer and composer, whose work in the past was praised by Rolling Stone magazine among others, wrote the song “Reindeer” about his beloved late grandmother, Rosa First, during her hard nights at the holocaust. This year will mark exactly 80 years since she became an orphan. Her mother was shot to death by the gestapo at a prison yard together with two of her children, and her father was killed with Rosa’s elder brothers at Auschwitz -Birkenau death camp.

“For me She was the most important and beloved person in my childhood. Although as a child she spent terrible years in several concentration and death camps,  such as Auschwitz -Birkenau and Ravensbrück  , as  well as being part at a death march during the freezing cold winter of January 1945 her heart was full of love for me and she loved life.

When I was a child she was singing lullabies that left no room for bad dreams for me. She was very proud of me making music. This song is my way to perpetuate her story.

I need your help in making this song happen in a well crafted production, and producing a music video to honour grandma and those terrible times at the cold forests where she was hiding from SS guards and praying for her brothers.

This kind of production in the 21st century, could provide accessibility to an incredible story of survival, for the younger generations, who are used to highly modernized contents. Shai, who creates and writes predominantly in English, could reach diverse and wide audiences, both Israeli and non-Israeli, with this story, the heroic story of his own grandmother, which echoes the stories of thousands of other holocaust survivors, and in doing so, keep the flame of memory burning bright.

All donations will go to help produce the song and a musical video.

If any money will be left it will go in order to promote the song, and the album which “Reindeer” will be part of.

Help making this song and music video recorded and filmed

By contributing donations to This blessed artistic project.

PAYPAL:

https://www.paypal.me/nobleman74 

ABOUT ROSA FIRST

Rosa First was born in the city of Krosno, Poland in 1927, to a family of Orthodox Jews. She had four brothers and two sisters. She remembered her early childhood fondly. Riding on horses, running on the hills, playing in the snow, helping her grandmother in the kitchen, singing songs while walking down the streets. She was a beautiful young blonde girl with a shining smile and a warm and kind heart. Those were happy days.  In school, she showed great talent, especially in the field of languages: Polish, Yiddish, English, Latin and Hebrew. She loved and had a great talent for music.

Sadly, her life changed drastically in September 1939, as Poland was invaded by the army of

Nazi Germany. She was only eleven years old. The family had the opportunity to escape to Russia, a carriage was waiting outside their house in the middle of the night, but at the last minute her grandmother refused to leave their house, saying “I was born here and I will die here”. Rosa's mother, Chaya, didn't want to leave her mother behind, plans to escape were cancelled, and their fate was sealed.

During the next six years, from September 1939 till May 1945, Rosa lost all her family.

Already from August 1942 onwards, when she was 14 years old, she was alone in the world.

Subsequently, she was incarcerated in several labor and concentration camps:

In Krosno (the city she grew up in), Jaszlo, Trzebinia, and later in three concentration and death camps: Auschwitz -Birkenau in Poland and Ravensbrück and Retzow in Germany.

For some 16 months she was imprisoned at the horrible Auschwitz -Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, where she passed countless” selections under the eyes and supervision of the monstrous Dr. Josef Mengele.

She was part of a small group of young girls who were forced to work at “Union”, a weapon factory for the German army.

On January 1945, as the Soviet army was progressing toward Poland, and the German army withdrew, it was decided to evacuate the Auschwitz camp prisoners. Rosa, among others, was taken on a horrible three nights death march. Days and nights, in the freezing cold, walking through the snow under the SS guards' supervision. Many died, those who failed to walk were shot by the SS guards. After that, they were led onto a cargo train, standing in open cattle wagons, the floor covered with ice and snow under their legs, till they arrived to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Detention and drudgery work were her reality for some four months, till she was asked again to march to Malchow camp, where she collapsed, starving, waiting for her death to come. Somehow, the German guards disappeared miraculously, and Rosa, together with a small group of eight girls heard noises of cannon fire, which seemed to come closer and closer. In front of her eyes stood Russian tanks. The Russian soldiers jumped out of the tanks and couldn't believe their eyes. Rosa was barefoot, skinny. “I couldn't even smile or laugh. I didn't have the power”, she later said.

Weeks later, after regaining her strength, she decided to return to her home in Krosno in Poland, to see if any family members had survived. Shocked, she discovered that their house was destroyed, and was told that no one survived. Alone in the world, she decided to go to Palestine (soon to become Israel). She left Krosno, now for good- all her childhood memories, her home, her lost family property. There was no point in staying. Nothing mattered.  ״I couldn't think of the future when I didn't have a present. I was trying hard not to think of the past, since I knew that I would probably go mad”.

Together with other young Holocaust survivors she crossed the Alps by foot till she arrived to Italy. There, she met a young Jewish Holocaust survivor, Moshe Polanski, who, like her, had lost all his family. They got married in Italy, and together boarded a ship bound for Palestine (Eretz Israel).

I was their first grandson.

ABOUT SHY NOBLEMAN

Shy Nobleman is considered by many as one of Israel’s leading and pioneering Indie- rock artists of the last 20 years. After spending 4 years in London during mid 90’s where he crafted his songwriting, he returned back home to the Holy Land, where he recorded his debut solo album “How to Be Shy” (2001).

The sounds of retro sixties psychedelic pop and seventies Power Pop were evident in place but there was something else and unique of his own. Rolling Stone’s magazine included the album of its writers lists of “Albums of the year”. Alternative Press included him on its list of “25 International artists that can take over America”. Nobleman indeed toured the U.S and Europe during the years, but he returned home and recorded the top 10 album “Beautiful Life” (2005), and the Hebrew acclaimed “My Year is a day” (2013).

In recent years he concentrated more on live performances and on his career as a tv broadcaster on the Israeli Sports channel, he came back in 2021 with a national radio hit “The Killing Angel”, and he is in the studio in a process of recording a new full-length album/

About The song Reindeer

She was the closest person to me in my early childhood. She loved me as if I was her son. And my heart was full of love for her. She and my late grandfather had two daughters, so suddenly having a boy in her family, after she had lost her four brothers, was emotional for her.

My mother was busy developing her career at that time, so I spent a lot with grandma. She was singing lullabies to me, and no bad dream could come after that. She had the sweetest and most touching voice I've heard in my life. Every holiday, she took me to see musical concerts and children's shows. We used to go to the beach in Tel Aviv together, she would make great sandwiches and always bought me chocolate ice cream. She loved life, and loved to laugh. She was telling jokes, she had a great sense of humor. She was a beautiful woman, and whenever we went shopping together, people believed that she was my mother. I remember myself at the age of five calling her on the telephone, with tears in my eyes, telling her “I don't want you ever to die”.

When I started having interest in music, writing songs and singing, she was very proud. “Music is life” she says, and was very happy when I gave her copies of my first albums.

She passed away in 2007. I miss her ever since. No one in my life has shown me that kind of love ever since.

The song Reindeer is my parting message to her. It is an artistic tribute to her and her story. It is a very emotional song.

It’s about her during those horrific times. 14 years old, alone in the world, in the dark forest. Scared of the SS guards, praying for her brothers, and telling herself that she must be strong “or I won't be alive”.

The last part of the song is about her on the ship to Israel, when nightmares haunt her in the middle of the night with visions and voices from the past.

Reindeer

Words & Music: S. Nobleman

Warm tears on icy ground I am barefoot thin and young the wind hums a lullaby

the forest whispers now

you're a rose

who just lost its petals hide your thrones

choose your battles some can win

with no medals

but how long?

fighting to find your way I need to disappear

soldiers with foreign tongue, the dogs are getting near

won't look back, I'm a reindeer

running fast to the east hills

through the clouds, cross the windmills and be strong -- or I won't be alive

and be strong - pray for my brothers and be strong

ship is thrashing waves are crashing in my mind in my dreams recaptured by a poisoned time Are my days like my nights?

Did I win back my life?

Help making this song and music video recorded and filmed by contributing donations to This blessed artistic project.

 

PAYPAL:

https://www.paypal.me/nobleman74

 

 

 

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