Got a fussy little one who won’t settle down at night? Look at it this way–you’ve got a captive audience. Singing lullabies is a great way to pass on our rich Jewish culture. Here are 10 lovely–and singable–Jewish lullabies that will send your little one off to dreamland. Whether or not you’re conversant in Yiddish or Hebrew, many of these songs are so easy to sing that they roll right off the tongue.
“Durme, Durme” (Sleep, Sleep)
Sung by Flory Jagoda
It’s hard to find a Jewish lullaby collection that doesn’t include some version of “Durme Durme,” a song that has accompanied Sephardic Jews fleeing Inquisition Spain and dispersing to exile communities in North Africa, the Balkans, and North America. If you’ve got a bit of high school Spanish under your belt, pronouncing the simple words of this lovely Ladino folksong should be a cinch. Flory Jagoda, the grande dame of Sephardic song, put this lovely song on the Jewish lullaby radar. The words are touchingly direct, “Sleep my little one. Sleep without worry or pain.” Put a little crescendo on the end of your phrases, and let the tune soar.
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