Zog nit keyn mol (Never Say)

The song was recorded for the Jewish Historical Commission, Munich, 1946. At the opening, Shmerke Kaczerginski introduces the song, and says that he wrote its words. This is untrue.

The song is performed by Betty Segal, accompanied by Akiva Daykhes.

The song was published many times. It is the opening song in Kaczerginski’s anthology Lider fun Getos un Lagern (1948: words – p. 3, melody p. 361). The title of the anthology Mir Zaynen Do (1983: p. 94) is taken from the song’s refrain. The song appears with Hebrew translation by the poet Abraham Shlonsky (who translated it in 1945), in Min Hametsar Karati (1954: p. 189, text only), in the anthology Min Hametsar (1987, p. 98, with the melody), and in other collections. In Leyzer Ran’s booklet celebrating Hirsh Glik’s 50th anniversary, The Hymn of the Jewish Uprising (New York, 1972), the song is elucidated and translated into many languages.  

The Hymn of the Partisans was written by Hirsh Glik for the Vilna Jewish United Partisan Organization (FPO), and became the hymn of the Jewish uprising. The hymn was sung in the Vilna ghetto and among the Vilna partisans, spreading to the labor camps, concentration camps and other partisan groups. The song later became the hymn for Holocaust Day remembrance ceremonies in Israel and abroad. 

The song encourages and praises heroism and uprising. It is a testimony to Jewish suffering and sacrifice for the sake of liberty, and is intended to be sung from generation to generation.

The melody is taken from a song written for the 1937 hit film Sons of the Working People. It has a march-like, dotted rhythm, suitable for this kind of communal song.