The Yellow Star
Eli Nathan Lyrics
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Herded together for an unknown destination
Just an event for a Christian family
In the comfort of their home in Frankfurt, Germany
Sharp knocking on the door
Who could it be
What victor said, you can't mean me
There must be a misunderstanding
Claiming he's not Jewish anymore
Saying he converted long ago
Just a proud Christian member of the German race
Viktor protested
And they laughed in his face
Gathered in the town square with all the other Jews
Kommandant, this can't be true
They pinned onto his coat a large yellow star
As far as we're concerned this is who you are
In the train station, in the freezing cold, with the young and old
And a horror to unfold
Gathered together with the people he disdained
Shoved by rifle butts onto a train
Says he's not Jewish anymore saying he converted long ago
Just a proud Christian member of the German race
Victor protested, and they laughed in his face
In the light coming through the cracks in the bolted door
Viktor watched the faces he'd never seen before
A small boy in the corner caught his eye
Standing with his father in the fading light
Abba (Father), the child said
Won't it soon be Friday night?
Oh Abba (Father), won't you sing with me
That Shabbat song Lecha Dodi
Slowly the two of them began the song
And soon the others all joined along
Lecha Dodi Lekrat Kallah P'Nei Shabbat N'Kabalah
(Come, my beloved, to greet the [Shabbat] bride, let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath)
Could these be my people Viktor said
Could I have the fire in their eyes
Could I have the courage that they have
Could I have been fed a pack of hateful lies
The fathers' voice rings out without fear
The child's eyes oh so sweet and clear
And as the others sing along
Filling the train with song
Eyes aglow like sabbath coals
An eternal message in their souls
Lecha Dodi Lekrat Kallah P'Nei Shabbat N'Kabalah
(Come, my beloved, to greet the [Shabbat] bride, let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath)
As Viktor watched the child by the door
He cried like he never cried before
He heard a voice from deep inside his core
Saying I am a Jew forever more
Lecha Dodi Lekrat Kallah P'Nei Shabbat N'Kabalah
(Come, my beloved, to greet the [Shabbat] bride, let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath)
The Yellow Star by Eli Nathan tells a powerful story about Viktor, a Christian man living in Germany during the Holocaust. Viktor witnesses the Jews being herded together and taken away to an unknown destination, an event that he initially sees as something unrelated to him. However, when the authorities come to his home, he realizes that he too is being targeted because of his Jewish heritage. He protests that he is a proud Christian member of the German race, claiming that he converted to Christianity a long time ago, but his protestations fall on deaf ears. He is forced to wear the yellow star that denounces his heritage, and he is put on a train to a concentration camp.
The turning point in the song comes when Viktor hears a young boy and his father singing the Shabbat song Lecha Dodi. As the others join in, filling the train with song, Viktor is moved to tears, realizing that he has been living a lie and that he is, and always will be, part of the Jewish people. He hears a voice from deep inside himself, saying that he is a Jew forever more.
The Yellow Star tells a poignant story about the power of identity and heritage, and the ways in which external forces can force us to confront who we truly are. It is a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the bravery of those who resisted and survived.
Line by Line Meaning
From his window to the street Viktor saw a nation
Viktor looked out his window and saw a group of people who he identified as a unified group
Herded together for an unknown destination
These people were being forced to move somewhere but it was unclear where
Just an event for a Christian family
To Viktor's Christian neighbors, this was an unimportant occurrence
In the comfort of their home in Frankfurt, Germany
Viktor's neighbors were comfortable in their lives and unaffected by what was happening outside
Sharp knocking on the door
Someone was physically knocking loudly on Viktor's door
Who could it be
Viktor was curious about who was at his door
What victor said, you can't mean me
Viktor was in disbelief that the person at the door could want him
See the cross on my wall, see the bible in my hand
Viktor pointed out his Christian symbols to try to prove that he was not Jewish
There must be a misunderstanding
Viktor believed that there was confusion about his identity
Claiming he's not Jewish anymore
Viktor insisted that he was not Jewish, implying that he once was
Saying he converted long ago
Viktor explained that he had converted to Christianity in the past
Just a proud Christian member of the German race
Viktor believed himself to be solely a Christian and German, not Jewish
Viktor protested
Viktor spoke out against what was happening to him
And they laughed in his face
The people at Viktor's door disregarded his protests and found them amusing
Gathered in the town square with all the other Jews
Viktor was put with a group of people who he now understood to be Jewish
Kommandant, this can't be true
The person in charge, the Kommandant, expressed disbelief at Viktor's false claims
They pinned onto his coat a large yellow star
Viktor was forced to wear a marker that identified him as a Jew
As far as we're concerned this is who you are
Viktor was forced to accept his new identity as a Jew
In the train station, in the freezing cold, with the young and old
Viktor was in a train station in very cold weather with people of all ages
And a horror to unfold
Viktor was facing an unknown but terrifying destination
Shoved by rifle butts onto a train
People with guns pushed Viktor and the other Jews onto a train violently
In the light coming through the cracks in the bolted door
Viktor saw the faces of the people around him through a small opening in the train door
Viktor watched the faces he'd never seen before
Viktor observed people who he was not familiar with
A small boy in the corner caught his eye
A young boy stood out to Viktor
Standing with his father in the fading light
The boy was with his father in the dimming light
Abba (Father), the child said
The boy addressed his father as "Abba," a term for father in Hebrew
Won't it soon be Friday night?
The boy asked his father if it was almost time for the Jewish Sabbath
Oh Abba (Father), won't you sing with me
The boy requested that his father sing a song with him
That Shabbat song Lecha Dodi
The song that the father and son sang was called "Lecha Dodi," a traditional song to welcome the sabbath
Slowly the two of them began the song
The father and son sang the song slowly
And soon the others all joined along
More people joined in singing the song with the father and son
Could these be my people Viktor said
Viktor wondered if the group he was with was truly his people, the Jewish people
Could I have the fire in their eyes
Viktor questioned if he could possess the same passion and determination as the people around him
Could I have the courage that they have
Viktor was unsure if he had the bravery of the people around him
Could I have been fed a pack of hateful lies
Viktor wondered if he had been told lies that caused him to believe he was not Jewish
The fathers' voice rings out without fear
The father's voice could be heard strongly and bravely
The child's eyes oh so sweet and clear
The boy's eyes were innocent and sincere
And as the others sing along
More people joined in to sing the song
Filling the train with song
The people's singing filled the train car with sound
Eyes aglow like sabbath coals
The people's eyes were shining with the same passion as the coals of a sabbath candle
An eternal message in their souls
The people had an everlasting message in their hearts
As Viktor watched the child by the door
Viktor observed the boy standing near the door of the train
He cried like he never cried before
Viktor was moved to tears by what he saw and felt
He heard a voice from deep inside his core
Viktor had a realization deep within himself
Saying I am a Jew forever more
Viktor acknowledged that he was a Jew and would always be one
Contributed by Bentley P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AdelaTemima
Shmuel, please, could you send me the lyrics of this music? I loved it but my English is not so good and I don't know Hebrew. I just understood a little of the lyrics. Thank you. Shabbat Shalom!!!