Honeyky Hanukah by Woody Guthrie

Honeyky Hanukah by Woody Guthrie

Author:Woody Guthrie [Guthrie, Woody]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-98239-2
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2014-09-22T16:00:00+00:00


A Coney Island Hanukah: Woody Guthrie’s New York Story

Woody Guthrie’s Jewish songs can be traced to his friendship with his mother-in-law, Aliza Greenblatt, a well-known Yiddish poet who lived down the street from Woody and his family in Coney Island, New York, in the 1940s. Woody and Aliza often discussed their artistic projects and critiqued each other’s work, finding common ground in their shared love for culture and social justice. Here is the story of how their unlikely collaboration began.

In 1942, Sophie Maslow, a dancer who had performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company, choreographed a suite for the New Dance Group using some of Woody’s songs. She and Marjorie Mazia, another dancer with the troupe, went to Woody’s Greenwich Village apartment to invite him to perform at the premiere. According to Guthrie family legend, Marjorie and Woody fell in love during the rehearsals. They moved to Coney Island in June 1943 to be near Marjorie’s parents, Aliza and Isadore Greenblatt.

Aliza played a major role in the Guthrie family’s life. Known as Bubbie (the Yiddish word for grandma), Aliza cared for her grandchildren and held Friday-night Sabbath dinners. Woody saw a strong connection between the Jewish struggle and that of his fellow Oklahomans during the Dust Bowl, and was inspired to write songs that celebrated Jewish culture. He performed his Hanukah songs at local Jewish community centers and wrote other songs about Jewish history, spiritual life, World War II, and the anti-fascist cause.

At the bottom of the handwritten lyrics for “Honeyky Hanukah,” Woody signed:

Woody Guthrie

3520 Mermaid Avenue

Brooklyn, 24, New York

November 21, 1949

Woody Guthrie lived in Coney Island for seven years. The songs he wrote there—full of his love for family and home—convey to us today the stories of a bygone time.



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