The Historical context of Zog nit keynmol

In the middle of the Second World War, a song came to life in the Vilnius ghetto that would become a symbol of the Jewish will to survive. Here you can find the circumstances under which the song was made.

Hirsh Glick 

Hirsh Glick, the writer of Zog nit Keynmol was born in 1922 in Vilna, Lithuania. (or Vilnius) He grew up to be a poet and a writer. In the 1940s he was forced to live in the Vilna Ghetto. That was also where he wrote the text of Zog nit Keynmol (Or Never Say in English) in 1943. It is said that Glick probably died in 1944 after escaping the Vilna Ghetto. (Magonet, 2002)

The song was written after hearing about the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. In some time the song gained traction and became the main anthem for the Jewish resistance movement. (Forman, 2002) One can assume that the Warsaw uprising inspired a conscience about the possibility of resistance.

 

 

The Vilna Ghetto

After the invasion of Poland by the Nazi's, Jews were forced to live in parts of their cities which were re-named as Jewish Ghettos. Here they were isolated from the rest of society and victim to extremely harsh conditions for example consisting of overcrowding, famine and maltreatment by Nazi's. This was also the case in the Vilna Ghetto (established in 1942) where Zog nit Keynmol originated. Because of these conditions, but especially because of the conscience about the genocidal plans, resistance emerged in the Ghetto. (Einwohner, 2007)

The FPO 

The Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye (FPO), which translates to United Partisans Organization, was formed after hearing of the genocidal plans. The FPO was a resistance organization which never gained enough traction to form a full-fledged resistance in the Vilna Ghetto. On the first of September in 1943, there was resistance by a part of the FPO against the deportations of all Jewish people left in the Ghetto, but there was never a form of collective resistance like in Warsaw. The Vila Ghetto was liquidated on the 23rd of September 1943. (Einwohner, 2007) 

Maak jouw eigen website met JouwWeb