Nachum Shternheim

Nachum Shternheim or Nochem Sternheim (Yiddish: נחום שטרנהיים; December 7, 1876 - 1942)^[1] was Jewish poet, composer, and songwriter who wrote in Yiddish.^[2][3]

Nachum Sternheim, 1930

Nachum Sternheim was born in Rzeszów, Austrian partition of Poland.^[2] Born to a Hasidic family, he became a Zionist^[4] and was an activist of Poale Zion in Rzeszów. In 1908 he moved to the United States and worked at a factory. In 1912 he returned to Rzeszów and lectured on Jewish national poetry and performed his songs in Jewish communities of Galicia. His first songs were published in the Wachenblatt newspaper, later by Goldberg printing house, Rzeszów.^[2]

Gila Flam [he] and Dov Noy published a collection of Shternheim's works, Hobn Mir a Nigndl (We Have a Little Tune). The song of the Yiddish „Troubadour” Nokhem Shternheim, which includes a short biographical notice.^[1]

Known songs

• Onzer Nigundel (Yiddish: אונדזער ניגונדל "Our Little Nigun"); for a long time considered to be a folk song.^[5]
• Friday Night (פֿרײַטיק אױף דער נאַכט).^[6] It may be heard on the 1993 album Ałef-Bejs by Sława Przybylska^[1]
• Gila Flam [he] found that Shternheim published two songs, "Dos Redl" (The wheel) and "Di Parodye Zum Redl" (Parody on the wheel), to the same tune as Papirosn (which was a contrafact itself).^[7]
• "Malkele" or "Tayere Malkele" (טײַערע מלכּהלע) ("Dear Malkele")^[8] (Malkele is a diminutive of Malka)
• "Legionen Marsch" (לעגיונען מארש) ^[9]