tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12677825.post410012199347595625..comments2024-03-29T11:39:42.348+00:00Comments on Point of No Return: Jewish Refugees from Arab and Muslim Countries: From Algeria with love - a song for HanucahUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12677825.post-87682227090366619472011-12-24T18:44:48.513+00:002011-12-24T18:44:48.513+00:00Sylvia. Thanks for the great translation! I would ...Sylvia. Thanks for the great translation! I would love to be in touch by email. You can email me at cbsilver at gmail dot com.Chris Silverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16828369815346986542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12677825.post-80129445493224508572011-12-21T12:12:36.624+00:002011-12-21T12:12:36.624+00:00I've listen to it last night for the first tim...I've listen to it last night for the first time and indeed this is the greatest liberal version of Hanoucca I've ever heard. It is extremely rich although it might not mean much to those who don't master the Maghreban idioms.<br /><br />Here is a small taste just from explicating the title of the song:<br />"El Bonco Hanoukka"<br /><br />L-bonco is a dice game, a favorite with gamblers. Like all games of chance in the Maghreban Jewish dialect, including card games, it has a Spanish name.<br /> <br />Now you get it: the throw of the dice is the same as the throw of the Hanoucca dreidel, and just like the Hanoucca miracle, the L-bonco gambler expects a miracle. Or at least hoping for some Hebrew mazal/luck (with "a" as in "far") which is threatening to become Maghreban mazal (with "a" as in "cat") which then would mean "not yet". <br /><br />This metaphor is continued throughout and there are great plays on words. I would need to listen to it several times to catch all those pearls.Sylvianoreply@blogger.com