Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 02:30 PM

The version that I learned at a Jewish summer camp in the late '40's:
"On, you sons of Moses, with your big long noses,
fight, fight, fight for Yisrael.
On you sun browned lasses, with your big round asses.
Fight, fight, fight, fight for Yisrael."
The tune was the Marseilles, which was adapted for the Vagabond King.
Other lyrics:
"Join the Russian navy, fight for meat and gravy,
fight fight fight for Joe Stalin.
Join the Yiddish Navy fight for bread and gravy.
fight fight fight for Yisrael."

Also the cheer:
"Guns for the Arabs; sneakers for the Jews."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,rediflex
Date: 09 Jul 18 - 01:08 PM

Eaters of pork and gravy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 24 Nov 18 - 02:59 PM

The only lyrics that I remember from a Baptist church camp in North Carolina, circa 1963 were:

Eat your beans and gravy
Join the Jewish navy
Fight, fight, fight for Israel.

And


Save your dimes and nickels.
Buy our kosher pickles.
Fight..

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jan 19 - 07:54 AM

The version I heard as a Protestant, in a mostly Catholic neighborhood in Chicago, as a Boy Scout, in the mid-60's included the lines, "All who eat pastrami, join the Hebrew Army, fight, fight, fight for Palestine." We sang it, with some of the other verses as we hiked. Just like "A hundred bottles of beer on the wall." Learned from one of the troop leaders and never gave it much thought abot it. .Now I feel it is kind of Anti-Palastinian

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Feb 19 - 03:53 PM

anti-Semitic? A FIGHT SONG TO SUPPORT, MONEY FOR GUNS TO FIGHT THE BRITISH. EVERYONE WANTS TO FORGET THE BOMBINGS AGAINST THE BRITISH RULE TO KEEP PALESTINE. THE CAUSE WAS TO GET A ZIONIST STATE FROM THE CONTROLLING BRITISH.ZIONIST TERRORISTS! CHECK OUT ALL THE HISTORY BOOK NOT JUST ON SIDE OF OR THE OTHER. THEN MAYBE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND BOTH.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: Jack Campin
Date: 11 Feb 19 - 04:38 PM

Incidentally "Sons of toil and danger" is rather similar to a very old klezmer tune, "Broyges tants".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,D Web
Date: 13 Feb 19 - 10:56 PM

I first heard this song in elementary school in about 1963, in Los Angeles. I'm Jewish, and all but one of my classmates was not. One of the non-Jewish boys, named Craig, sang the lyrics thus:

All you sons of Davey,
Join the Jewish Navy,
Fight fight fight for Palestine!

Drop your f*****g Torah,
Don't just dance the hora,
Fight fight fight for Palestine!

Onward, onward, onward we will go,
Eating lox and bagels as we go.

Men of circumcision,
Make the right decision,
Fight fight fight for Palestine!

I was impressed that (a) Craig knew what Torah was and (b) ditto hora. It turned out that Craig's father was Jewish, although scarcely ever mentioned it, let alone practiced Judaism. I am guessing his old man taught him the song.

The use of "go" twice in the break is kind of clunky. But I must say that the second verse, however irreverent (and yes, little 9-year-old Craig really dropped the F-bomb, although neither of knew what the word meant), actually contains some insight--i.e., don't hide yourself in your books, don't dance as though there's no urgency ... the time has come to take concerted action!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Feb 19 - 03:28 PM

Oy vay
Mama nuish shtay
Inita vilet Henta
Brenta fiire

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Sep 20 - 02:19 PM

The only lines I remember, and this is how I remember them, came from a non-Jewish counselor at a "non-Jewish" summer camp founded by a Jewish man and populated entirely by non-observant Jewish girls in the North Woods of Wisconsin in the very early 1970s. I have been searching for background on this ditty for years. Thank you for this thread.

Onward, Onward, Onward to the foe
Eating lox and bagels as we go

No more dirty dishes
Just gefilte fishes
Fight, fight, fight for kosher ham
(boom boom, boom boom)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Label
Date: 26 Sep 20 - 11:32 AM

Men of toil and trouble
Helping peel k-nubble...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 10:16 AM

We sang this song in Vietnam 1966:
We are the sons of Moses
And we have big noses
Fight, Fight Fight for Palestine
We get no ham and gravy
In the Jewish Navy
Fight Fight Fight for Palestine
Isaac, Jacob, Benjamin and Sam
We are the boys who eat no ham
Grab that Gentile hold him tight
On to the Synacog
Fight Fight Fight
J E W S
Jews Jews Jews

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Brad
Date: 08 Jan 21 - 04:53 PM

I remember my dad singing this in the 60s/70s:

All you sons of Moses
With your broken noses
Fight, Fight, Fight for Israel!

This was in Portland, OR. He was born in Tacoma in 1929 to Swedish immigrant parents. I don't know where he learned it but it might have been in the Marines in the 40s where he picked up a lot of transgressive folklore that trickled out from time to time. All of our neighbors were Jewish and I went to a lot of Bar Mitzvahs and Shabbat dinners growing up and I never heard any Jewish person sing it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 21 - 07:58 PM

Yikes,

Tom
New Brunswick NJ, around 1946
Probably I learned it at Roosevelt Jr High School, I don't remember anyone singing it.

Some fragments

Boys who are in their teens
Join the Yiddish Marines
Fight, fight, fight for Palesteen (so pronounced)

Men who don't eat pork and gravy
Join the Yiddish Navy
Fight, fight, fight for Palesteen

I don't remember the Army verse, so I was happy to hear some versions

Only us Jewish kids knew the song. Not antisemitic but jokily irreverent. We young teens knew zilch about Palestine, about the fighting or the massive immigration from Europe. That, despite that I was a refugee from fascist Hungary.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Donald
Date: 20 Oct 23 - 03:51 PM

I grew up in San Antonio in the 1940's and 50's. Apparently, many Jewish families had children about the same time as my parents because I had many Jewish friends all through public school. They taught me, "Oh you sons of Moses, with your swingin' noses fight, fight. fight for Palestine. Eat your beans and gravy, join the Yiddish navy, fight. fight for Palestine." and on, and on. Apparently, as someone else has mentioned, in those days "Palestine" was synonymous with "Israel".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Donald
Date: 20 Oct 23 - 03:51 PM

I grew up in San Antonio in the 1940's and 50's. Apparently, many Jewish families had children about the same time as my parents because I had many Jewish friends all through public school. They taught me, "Oh you sons of Moses, with your swingin' noses fight, fight. fight for Palestine. Eat your beans and gravy, join the Yiddish navy, fight. fight for Palestine." and on, and on. Apparently, as someone else has mentioned, in those days "Palestine" was synonymous with "Israel".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: 'You, You Sons of Moses' Anti-Semitic
From: GUEST,Jimmy W
Date: 02 Dec 23 - 12:01 PM

1955 New Britain, Connecticut
A common ditty, not associated in any way with anti-Semitism.
How I remember it:

If you want your bread and gravy,
Fight, fight, fight, for the Jewish Navy,
Fight, fight, fight, for Palestine.