Бедный Ёжик - Aaron second hit in two weeks.

The second Aaron performance was at Arlington Heights Illinois , with his second hit "Бедный Ёжик". "Бедный Ёжик" is a Russian song which became an instant hit, and the triumph of Aaron's singing career so far. Enjoy Aaron's performance and wait for a new hits to come on a Katzmanyata Blog  or our YouTube account.




Enjoy!!!! 

Aaron Katzman - the world class bass guitar.

The new upcoming star on a music horizon, happened to be in Chicago area. The new rock-and-roll star in its best. Aaron performs one of his first solo concerts in Bourbonnais, Illinois area on a eve of Fourth of July. So Happy Birthday America and enjoy the best of rock -and-Roll from Aaron "the Mantch" Katzman.

Yelena Bonner.

On June 18 of 2011 in Boston, MA died well know dissident and critic of ruling regimes in Soviet Union and Post-Soviet countries as well as a widow of Academic Andrei Sakharov – Yelena Bonner. She was 88 years old in a frail health, however she still was active in her fight with injustice and carrying the work started by her husband for twenty something years after his death.




The life of Yelena Bonner and story of my family have a couple crossings through out the second half of the 20 century, which changed our family history the way our family member would not plan. First time it happened back in 1943 , when my Grandmother Anna Kaprav (Gilman) and Yelena Bonner were coworkers as medical personal in a military hospital train. They would pick up heavily wounded and sick soldiers treat them with a first medical aid and transport them to the hospitals behind front line. I would not say that they become best friends after that, however after the war they would meet on a couple of occasions back in sixties. My mom (she was a kid back than) , was a witness of one of this coincidence meeting then my grand mother met Yelena Bonner and her children while strolling in Moscow Sokolniki park with my mom and mom’s younger sister Olga back in early 60’s.

Medical personal on a military hospital train.

 Irkutsk September, 24 1943

My Grandma - Anna Kaprav ( 1st raw 1st from the right)

Yelena Bonner (1st raw in a center)

Back in a 70’s my parents tried to exercise the idea of leaving our dear homeland for a batter shores. Back than the Jewish emigration was in a full swing, and many members of our family as well as friends of my parents left for Israel or US. However my family was forced to stay behind for another 10 years. Why it happened, no one knows, but who will look for any rime or reason in actions of officials back in Soviet stagnation era. However, as I presume , they did have explanation to do what they did. Because right after that our family was cough by the eye of Soviet inelegance officials, they were posing as journalist-writers who were writing a book about war experiences of one of military hospital trains. And what a coincidence , they were interested only in a train where my grandma and Yelena Bonner were working as an nurses. In a beginning my grandmother was telling them a stories of courage and heroism of all members of medical group she was part of. But for some reason they experience strange interest only to one member of medical personal on a whole train, it was not a director or main physician of the train, it was no one special, it was simple nurse – Yelena Bonner. After “journalist-writers” were done with a interview, my grandma was puzzled, why do they have such a unhealthy interest to the simple nurse and overlooking so many of good stories of courage and heroism during World War 2 which would be great for a book which they writing on. And after putting two and two together, we figured out that nurse from the train and a wife of leading dissident Academic Andrei Sakharov was a same person. After death of my Grandmother and complete closing down the door of Jewish emigration from Soviet Union to the west, the interest to the book about military hospital on a tracks start to diminish and book never was published or even written. I still not sure that it was a reason to let us not to leave Soviet Union back in late 1970’s , however it seems like a good one to keep our family in USSR for another 10 years.

Little bit of XX century Soviet Jews stats.

Little bit of XX century Soviet Jews stats.

Check out some interesting Statistical information about Jews in Soviet Union during 20th century. Here some statistical tables for you to enjoy.

1. Jewish population through out 20th century in thousands and as a percent of whole population in pre-World War

2.) Jewish population by Soviet Republic from 1926 to 2000



3.) Jewish population by autonomous republics, regions and oblasts in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus from 1926 to 2000 ( in a borders for particular year, in thousands).

4.) Local Growth/Loss vs. Immigration/Emigration ( Jewish Population in Former USSR)

5.) Jewish population in selected cities of Former USSR in 1897-2000.



Аарон Кацман и Эдуард Хиль

Аарон Кацман,   Эдуард Хиль и
Большой детский хор Всесоюзного радио и
Центрального телевидения (БДХ)
Дважды два четыре
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Aaron Katzman, Eduard Khil and
Big Children's Choir of Soviet Radio and
Central Television Network.







This collaboration gave us three minutes of true entertainment and enjoyment. Aaron was in his best, showing us his singing abilities and complimenting it with a plastic of the dance.

Bravo Aaron, Bravo !!!!  

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Bourbonnais, Illinois
May 15, 2011

Italy is back in Eurovision.

Being missing for 14 years from the Eurovision scene (last appearance back in 20 century in 1997)   Italy  is back. And how it is coming back, I am predicting it will be a winner this year with really unique Un-Italian presentation of Jazzy Madness of love by young  Raphael Gualazzi .

Check it for yourself,  I do believe you will enjoy it.
The wait is almost over, by Saturday evening we will know if the Europe will shear my point of view and taste in a music.   To bad my vote would not count, US is not participating in Eurovision.

Raphael Gualazzi - Madness of love lyrics and english lyrics
Dire si dire mai
Non e’ facile sai
And all the world around you seems to slip and disappear
Io non so piu’ chi sei
Non mi importa chi sei
I know for certain I won't bother you with nostalgia

Ma vedrai un altro me
in un sogno fragile
riderai come se non ti avessi amato mai
cercherai un altro me oltre l’ombra di un caffe’
Troverai solo me
Se mi fermo un attimo io non so piu’ chi sei

Qui si vive cosi’
day by day night by night
but someone hit me and I fell into your heart, my dear

And you’ll fly over lands
Where your eyes can’t find the end
Upon mountains down lanes
Being so far away from you just makes me feel so damned!

E vedrai un altra te quasi invincibile
viva come non mai ed e’ li che tu mi avrai
oltre false magie l’orizzonte sarai
splenderai, splenderai, splenderai
splenderai!
-----------------------------
Can’t you see
Through your eyes
There’s a look that don’t shine
And all the world around you seems to slip and disappear

Thought that word from your heart
Means I’m yours, means you’re smart
I know for certain I won't bother you with nostalgia

But you'll find other men
full of love and filled with damn
and you'll smile here and there
like the first of all your sighs
there you'll cry with your friends
like he was the first and last
spreading life wasting life
shouldn't be that way if you ain't got a tear to hide!

Here we live, with no tricks
day by day night by night
but someone hit me and I fell into your heart, my dear

And you’ll fly over lands
Where your eyes can’t find the end
Upon mountains down lanes
Being so far away from you just makes me feel so damned!

Show your man how to love,
show him tears and skies above,
show him worlds full of light
and your dreams that you can't hide
show him spells he can hear
and your wonderful life, let it shine!
let it shine!
let it shine!
let it shine!

The Jewish Month of May or How Мир, Труд, Май become A Yiddeshe Momme, May

If you were growing up in Soviet Union the slogan – “Mir, Trud, May” (“Peace, Work, May”)  was something what was associated with a gateway month of the summer - the month of May. After moving to the new continent the meaning of the month slightly changed it is no longer associated with Peace ( it was more European association than American) , work is something which is associated with every month in this country – want to live with a comfort got to work my friend month after month after month and labor day in America is in September not May.   So only May  left in a slogan, kind of strange slogan for a month. Imagine people on the street chanting May, May, May, dose not make any sense unless you are in a mental facility.  So let think what will associate with May in this country. Let use soviet association for a month with a holidays which happened to be in this particular month. The first holiday comes to mind is a Mother’s Day. So it is time to chant Mom, May – sounds good, so we went to Green Basil place with my Dad and Stella’s parents to celebrate the occasion ( my Mom happened to be in Europe with my sister during this time, so it’s become my young sis responsibility to chant Mom, May, Mom, May  in person to our mother, I would do it with a help of modern technology  -  so my dear Mom

-        Mom, May,  Mom , May and ones more Mom , May.

I would think it would be it, if by law passed in Congress this year Month May would not become an National American Jewish heritage month.  So it become not only Mom, May it is a Jewish mom, May. I like this slogan it is even make more sense for me personally. But wait, it would be much better if we will chant –

-         A Yiddeshe Momme , May,  A Yiddeshe Momme , May and ones more A Yiddeshe Momme , May.

And as a present to our moms with a true mining of the current month the song of  AYiddeshe momme in a variety of languages.

Yiddish ( original language)


In Russian



In English



In Franch



In Polish



and even in Arabic