Vu Is Dus Gesele – The Heimann Boys

This moving rendition of “Vu Is Dus Gesele”, composed by Shalom Secunda, was performed on 8th May 2025 as part of the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in Antwerp, Belgium.

The event honored the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and was attended by leading political figures and dignitaries from across the country.

The Heimann Boys—Zevi, Avi, and Shmuli Heimann—delivered this heartfelt performance, bringing depth and emotion to this timeless Yiddish classic.

Lyrics: (translated to English)
Vu iz dos gesele, vu iz di shtib? Where is that little alley, where is the house?
Vu iz dos meydele, vemen kh’hob lib? Where is the beloved I once loved?
Ot iz dos gesele, ot iz di shtib, There is the little alley, there is the house,
Ot iz dos meydele, vemen kh’hob lib. There is the beloved I once loved.
Vu iz dos taykhele, vu iz di mil? Where is the brook, where is the mill?
Vu iz dos derfele, vu iz di shil? Where is the village, where is the synagogue?
Ot iz dos taykhele, ot iz di mil, There is the brook, there is the mill,
Ot iz dos derfele, ot iz di shil. There is the village, there is the synagogue.
Arayn in di shtiber, mayn veytog iz groys, Inside the houses, my sorrow is great,
Alts iz geblibn a kholem nor bloyz, All that remains is nothing but a dream,
Nishto mer dos gesele, nishto mer di shtib, The alley is no more, the house is no more,
Nishto mer dos meydele vemen kh’hob lib. The beloved I once loved is no more.