The Chosen
Exiled from the Promised Land, we made this land our home For centuries we lived here, lived in prosperity and shalom We fought for this our country, we helped it grow Now people wish to plunge us into a great sorrow No civil service, no parks, no entertainment, no rights Few protested while fascism was at its heights Children were taught that we were undesirable Anyone who said otherwise was in great trouble A new I.D card we were given with a distinct J Our beards were shaved in public and what could we say? The synagogue where we all prayed, man and woman from every class Vanished overnight leaving only some broken glass Made homeless, we were stuffed into ghettos There, children were shot as they smuggled in some potatoes We won’t survive this kind of life any longer Re-settlement? Anything but this ghetto would be much better It’s crowded, it’s maddening; it’s cramped, it’s suffocating This box-cart is definitely not meant for