Luba Bratzy Luba

Lovely, brothers, lovely, lovely 'tis to live

With our brave leader who has time or will to grieve?

This traditional Cossack song was beloved by the chassid Reb Mendel Futerfas, who would often sing it at Chasidic gatherings. He can be heard singing the refrain on the recording here. The song recounts a bloody battle on the banks of a river. Reb Mendel likely learned the song while in a Siberian Gulag, where he spent 9 years for his clandestine activities strengthening Judaism in the USSR.

Reb Mendel Singing it

Russians singing it