Shmuel Bass

Shmuel Bass began publishing in the Israeli press at a young age. He wrote poetry, short stories—including those for children—and literary criticism. He worked as a teacher and served as the principal of the Yavneh school in Tel Aviv. Additionally, he is the author of many Hebrew children's songs.

Shmuel Bass was born in Pochep in 1899. His grandfather, Moshe Halevi, was a cantor in the Shumyachi synagogue in the Mogilev Governorate, which led to the family name "Bass."

Shmuel's father, Aharon Tzvi Bass, was an enlightened man, a Hebrew teacher, and a Zionist activist. Aharon Tzvi taught Hebrew in Russia using a unique method of natural language acquisition, akin to learning one's native tongue. However, the tumultuous events of the early 20th century, including the 1903 Kishinev pogrom, shook his belief in a bright future. Following the pogrom, Jewish self-defense units were formed across the Pale of Settlement, including in Pochep.

"To prepare against possible trouble, a self-defense force organized in our town, as in other towns. Pochep was a mixed city. Of 10,000 residents, one-third were Jews. There was no separate area for Jews; neighborhoods were mixed. The roofs were made of straw or wood, and it was clear that if fire broke out, it would spread from house to house. It was decided, therefore, in our association, that if riots broke out, every Jew will bum his home, so that the gentiles' homes too will not be spared. This decision was made known to all residents, and served as a deterrent against riots. A small, empty building in the garden… at the edge of town became their meeting place... We had 12 pistols. We were afraid that this would be known, because many spies and informers operated in the area... The authorities learned that revolutionaries operated in Pochep, and a battalion of 2,000 Cossacks was sent to enforce order. Fully armed, the Cossacks rode their horses in the streets and camped in the city. Three people were caught and hanged. The young Jewish selfdefense group feared their weapons would be found and that they would suffer the consequences."

In her book From Pochep with Love, Beth Galletto recounts an incident that occurred during one of the annual Pochep fairs. Rioters, shouting anti-Jewish slogans, began looting the street where poor Jewish shopkeepers were located. A policeman stood outside a house, watching calmly without intervening. Suddenly, a young man from the Jewish self-defense group snuck up behind him, struck the officer on the head with a knuckle duster, and disappeared. The policeman fell dead, causing the frightened crowd to scatter.

Everyone realized this would provoke further violence against the Jewish community, and panic ensued. Some quickly loaded carts and fled the city. After a while, the chaos subsided, and the killer was not found. His identity was revealed much later: he was the son of a butcher, a leader of the self-defense squad. Two years later, he was spotted after hiding for some time. It was around this period that Shmuel Bass's father decided it was no longer safe to remain in the Russian Empire.

Aharon Tzvi Bass, the father of Shmuel Bass
tidhar.tourolib.org

Pochep, early 20th century

Maurycy Minkowski, After the Pogrom
Wikimedia

In 1905, when Shmuel was six years old, his parents decided to leave the Russian Empire and move to Palestine. Their journey would begin in Odessa.
When the family arrived in the port city, Shmuel's father sought the blessing of David Solomon Slouschz, the rabbi of Moldavanka, the Jewish district of Odessa. The situation in the city was already tense, with workers across the country striking, demanding the overthrow of the autocracy, democratic freedoms, and better working conditions.
At the time, Palestine was under Ottoman rule, and those leaving were venturing into the unknown. The rabbi warned them about the hardships of life in Israel, saying, "I too would like to settle in the Promised Land, but I won’t go because I don't know how I would survive there." Seeing that his words saddened Aharon Tzvi, he added, "Well, if you've already decided to go—may G-d help you!"

Today, G-d Forgot Odessa

Osip Piatnitsky, From the book Memoirs of a Bolshevik
archive.org

The Port Practique, Odessa between 1890 and 1900
Library of Congress

A few days later, while the Bass family was aboard a ship bound for Jaffa, unrest erupted in Odessa. On October 17, 1905, Tsar Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto, promising reforms to improve the state’s governance. Celebrations began, but not everyone welcomed the tsar's concessions. Clashes broke out between revolutionary youth, monarchists, and the police, which soon escalated into the most brutal anti-Jewish pogrom in Odessa’s history.

Bolshevik Osip Pyatnitsky, who was in Odessa at the time, recalled the events: "I saw a group of about 25 to 30 young men, some were policemen and guards in disguise, capturing anyone who looked Jewish—men, women, and children. They stripped them naked and beat them. But the police didn’t stop at just the Jews. If they caught students or schoolchildren, they beat them just as brutally. The thugs were active on Treugolnaya Street, while a crowd of spectators stood nearby, watching. We quickly organized a group of armed men with revolvers (after a demonstration, the committee had acquired some Nagant pistols, and I got one as well). We approached the thugs and shot at them. They scattered. But suddenly, a wall of soldiers appeared between us and the attackers, fully armed and facing us. We retreated. The soldiers left, and the thugs returned. This happened several times.”
Between October 18 and 22, 1905, more than 400 Jews were killed in the city. Rabbi Slouschz, who had blessed the Bass family before their departure, was brutally whipped during the pogrom and died a week later from his injuries.

After the pogrom in Odessa
kehilalinks.jewishgen.org

the Manifesto of 17 October 1905
Wikipedia

Amid the tragic events of 1905, Shmuel Bass arrived in Palestine with his parents and younger sister, Miriam. He was enrolled in the religious Zionist school Tachkemoni in Jaffa, where he excelled as the top student in his class and was awarded a Turkish gold coin. Years later, the same school would educate the famous actor Chaim Topol, who played Tevye the Dairyman in the Hollywood musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Shmuel Bass continued his education in a teacher training program in Jerusalem, where he began pursuing his true passion: writing. At the age of 16, he published his first essay, which was dedicated to the writer Sholem Aleichem. He received assistance with the publication from Yosef Haim Brenner, a writer who had studied in the yeshiva in Pochep.

In 1917, Bass interrupted his studies to volunteer for the Jewish Legion, a military unit within the British Army during World War I. He completed communications training there and published a poem titled "The Volunteer" in Haaretz, inspired by his military service experiences.

After his time in the army, Shmuel finished his studies and became a teacher of English and Hebrew at an Arab-Jewish school founded by Haim Margaliot-Kalvarisky. The school aimed to foster friendship between the two communities, but it was short-lived. Bass then moved to Tel Aviv, where he taught at various schools, including the Bialik School, where he became the deputy principal.

In 1929, Shmuel traveled to the United States to study psychology and pedagogy at Yale University. Afterward, he served as the principal of several schools in Tel Aviv. Starting in 1943, he became the principal of the Yavneh school.
Shmuel was a gifted educator and one of the first lecturers of Hebrew and literature at the "Beit HaAm" educational and cultural center, where any resident of Tel Aviv could attend lectures.
He also wrote fiction. In 1929, he published a novel titled Ara, which told the story of a love affair between an Armenian refugee and an Israeli soldier. The novel reflected some of his own experiences from his military service.

Palestine

Jaffa. Market, 1905 - 1910s
Goskatalog

Tel Aviv, Bezalel Jaffe street 1920-1930s.
Goskatalog

Shmuel Bass (third from left in hat) with seventh graders on a school trip
The National Library Of Israel

A note by 16-year-old Shmuel Bass about Sholem Aleichem in the Akharut newspaper, 1916.
The National Library Of Israel

Shmuel Bass's song "I Have a Little Brother" performed by Osnat Paz

I have a little brother, small,
He's just one year old.
If he tries to stand up tall,
Down he’ll quickly fall.

And if he tries to walk, you see,
He can’t make his way,
But he knows he’s cute, and he
Crawls along each day.

And he loves to sing a song,
My dear brother, dear,
With a spoon, he'll bang along,
Keeping rhythm clear:

"Mommy, mommy, la-la-la,
Daddy, daddy, hey!"
Singing songs without a start,
Without an end, all day.

Now summer has passed, and the hot days are gone,
A new year arrives for everyone.
The birds fly in flocks, the wind starts to blow,
The season of cold days is starting to show.
The season of cold days is starting to show.

Look closely, you see, I once was so small,
But summer has passed, now I’m big and tall.
The new year has come, it's here at our door,
We welcome you in, with kindness and more.
We welcome you in, with kindness and more.

Lyrics (Hebrew): Shmuel Bass
Music: Emanuel Amiran-Pougatchov

Lyrics (Hebrew): Shmuel Bass
Music: Daniel Sambursky

Lyrics (Hebrew): Shmuel Bass
Music: Daniel Sambursky

Shmuel Bass's song "Summer is Gone" performed by Osnat Paz

On the blooming mountain's shoulder,
This little village stands,
It sends afar, both near and wide,
Its orchards, fields, and lands.
Far from the city’s noisy sound,
It spreads across the earth,
Its green flag waving all around,
With golden dots of worth.

A place of life, where farmers dwell,
Working the native soil,
Shepherds and tillers of the land,
Engaged in daily toil.
The father plows and sows the field,
In furrow, row, and line,
He reaps the yield with joy and song,
In harmony, divine.

The son, he tends the flock nearby,
And weeds the thorny ground,
The daughter keeps the barn and coop,
Where order can be found.
Oh, how I cherish this small place,
My village, pure and bright—
Where I was born and where, with grace,
I’ll grow old in its light!

Summer Has Passed, for example, has a few unique features. The New Year mentioned in it is celebrated in the fall according to the Hebrew calendar and is called Rosh Hashanah. In just a few lines, Bass captures the atmosphere of the Israeli New Year: the migratory birds, the fading heat of summer, and the anticipation of winter’s "cold days." And what else happens in the fall? Little ones go off to kindergarten, and schoolchildren move up a grade, feeling that just yesterday they were small, but from now on, each of them is "big."

Shmuel Bass is best known as a composer of children's songs. His works cover a wide range of themes: holidays, the changing seasons, love for the land, and love for its people. At a time when Hebrew was still being revitalized and the State of Israel had yet to exist, these songs played a crucial role in both teaching children the language and introducing them to traditions and culture. Often, his lyrics reflected events that Bass himself had witnessed.
Despite being written in the 1930s and 1940s, Shmuel Bass’s songs remain relevant today. Children in Israeli kindergartens still sing them.

Shmuel Bass's song "The Village" performed by Mali Bronstein and Ruti Ben Avraham

The poem The Village (Kfari) was written by Bass about the agricultural settlement of Kfar Hess, founded in 1931. In 1933, the lyrics were set to music by Daniel Sambursky.

Kfar Hess, 1937
Wikimedia

Shmuel Bass’s songs are also performed at official state ceremonies. For instance, at the opening celebration of Israel’s 70th Independence Day in 2018, Song of Youth was performed. It is an ode to the youth, praising them for building up the country. "Our brothers return from their exile, reviving their homeland. Who performed this miracle, O Homeland? Who created all this, O Homeland? It is your hand, your hand that sows," the song declares. In essence, as long as there is youth, the country will thrive.
A song written by a native of Pochep is now sung by an entire nation.

Shmuel Bass passed away from a stroke in 1949 at the age of 50. By then, the State of Israel, founded just a year earlier in 1948, was only one year old.
He was buried at the Nahalat Yitzhak Cemetery in Tel Aviv.

Shmuel Bass and his father, Aharon Tzvi Bass, are recognized in the "Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel," acknowledging their contributions to the establishment and development of the country.

Poetry Turned into Songs

Shmuel Bass, 1926
Wikimedia

"Song of Youth" by Shmuel Bass performed at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence

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