While the Yiddish version of This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie (and posted here) appears to have the work of other translators, I did not want to neglect to mention that Woody Guthrie, who wrote this and so many other songs, was the son-in-law of Aliza Greenblatt, a well-known Yiddish poet. They reportedly had a close relationship and I'm still trying to learn more about this!
Read more about her here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliza_Greenblatt
And scroll past the "merchandise" to read this interesting account:
https://www.woodyguthrie.org/merchandise/klezmatics.htm
Here's an excerpt from that website:
The Yiddish Connection
Guthrie’s Jewish lyrics can be traced to the unusual collaborative relationship he had with his mother-in-law, Aliza Greenblatt, a prominent Yiddish poet who lived across from Guthrie and his family in Brooklyn in the 1940s. Guthrie – the Oklahoma troubadour – and Greenblatt – the Jewish wordsmith – often discussed their artistic projects and critiqued each other’s works, finding common ground in their shared love of culture and social justice, despite very different backgrounds. Their collaboration flourished in 1940s Brooklyn, where Jewish culture was interwoven with music, modern dance, poetry and anti-fascist, pro-labor activism.
Woody Guthrie’s Jewish lyrics came as a surprise to Nora Guthrie, director of the Woody Guthrie Archives and Woody’s daughter. She became aware of his connection to Judaism only recently, in a chance encounter with the Klezmatics and Itzhak Perlman. Following a concert at Tanglewood, where (unbeknownst to Nora) Perlman and the band had performed some of Greenblatt’s Yiddish songs, Guthrie was introduced to Perlman as “Aliza’s granddaughter.” She recalls, “All my life, I’ve been introduced as Woody’s daughter, Arlo’s sister and Marjorie Mazia’s daughter…but this was the first time I’d ever been introduced as ’Aliza Greenblatt’s granddaughter!’ Then Itzhak asked me how I liked his version of Aliza’s song – I almost fell through the floor. I never knew she wrote songs – I always thought she was just my Bubbie!” The revelation about her grandmother’s history encouraged Nora Guthrie to bring her father’s Jewish songs to light, and she enlisted the Klezmatics – one of the world’s preeminent klezmer groups – in the project that comes to fruition in this concert at the 92nd Street Y.
The Klezmatics perform around the world, and wrote music for Tony Kushner’s A Dybbuk and Pilobolus Dance Theater’s Davenen. They have recorded twice with Itzhak Perlman and collaborated with poet Allen Ginsberg and Morocco’s Master Musicians of Jajouka. Their latest CD, Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf! (Rounder) was released in September to critical acclaim, particularly for their bilingual version of Holly Near's anti-fundamentalist "I Ain't Afraid."
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