We Are Sisters, We Are Brothers

Original language

Yiddish

Literary source

Morris Winchevsky · 1890

Melody

Traditional; composer unknown

Ale Brider began with Yiddish verse, not an anonymous lyric. The Mlotek collection traces it to Morris Winchevsky’s poem Akhdes (Unity), published in Arbeter Fraynd on 29 August 1890. That dates the poem, not necessarily the familiar melody: its composer is unknown.

The collection describes a later folk tradition in which singers added verses at Bundist gatherings.

The present recording follows a further chain of authorship. Olga Anikina wrote a Russian literary adaptation in 2021. Walter J. Kin based his English words, dated 2026 in the published description, on that adaptation. Riglis Band performs it, with Kin credited for production. The recording description identifies the traditional Ale Brider melody.

This is a new English reimagining through Russian, rather than a direct word-for-word translation of Winchevsky.

The English lyric begins with sisters as well as brothers. It then moves from a statement of equality to small encounters: a stranger may be a relative or a neighbor. Scattered lives become a reason to greet one another. The humor of unexpected kinship gives an everyday action to the larger idea of solidarity.

Compare the Russian recording with the English one. Both travel through equality, dispersion, an unexpected family connection and the discovery of a neighbor. The English adaptation changes wording and names to sing in its new language. Repeated calls leave room for a group to join in.

The relationship between these versions is documented in their credits; it does not require treating every newer verse as part of the nineteenth-century poem.

The selected Russian recording explicitly credits Anikina’s 2021 text and the traditional melody. Another release titled All Brothers credits new music, so a similar title alone is not enough to identify the same musical version.

An original-language performance remains a separate illustration to verify; the Russian and English recordings are modern adaptations.

Music Traditional Jewish folk

Original Yiddish Morris Winchevsky · Akhdes, 1890

Russian lyrics Olga Anikina, 2021

English lyrics Walter J. Kin, 2026

Performer Riglis Band

License Free, non-commercial

Music: Traditional Jewish folk melody

Original Yiddish: Morris Winchevsky (1856 - 1932) · Akhdes, published 29 August 1890

Russian lyrics: Olga Anikina (2021), first Russian rendering from the Yiddish

English lyrics: Walter J. Kin (2026)

Production: Walter J. Kin (RIGLI)

Performance: Riglis Band

Project: JewishSong.org, Jewish Songs for All

Yours for your school, choir, or family

You may sing, perform, teach, record, and share this song for non-commercial purposes: schools, synagogues, JCCs, choirs, camps, museums, families, and individuals.

Keep the credit to RIGLI and JewishSong.org, and please do not charge for the performance or resell the files.

The original Yiddish is by Morris Winchevsky on a traditional Jewish folk melody; the Russian rendering is by Olga Anikina (2021); the English lyrics, arrangement, and recording were created for RIGLI by Walter J. Kin, Member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and published by Rigli Publishing as part of JewishSong.org.

Full terms and a copy-paste credit line are on our License - Free page. These songs are free for non-profit use; see free use. For-profit or commercial use is handled separately.

Mlotek Yiddish Song Collection: Ale Brider

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