A century after Sholem Aleichem published "On Account of a Hat" in the Russian Empire, the U.S. musician Anthony Russell released his album Convergence, which features the song "Train." Like the rest of Russell's album, "Train" ponders—musically and linguistically—what the interweaving of two distinct traditions—African American spirituals and East European Jewish poetry and song—would look like. Russell's "Train" brings together in one musical and poetic work the African American spiritual "When the Train Comes Along" and the song "An ayznban" ("A Train") by the Yiddish poet Elyokum Zunser.

 

Suggested Activity: Russell's "Train" renews and amplifies the questions that Sholem Aleichem's "On Account of a Hat" first asked at the turn of the twentieth century. These questions, which are explored elsewhere in this kit, include: How does the sense of time associated with modernity relate to the sense of time associated with a world centered on tradition and God? In what ways does travel outside one's home and community—especially by members of minority groups facing discrimination—put travellers at the mercy of others? Listen to Anthony Russell's "Train," following along with the lyrics, and think about how the song addresses issues of movement, migration, time, and identity today, as Sholem Aleichem's story addressed these issues in relation to his own time and place.