Finjan, the Old Israeli Campfire Song, Was Originally an Armenian Folk Song

Finjan is an Arabic name for an old type of coffeepot, held by its long handle over an open flame. After a hard day's work, the pioneers in Israel would often build a fire, sing & relax & pass around the Finjan. 

If you are old enough to remember the Chalutzim and Kibbutzniks and the songs that they sang around the campfire (and that many of us sang around campfires in overnight camps in the United States and Canada) the strains of HaFinjan will strike a familiar chord whenever they are played.

Not many of us who sang it are aware that this old Israeli campfire song was adapted by Moshe Wilenski from Hingala, an Armenian folk song.  Here is a video of the original Armenian song performed by Ruben Sahakyan, followed by the version that we're familiar with, sung by Yaffa Yarkoni in 1967. The words in Hebrew, English transliteration and translation appear below the videos.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

(A tip of the kippah to Sheila Zucker for bringing this video to our attention.)