And when Minister Montefiore was eighty

White angels came to his home

They stood on his bed and said to him:

The Holy One wants you to come to Him...

And Minister Montefiore answered precisely:

Excuse me gentlemen, but I am really busy

Because I have a lot of troubles with our brothers in the world

There’s a pogrom in Russia, how can I come to you

Because who if not I will help everyone here?

And he got into his carriage

And said “giddy up” to the horses

And here he gave secretly, and there he donated

And here a pinch on the cheek or a stroke of love

And all the Jews were happy and proud

And well done to the Minister!

 

And when Minister Montefiore was ninety

They said to him: ascend, because they are asking up there

The Minister asked them: How can I

Will the blood libel in Damascus be cancelled?

I need to go to the despicable Pasha

To tell him he should be ashamed and how can he allow such a thing

And maybe I need to give him some kind of bribe

A sort of big gift however so that no-one notices

So who if not I can give this to the Turk

 

And he got into.....

 

And when the Minister Montefiore was one hundred

He said: I’ve had enough already, my soul is satisfied

Millions of liras, francs and bishliks have gone

But for the Jews it’s never enough

They said to him: Your Honour just come and look

We need to build another room in Rachel’s Tomb

And to raise up the Western Wall

And we need to bring Jews to Neve Shaananim

And who if not you, our dear teacher, our dear heart

 

And he got into....

 

And when the Minister Montefiore was one hundred and one more year

The angels kissed him with their final kiss

And thus he closed his eyes as they had asked

Only one Jerusalem stone under his head

Wrapped in a prayer shawl of silk and resting in a coffin

The Minister Moshe completed his final journey

However there are still people who are prepared to swear

That sometimes during the night when they were in the area

They saw Montefiore standing next to his carriage

 

And he got into....