Berakhah: Maoz Tzur (Verona)

The track opens with the blessing recited upon lighting the Hanukkah candles, followed by the hymn commemorating the reestablishment of Jewish worship in the Jerusalem Temple by the Maccabeans. The Ma'oz tzur melody, from the Verona Ashkenazi ritual, is a variant of the tune transcribed by Benedetto Marcello. Other variants collected by Levi in Ferrara, Gorizia, Castle Monteferatto and Turin, attest to its longevity among the Italian Ashkenazi communities, and its popularity among Italian communities in Piedmont.