A song in which there is a clear reference to a landmark of Thessaloniki and so we have no doubt about its origin.

The song must have been written sometime after 1873, the year in which the network of the Alliance Israélite Universelle Foundations was founded in Thessaloniki. Joseph Nehama (1880–1971), in his book In Memoriam, states that the network of Alliance schools in Thessaloniki "included a gymnasium, a parthenagogue, a kindergarten, a vocational school for girls, a popular school for boys, and two for girls in the suburbs of Kalamaria and Hirsch."

At present, it has not been possible to clarify exactly which school in the Alliance network in Thessaloniki is referred to in this text. Obviously, the reference to the school of Alliance is only made for the sake of rhyme and poetic structure, and not because the reference to the school serves the narrative. The rest of the text refers to a girl named Leah Lutsa and an ephedi (young man) named Kerim, whose existence—real or fictional—remains unknown.

The language of the text is Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), and it incorporates words with Turkish roots, such as “marafet” and “efendi.” The use of the word “konjas” (roses) is particularly characteristic and is found in several songs of the Sephardic tradition in Turkey (see footnote 3).

Source 1: Flora Molho's archive, sung by her father, Isaac Molho Source 2: Maale Adumim Institute database. http://folkmasa.org/avshir/shirp.php?mishtane=842