Yiddish Mailing List, Issue #32 January 28, 1991 134 lines =============================== Vider an entshuldikung (David Sherman) Colin Powell speaks Yiddish (Deborah Pinck) Someone collecting names and addresses (David Sherman) Learning Yiddish by cassette? (Sherri Chasin Calvo) Yiddish at U of Michigan (Moise Haor) [Nu, ver vil shikn a pur verter farn nekstn numer...? - DS] ------------------------ Digest-Message: 32/1 From: dave@lsuc.on.ca (David Sherman) Subject: vider an entshuldikung Date: Mon Jan 28 11:25:12 EST 1991 Entshuldikt, vus ikh hob shoin lang nisht aroisgeshikt kein numer. Ikh bin geven zeyr farnumen (mir devartn bald unzere ferte kind). Oikhet, s'vet helfn as andere veln shikn material. Shreibt vegn vus ir vilt, nor shreibt! L'moshl... vus zol Yisroel tun yetst kegn Iraq? Daniel Moishe ------------------------ Digest-Message: 32/2 From: bellcore.bellcore.com!nvuxh!dsp2@rutgers.uucp (D Pinck) Date: Sat, 27 Oct 1990 01:55:00 -0400 Subject: Colin Powell speaks Yiddish I found the following article in the L.A. Times and thought it was interesting: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell speaks Yiddish, says the magazine Emerge, which explains that he learned it as a child working for a Jewish shopkeeper in the Bronx. When Powell met Yitzhak Shamir in Jerusalem recently, the general is said to have asked the Prime Minister, in Yiddish, whether he spoke the language. Shamir looked stunned, and Powell continued, "Don't you understand?" Deb Pinck ------------------------ Digest-Message: 32/3 From: dave@lsuc.on.ca (David Sherman) Subject: Someone collecting names and addresses Date: Mon Jan 28 11:25:12 EST 1991 I received a phone call from Philip Kutner recently. He's in San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco area. He's very interested in Yiddish and is trying to organize communiy activities in his areas in celebration of Sholem Aleichem's 75th Yahrzeit. Philip is collecting names and addresses of people interested in Yiddish. He has 538 people on his mailing list so far. Since I don't have physical mail addresses for most readers of this list, I'll leave it to you to contact him directly. He's at: Philip Kutner 1128 Tangle Woodway San Mateo, California 94403 (415) 349-6946 His main goal seems to be to put everyone in touch with each other. There are many different and diverse groups working with Yiddish, teaching Yiddish, etc., across North America, and many of them don't even know of the existence of the others. In our telephone conversation, for example, he mentioned YIVO, Yugntruf, League for Yiddish and Workmen's Circle, all of which I know. But he also mentioned the American Association of Professors of Yiddish, for example, and numerous other individuals I hadn't heard of, who are active in promoting Yiddish and whose names and addresses he gave me. I believe Philip is going try to get his computer connected to the network so that he will be on this mailing list. ------------------------ Digest-Message: 32/4 Date: Tue, 22 Jan 1991 10:09:31 -0500 From: calvo@nssdca.span.nasa.gov (Sherri Chasin Calvo) I am considering buying a "learn Yiddish" cassette from Chadish Media, which I believe is a Chasidic outfit in Brooklyn. The cassette comes with a book and is about $20. Do you have any recommendations as to whether this or some other cassette or series put out by whoever is a good way to learn some Yiddish while commuting (by car; obviously I'll have to save the bnook for home use). [I haven't heard of Chadish Media -- anyone know anything about them? We have quite a number of kids' tapes -- songs and stories -- put out recently by the Chassidic (Satmar) groups in Boro Park. If the heavy emphasis on Torah doesn't disturb you, they might be useful. However, be aware that the accent they use sounds rather distorted if you're used to "klal" (standard) Yiddish. For our kids, since we speak a "Polish" (Staszow) Yiddish at home, it's pretty good. As to whether this is a good way to learn Yiddish while commuting -- I don't know. Comments, anyone? -DS] ------------------------ Digest-Message: 32/5 Date: Mon, 21 Jan 1991 12:01:44 -0500 From: haor@caen.engin.umich.edu (Moise Haor) To support your comment in SCJ about the survival of Yiddish, let me tell you that here at the University of Michigan there is senior-level class on Yiddish Literature, reading from the original yiddish and discussing in mome-loschen. This group of six students, some of the started just learning the alef-beit, have been studying yiddish the last two years. Anita Norich is the teacher, but is more like a leader and a motivation to the group. Moise Haor haor@caen.engin.umich.edu ------------------------ SOF FUN NUMER 32 ------------------------ David (Daniel Moishe) Sherman, Toronto Moderator, mail.yiddish dave@lsuc.on.ca attcan!lsuc!dave@uunet.uu.net uunet!attcan!lsuc!dave {AT&T sites}!att!lsuc!dave