Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.095 November 3, 1997 1) Shmues (Berel Leiser) 2) Schlock as sukkah cover (Sylvan Beer) 3) early Yiddish book illustrations (Diane Wolfthal) 4) Shlock and Schlock (Harold L. Orbach) 5) Wacht Ojf! Jiddische Arbeiter- und Widerstandslieder (Harold L. Orbach) 6) Schoch vs. schlock (Elisheva Schwartz) 7) yiddish script for UNIX (Ronald Florence) 8) More on shmooze (Bob Werman) 9) Bagleytn (Al Grand) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Nov 97 22:51:51 EST From: "Burton (Berel) Leiser" Subject: Shmues A number of Mendelniks have posted various hypotheses as to the origin of "shmues." The simplest one, I believe, is that as the pronunciation suggests, it is derived from the Hebrew, sh'mu-os, or sh'mu-oys, or, in sefardic Hebrew, sh'mu-ot. The root is the familiar shin, mem, ayin, to hear, and the word itself means "news, that which one has heard." One who engages in the activity either imparts news (or gossip) or hears some juicy tidbits. Of course, the Hebrew word is a plural noun, but it has been transformed in Yiddish into a verb. As they say in New York, "No problem!" Berel Leiser 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1997 23:25:03 +0000 From: Sylvan Beer Subject: Schlock as sukkah cover Strange how some questions never die! When "schlock" came up some time ago I responded and even sent a note on this to Philologos. Among Eastern European Jews the rain cover on the sukkah was called a schlock. It was a very heavy pivoted wooden affair raised and lowered by ropes. If it fell through and hit some one it would be goodby columbus for him that was getrofen. I maintain that 'a schlock zol dir trefen' derives from this. Philologos responded that he didn't believe it because he never heard of schlock as a sukkah covering, a strange response for a language scholar considering that many of our mendelyners are familiar with the expression. Sylvan Beer Syracuse, NY 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1997 22:52:57 -0700 (MST) From: mom Subject: early Yiddish book illustrations I am an art historian of the medieval and early modern periods. I have begun a study of Yiddish book illustrations of the 16th and 17th centuries. I was wondering if there are other art historians who work on Yiddish art and if ther e are other scholars who specialize in medieval and early modern culture. Has anyone found an illuminated Yiddish ms. dating from the 17th century or earlier? I posted these questions two years ago, so some of you may remember my query. I may continue my study into later art, but I am beginning with the early periods. Also, if anyone knows of conferences that would be appropriate, please let me know. A shanem dank, Diane Wolfthal 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 05:42:45 -0600 (CST) From: Harold L Orbach Subject: Shlock and Schlock With all the discussion about 'shock' and 'shlock' in recent issues, I wonder if someone can clarify the origin of the use of 'shlock' (or 'schlock' in its more common daytchmerish-influenced form) in U.S. English from Yiddish to mean shoddy or crappy which seems to begin with the idea of shoddily put together? I recall its use some years years ago in a negative review of the book _Future Shock_ headlined as _Future Shlock_. Harold L. Orbach Manhattan, Kansas 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 07:34:38 -0600 (CST) From: Harold L Orbach Subject: Wacht Ojf! Jiddische Arbeiter- und Widerstandslieder Two weeks ago, in a bookstore in Stockholm's Old Town that had a small section devoted to Jewish books, I found three LP records, two of them more or less regular (and used) and one unusual one, in mint condition. It was produced in Ebergoetzen (a small town near Goettingen) in 1981 by a record company called "FolkFreak" [!] which has as a logo a black-frocked hippy-type balalaika/ guitar-strummer along with a rat [FolkFreak FF2002]. It is titled _Wacht Ojf! Jiddische Arbeiter- und Widerstandslieder_ and is sung in Yiddish by Hai and Topsy Frankl (with guitar music). The notes include the lyrics in Yiddish and German with some annotations about the authors of the lyrics, the music and the context of the songs. There is also an additional set of notes in Swedish with all the words in Swedish and some additional annotation as well as an introduction meant to educate Swedish readers about the fact that Jews were also workers and unionists like Swedes ... and fighters against the Nazis. A Swedish cousin translated the Swedish for me. The notes also indicate that Hai and Topsy Frankl published a volume of _Yiddische Lieder_ in 1981 [Texte und Noten mit Begleit-Akkorden] in the Fischer Taschenbuch series, No. 2960. I have not had time in the week since I have been back to research the record or book and send in this note now because of the request for information by Faith Jones (7:092) about "Shmerke Katerginski" who is the apparent author of the texts of two of the songs. The contents are: (I reproduce the record's transliteration) A Side: 1. Wacht ojf! -- David Edelschtat (text; music anonym.) 2. Lomir ale singen -- (trad.) 3. Arbetslose-Marsch -- Mordechaj Gebirtig (text and music) 4. Majn Jingele -- Morris Rosenfeld (text; music anonym.) 5. Saj schtolz! -- Morris Rosenfeld (text; music anonym.) 6. Sog nit kejnmol -- Hirsch Glik (text; music: Pokras) 7. Schlof majn kind -- (trad) 8. Der Becher -- (trad.) B Side: 1. Ot asoj nejt a Schnajder -- (trad.) 2. Jid, du Partisaner -- Scholem Katscherginski (text; music trad.) 3. Hemerl -- (trad.) 4. Dshankoje -- (trad.) 5. 'Ss brent, Brider -- Mordechaj Gebirtig (text and music) 6. Der Weg is schwer (Partisaner Marsch) -- Scholem Katscherginksi (text; music: Hanns Eisler) 7. a) Schpil-she mir a Lidele -- I. Kotliar (text; music anonym.) b) Nigun 1, Nigun 2 -- (trad. Melodie ohne worte) c) Mir Lebn ejbig -- (Wilnaer Ghetto 1943; music: trad.) The annotations are rather full for almost all the poets, but for Scholem Katscherginski there is only an annotation on the Swedish notes where his first name is given as Schmerl (in Swedish) and reference is made to an archiv in New York. At the same time, the German annotation refers to the fact that "Jid, du Partisaner" was the song of the Vilna United Partisan Organization, the group named Itzik Wittenberg after its commander. I'm hoping mendele's literary and music mavens can provide more information on this record, the Frankl's book and Sholem Katzerginski. Harold L. Orbach Manhattan, Kansas 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 09:31:55 -0500 From: Elisheva Schwartz Subject: Schoch vs. schlock In the frum areas of New York a term has recently entered our vocabulary. Schoch, as we all know, is the material (bamboo poles, branches etc.) put on top of the Sukkah. Schlock is what you put on top of _that_ to protect the sukkah when it rains (drop cloth, plastic sheet, roll-down awning, etc.) You see this stuff advertised all over the place as "schlock or schloch." Elisheva Schwartz 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 10:27:00 -0500 From: ron@mlfarm.com (Ronald Florence) Subject: yiddish script for UNIX Paul Glasser asked about the Mendele Review in Yiddish [07.092]. I don't know about official information, but for those who work on or have access to Unix workstations, there is a simple script `yiddish' at http://www.connix.com/~mlfarm/utilities.html#yiddish which uses Raphael Finkel's superb LaTeX macros to convert romanized Yiddish texts to Yiddish fonts. The script provides options for display of the Yiddish text on the screen, printing, or saving the text to a file. The same WWW address has links to Rapheal Finkel's package of fonts and conversion utilities that are used by the `yiddish' script. Ronald Florence Maple Lawn Farm, Stonington, CT 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 13:15:52 +0200 From: Robert Werman Subject: More on shmooze It might be of interest to see how the word shmoos has been absorbed into American English. The May 19, 1997 issue of THE NEW YORKER, short book reviews, p. 95, offers: "While Mr. Gebler, the father of three, is schmoozing, drinking, and having affairs, ..." The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition, offers [p. 1098]: "schmoose also schmooze (schooz) Slang. - intr.v. schomoosed, schmoosing, scomooses also schmoozed, schmoozing, schmooses. To chat idly. - n. A chat. [Yiddish schmusen, to chat