Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.162 March 6, 1998 1) Mirele Efros (Steven Cassedy) 2) Farshidens (Itzik Shteyn) 3) grobe verter (Marvin Zuckerman) 4) Geneological request (Hershl Hartman) 5) Yiddish as a secret language (Diane Wolfthal) 6) m'kayim psak, nokh amul (Mendy Fliegler) 7) Soviet Yiddish Poets (David Shneer) 8) Soviet Yiddish Writers in English (Hugh Denman) [Moderator's note] 9) yidishe institutsyes un programen (Refoyl Finkl) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 07:14:15 -0800 From: Steven Cassedy Subject: Mirele Efros In an article published in 1913 on Yiddish drama, B. Gorin refers to a "shteken" (stick? cane?) in Jacob Gordin's Mirele Efros. I don't recall any such object in the film version or in the script I've seen. Does anyone know what this might be? Steven Cassedy La Jolla, CA 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 11:27:05 EST From: shteyn@juno.com (Isak Shteyn) Subject: Farshidens Khosheve Mendelianer, Vi a nisht lang gekumener fun mizrach-Europe, fun Tshernovitz-Bukovina, far vemen Yidish is befeirish Mame-Loshn, vil Ich entfern oif farshidene Shayles, lojt Ich hob es in mein zikorn: 1) Bejgel kumt mistam fun bejgen(bend); 2) Petshe fun a kelbern oder a lemern fisl, ojb servirt kalt - gekilts, fargliverts, kholodnoje; 3) Shmok,-eniu, Shmekele zajnen gur nit kajn bekovedike verter un men iz mechabed mit zej narunim, idiotn, tipshim. A bisl mer decent is der ojsdruk pej-zadik, velche ojsjos mit a gevisn vowel in der mit hejsn -vulgar - penis; 4) Baal-Dovor is a gemore ojsdruk un mejnt dem "nisht gutn", velchen men vil nisht unrufn beim numn, andersh gesogt dem jeizer-hore; 5) Miriam Isaacs vil vissn fun vanen es nemn sich di barimte "najn Teg inter Lemberg". Der ojsdruk is populer in Galizie, Bukovina, Bassarabia, vu men vejst az Lemberg is a grojse Shtot, ober kumen ahin is a vajter mahalech, najn Teg furn mit a firl. Efsher sajnen di najn Teg a Reminiszenz fun di najn Teg far Tishe b'Av, velche zien sich sejer lang. 6) Mase, Manse oder Majse-is klur as der badajt is der ejgener: a geshikhte. Velcher Ojsdruk is der richtiger, vet uns - im jerze hashem - di Yivo in gichen derzejln. 7) Breastplate far a Sejfer Torah hejst ojf yidish vi in Chumesh - Chojshen. 8) Nivroko oder nivroku, in sin fun"kejn ejn hora"flejgn nitzn yidn baglajch mit gojim, un kumt bli sofek fum slavishn. 9) Smityo mejnt mist, kumt fum slavishn. 10) Khala khaleila in sin fun "God forbid" kumt fum fardorbenem "khas vekholila", fun ivrit. 11) Aridoso-Parshandoso fregt sich noch ojf dem mekor fun"Kahan, O'Koon, Kahan". Es vert ungenumen as di nemen: Kohn, Kagan, Kahan, Kohen, Kahn, Kahane, Katz, etc. nemen sich ale fun "Kohen" (Priest), un der rov fun sej sejnen take Kohanim, un hobn noch ad hajem dem zkhus zu sejn di ershte zu an Alije, zu duchenen, un andere. 12) Kurve is in ganz mizrach Europe a shandvort far a zojne, a prostitutke. Agev, Harkavi brengt dos vort in sejn verterbuch fun 1987 ojf seit 454. 13) "A nekhtiger Tog" is a sach velche is punkt asoj ummeglech vi der nechtiger Tog. Un a zvej Shajles: 1) Zi kon ejmitzer dem ojsdruk"khasen"in sin fun a"nutz", un ojb jo, fun vanen nemt er sich? 2) Vos mejnt"hajtukhn"und sejn mekor? Todah Rabah zu Mendele far seine Maasim Tojvim! Ich winsh ale Mendelianer a Frejlekhn Purim! Itzik Shteyn, Rochester 3)---------------------------------------------------- From: "Marvin S. Zuckerman" Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 09:59:33 -0700 Subject: grobe verter Re inquiry by Sholem Berger about Grobe Verter: Tsu s'iz faran a verterbukh fun grobe yidishe verter veys ikh nit, ober mit a sakh yorn tsurik hob ikh un a khaver mayner ibergezetst un romaniziert a zamlung fun grobe yidishe shprikhverter gezamlt un aroysgegebm (privat) fun der yidisher folklorist, Ignaz Bernstein in, oyb ikh hob nit kayn toes, 1908. Mir hobm es a titl getgebm, "Yiddish Sayings Mama Never Taught You" -- tsuzamengeshtelt un ibergezetst fun Weltman & Zuckerman. Der farlag iz geven Perivale Press (c.1975?). Der YIVO hot an ekzemplar, un do un dort hobm es oykh farsheydene bibliotekn. Marvin Zuckerman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 18:07:39 EST From: Hershl Subject: Geneological request While I am unable, personally, to assist _fraynd_ Parshandoso, I would strongly urge that he contact a recognized expert in the minutiae of Jewish geneology (and one also extremely well-informed in arcane linguistics), Mr. H. Vayzusu. He may be reached at Hershl Hartman Shushan 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 17:52:09 -0700 (MST) From: diane wolfthal Subject: Yiddish as a secret language Dear Friends: Again, representing not only art history but pre-modern culture, I have something to add about Yiddish as a secret language. In 1699, a Christian author, Johann Christoph Wagensteil, suggested that Jews write in a Hebrew script to "keep their affairs secret." Even those Germans who could understand spoken Yiddish, could not generally read written Yiddish. I am currently exploring whether Early Modern Yiddish books, in fact, constructed secrets. Marc Michael Epstein has shown that the hare hunt symbolized Jews (hares) persecuted by Christians (dogs) in Haggadoth. In images of this subject in Haggadoth the hares are never caught. Images of hares escaping pursuing dogs appear repeatedly in Early Modern Yiddish editions of the _Minhagim._ Perhaps others know of additional examples of secrets. Diane Wolfthal 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 22:23:37 -0200 From: emenems@juno.com (Mendy Fliegler) Subject: m'kayim psak, nokh amul... Khaver Ramer zikht an iberzetsung vus ikh hob ale gegeybn in 'Mendele', nisht lang tsurik (From the book: Guide to the More Common Hebraic Words in Yiddish, by Steven Jacobson, Fairbanks, Alaska): M'kayim: to come to pass p'sak: judgement/decision (or deed?) In the context of the story: a (horrid) deed (about) to come to pass(?) "s'iz dokh zeyr a beyzer Rebe, er vil gibn a gitn patsh" Mendy Fliegler 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 09:09:22 -0800 From: shneer@uclink2.berkeley.edu (David Shneer) Subject: Soviet Yiddish Poets In reference to the Leah Zazulyer's query about Soviet Yiddish poets in translation: you are correct that there are no collections of poems in English translation. There are a number of poems translated in the Treasury of Yiddish Verse, a few in Chana Kronfeld's book On the Margins of Modernism, and various scattered poems in journal articles (Fefer, Hofshteyn come to mind). There are a number of students at U.C. Berkeley currently working with Chana Kronfeld on Soviet Yiddish poetry and, hopefully, we will be producing a collection of Soviet Yiddish poetry in translation. Many of us have written papers, not yet published, on these poets and would be happy sharing our findings with you. David Shneer Berkeley, CA 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 06 Mar 1998 12:27:16 +0100 From: Hugh Denman Subject: Soviet Yiddish Writers in English Leah Zazulyer [07.160:1] now restricts her enquiry to Soviet Yiddish poets in English. She is certainly aware that the following well-known anthologies may be consulted: _The Penguin Book of Modern Yiddish Verse_, ed. Irving Howe, Ruth Wisse & Khone Shmeruk, NY: Viking, 1987 (Halkin, Hofshteyn, Kharik, Kulbak, Kvitko, Markish). _An Anthology of Modern Yiddish Literature_, ed. Joseph Leftwich, The Hague/ Paris: Mouton, 1974 (Halkin, Kharik, Kulbak). _A Treasury of Yiddish Poetry_, ed. Irving Howe & Eliezer Greenberg, 1969 (Hofshteyn, Kulbak, Kvitko, Markish). _A Century of Yiddish Poetry_, ed. & tr. Aaron Kramer, NY/ London/ Toronto: Cornwall Books, 1989 (Hofshteyn, Kulbak, Kvitko, Markish). _The Literature of Destruction: Jewish Responses to Catastrophe_, ed. David G. Roskies, Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989 (Kipnis, Markish). She may, however, have overlooked the following: Halkin, in: _Jewish Quarterly_ 31:3-4 [115-6] (1984), 33. Katsizne, in: _Yiddish_ 1:2 (Fall 1973), 38-56; & _The Jewish Quarterly_ 22:1-2 (1974), 18-22. Kulbak, in: _Onions and Cucumbers and Plums_, ed. Sarah G. Betsky, Detroit, 1958, 1981; & _An Anthology of Modern Yiddish Poetry_ ed. Ruth Whitman, 1966, NY, 1979. Markish, in: _The Shtetl, A Creative Anthology of Jewish Life in Eastern Europe_, trans. & ed. Joachim Neugroschel, 1979; _The Jewish Quarterly_ 31:3-4 [115-6] (1984), 33. This list could, of course, have been a lot longer and included a number of the other poets if she had been interested in translations into French (where a great deal has been done in recent years) and German (not to speak of Russian!). Hugh Denman [Moderator's note: Few additions to Hugh Denman's list: _The golden peacock; a worldwide treasury of Yiddish poetry_, ed. and tr. Joseph Leftwich, New York: T. Yoseloff, 1961. (Der Nister, Hofshtein, Kvitko, Markish, Kulbak, Kushnirov, Dobrushin, Shvartsman, Fefer) _Yiddish writers almanac_, Moscow: Raduga, 1987. (Beider, Mogilner, Kazakevich) _August 12, 1952, the night of the murdered poets_, New York: National Conference on Soviet Jewry, 1972. (Fefer, Hofshtein, Kvitko, Markish) Shike Driz, The boy and the tree, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1978 -i.v.] 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 16:30:48 -0500 (EST) From: Raphael Finkel Subject: yidishe institutsyes un programen ikh klayb tsunoyf ale yedies vos men lozt hern af mendele vegn yidishe institutsyes un programen in mayn vebsbletl. git a kuk af http://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/yiddish/programs.html oyb epes felt, lozt visn! I have been collecting announcements about Yiddish institutes and programs in my web page, listed above. Check it for accuracy and send me other appropriate info. Refoyl finkl ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.162 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html