Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.013 June 18, 1998 1) Keshenever shkhite (Shaya Mitelman) 2) Sholom Aleichem's letter to Leo Tolstoy (Shaya Mitelman) 3) Yiddish voices in "The Voice of America on Kishineff" (Iosif Vaisman) 4) Bibliography on Kishinev pogrom (Iosif Vaisman) brider, shvester, hot rakhmones! groys un shreklekh iz di noyt, git di toyte oyf takhrikhim, git di leybedike broyt... Simon Frug, "Hot rakhmones" Written to raise funds for the victims of Kishinev pogrom Brothers, sisters, please have mercy! Great and awful is the need - Bread is needed for the living, Shrouds are needed for the dead. Transl. by David Roskies 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 20:06:29 -0700 From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Keshenever shkhite 95 years have passed since the infamous Kishinev pogrom ( April 6-7, 1903), which was an ominous harbinger of the tragic events of this horrible century. Here follow the lyrics of a folk-song on the topic, transcribed in the Southern dialect of the venue; the song can be heard on the Orchestre Klezmer CD "Shpil es nokh a mol" (Arion, Paris, 1992): Deym ershtn tug Peysekh Obm idelekh gonts freylekh farbrakht, Yn deym letstn tug khuge Ot men Keshenev khurev gemakht. Keshenev arimgeringlt, Azoy vi a bonder di fos, Totes yn momes yn kinder Zenen gefoln in gos. Oy, di, Got in iml, Kik shoyn arup tsi indz, Batrakht nor deym rash mit deym timl, Vi di goyim zenen zekh noykem in indz. The song is also published in Mlotek's "Mir Trogn a Gezang" (NY, 1972). Shaya Mitelman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 20:06:29 -0700 From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Sholom Aleichem's letter to Leo Tolstoy This is the contemporary letter, Sholem-Aleichem wrote to Leo Tolstoy, which may be of interest to the Mendelyaner. The English translation follows the original Russian text. Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (Shalem-Aleykhem) Kiev, B. Vasil'kovskaya, 5. 27 aprelya 1903. Grafu L.N.Tolstomu Yasnaya Polyana Glubokouvazhayemyy Lev Nikolayevich! Sudya po tomu, kak vy chutko sledite za vsemi techeniyami i yavleniyami zhizni obshchestva i narodov, nel'zya dopustit', chtoby vy proshli bez dolzhnogo vnimaniya mimo togo vopiyushchego dela, kotoroye tvorilos' v dni "Svetlogo" prazdnika Khristova v gub[ernskom] gorode Kishinyove, po naushcheniyu zlykh lyudey, vrode Krushevana i Ko. Chitaya gazety, vy ne mogli ne sodrogat'sya pri mysli, chto v nash vek vozmozhny takiye bezobraziya, kak izbiyenie evreev v Kishinyove v prodolzhenii 2-kh dney na glazakh politsii i mestnoy intelligentsii, gnusnyye nasiliya nad devitsami na glazakh roditeley, izbiyeniye mladentsev i t.p. uzhasy vremyon varvarstva. Avtor etikh strok imeet chest' ne tol'ko prinadlezhat' k etomu vechno gonimomu, bespravnomu, prezirayemomu, no po-svoyemu velikomu narodu, no byt' skromnym vyrazitelem ego chuvstv, mysley i idealov. Koroche - ya evreyskiy narodnyy bytopisatel', pishushchiy na evreyskom razgovornom narechii, imenuyemom zhargonom, vot uzhe 20 let (pishu i mnogo pisal takzhe i na drevneevreyskom yazyke, ravno kak i na russkom) pod psevdonimom "Shalem-Aleykhem". Mne porucheno sostavit' sbornik v pol'zu postradavshikh ot kishinyovskogo pogroma. V sbornike uchastvuyut luchshiye evreyskiye sily. Chtoby obespechit' sborniku uspekh, ya osmelivayus' prosit' vas, Velikiy Pisatel' Zemli Russkoy, dat' nam chto-nibud', nu khotya by pis'mo uteshitel'nogo svoystva. Udruchonnoye i rasteryavsheyesya vos'mimillionnoye evreystvo v Rossii nuzhdayetsya v takom slove, byt' mozhet, eshcho boleye, nezheli v chom-libo drugom. Vashe pis'mo ya berus' perevesti na evreyskiy (narodnyy) yazyk, kotorogo lyudi znayushchiye schitayut menya odnim iz luchshikh stilistov. Zhdyom vashego skorogo otveta, za kotoryy zaraneye blagodarit vas redaktsiya sbornika v litse gluboko uvazhayushchego vas Solomona Rabinovicha. Shalem-Aleykhem. P.S. Ne pobrezgayte prochest' nebol'shoy etyud moy v "Voskhode", pri syom preprovozhdayemom i, esli ne trudno, vyskazat' vashe mneniye. [Translation] Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (Shalem-Aleykhem) Kiev, 5 Bol'shaya Vasil'kovskaya str. April 27, 1903. To Count L.N.Tolstoy Yasnaya Polyana Dear Lev Nikolayevich, Considering how closely you follow all the tendencies and events in the life of society and peoples, it cannot be conceived, that you passed without due attention past the crying things, that occurred in the days of the "Blessed" Christian feast in the city of Kishinev, instigated by evil people like Krushevan and Co. Having read the newspapers, you could not help but shudder at the thought, that such outrages as Jew-beatings in Kishinev for 2 days before the very eyes of the police and local intelligentsia, villainous rapines of girls before the eyes of their parents, slaughter of the innocents and similar horrors of the Barbarian age are possible in our time. Not only does the present writer have the honor to belong to this ever persecuted, rightless, disdained, but also great in its own right people; he is also a modest exponent of its feelings, thoughts, and ideals. In short, I am a Jewish folk annalist, writing in the Jewish vernacular, called jargon, for already 20 years (I have extensively written also in the Hebrew language, as well as in Russian) under the pen-name "Shalem-Aleykhem". I was assigned to compile a literary collection to the benefit of victims of the Kishinev pogrom. The best Jewish minds are participating in the collection. In order to secure success for the collection, I dare to beg you, The Great Writer of the Russian Land, to give us something, let it even be a letter of consolatory quality. Woebegone and perplexed eight-million Jewry in Russia is in need of such a word, maybe more than in anything else. Your letter will I undertake to translate into the Jewish folk-tongue, of which the knowing people consider me to be one of the best stylists. We are expecting your prompt reply, for which the editorial staff thanks you in advance in the person of the deeply respecting you, Solomon Rabinovich. Shalem-Aleykhem. P.S. Please, don't shrink from reading this little etude of mine in the "Voskhod", this accompanying, and, if not difficult, tell me your opinion. Footnotes: The collection, Hilf, was published in Warsaw in 1903 by the Folksbildung. Pavolakiy Krushevan was a local Bessarabian pomeshchik (landowner) and a publisher of the Black-Hundred (chernosotennoy, shvartsmeyediker) newspaper "Bessarabets" in Kishinev (now - Chisinau). Count Leo Tolstoy did reply promptly and provided three fairy tales for the collection, ober dus iz a manse far zikh. Shaya Mitelman. 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 18:23:47 -0700 From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Yiddish voices in "The Voice of America on Kishineff" "The Voice of America on Kishineff" is the title of a colection of the sermons, meeting resolutions, editorials from the American press in the aftermath of the pogrom in Kishinev. The volume was edited by Cyrus Adler and published by the Jewish Publication Society in 1904. It is a unique document reflecting what was perhaps the first mass campaign in the US on behalf of the Russian Jews. Most speakers at the meetings in many major cities represented Jewish as well as non-Jewish establishment and, naturally, the talks were delivered in English. One of the very few exceptions was the address of Rabbi Hirsh Masliansky at the meeting in Faneuil Hall in Boston on May 17, 1903. A quote from "The Voice of America on Kishineff": "The Rev. H. Masliansky of New York, the main speaker of the evening, followed, and addressed the audience in Yiddish. In their native tongue he eloquently recited to them a tale of horrible cruelties perpetrated upon helpless women, young girls and children, which brought tears to the eyes of many of his audience. He told of a mother, outraged and insulted by Russian soldiers, whose 18-year-old son attempted to interfere, and was killed on the spot; of fathers and mothers forced to witness the outraging of their daughters, and the brutal torture of their young children; of young women tortured and put to death be- fore the eyes of their sweethearts, and appealed to them to do what they could to relieve the sufferings of these poor people. "What irony!" he exclaimed, in closing. "The Czar, the peacemaker of Europe and the butcher of his own subjects, turning a whole city into a butcher shop! Long live those young revolutionists suffering in Siberia and in Petropolevska prison. Long live they, and may their cause be ever strengthened." Abraham Cahan participated together with Rabbi Masliansky in the meeting in Philadelphia on May 3, 1903 in the Kesher Israel Synagogue: "Abraham Cahan, of New York, was the next speaker. He asked that the Jews throughout the world unite in protesting against the outrage which had been committed upon law-abiding and peaceable men, women and children. He spoke of the great meetings that had been held in New York City during the past few days, and asked that the Jews of Philadelphia unite with those of New York and the rest of the country in asking the Government to protest against the iniquity which had been perpetrated. He asked that liberal contributions be made to the National Relief Fund, in order to alleviate, so far as human sympathy could, the sufferings to which the survivors of the massacre were subjected. He alluded to the fact that in such calamities there should be no distinction made between socialist, orthodox or radical. He, the leader of the socialists, known as the infidel, the heretic, stands now in an orthodox synagogue and preaches from the same pulpit with Rev. Masliansky and Rabbi Levinthal. He also recalled the effect of the riots in the early eighties, when young students, who were entirely alienated from their faith, returned to the fold, because of the common sorrow that befell the whole house of Israel. Upon motion of Mr. Cahan, resolutions were adopted, providing, first, for the organization of a fund for the relief of the destitute families in Kishineff, and calling upon all Jewish societies, lodges and other organizations to assist in raising money; second, that an appeal be issued to the civilized world to join the Jews in protest against the atrocities which had been committed upon their brethren; and third, that it was the sentiment of the meeting that the Russian Government, which had permitted these massacres and outrages to be continued for three days in the large military city of Kishineff without interference, was held responsible." Iosif Vaisman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 18:23:47 -0700 From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Bibliography on Kishinev pogrom Bibliography on Kishinev pogrom is available in Shtetl library at http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/library/ks1903.html Iosif Vaisman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.013 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