Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.035 July 29, 1998 1) Some remarks on language and culture (Noyekh Miller) 2) Yiddish in Israel (Lucas Bruyn) 3) Yidish in Yisroyl (Mendy Fliegler) [Moderator's note] 4) Yiddish in Israel (Miriam Isaacs) 5) Gezets letoyves yidish un ladino (Leybl Botvinik) 6) Yiddish in Canada (David Sherman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 10:42:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Noyekh Miller Subject: Some remarks on language and culture A recent number of Mendele (8.032) deals with an important and vexing problem: the continuing foot dragging on the part of Israel's apparatchiks, hacks and farbisene Rock Hebrews (as my sons called them when children) to honor the Knesset's committment to support the teaching of Yiddish. I'm grateful--Im sure most of us are--for the steady, persistent way the stalwarts of Yiddish, particularly Leybl Botvinik, have gone about their work. We owe them not only gratitude, but support. But there's a discordant note as well in Sylvia Schildt's comment that es iz nit genug zikh amuzirn mit zikhroynes fun petsha un heyse diskusyes vegn shoyresh fun vort "davenen" -- yidish shprakh, kultur un literatur muzn vayter lebn un shafn. Aside from the gratuitous condescending swipe at mere amusement-seekers, there is embedded here a very dubious assumption that needs answering. Here are my two cents. Yiddish etymology is not for everyone. Neither is comparative grammar. Nor, nebekh, fiction or song or poetry or folklore. Yet all of these are ways whereby, depending on our individual tastes and capacities, we deepen and add to our present by forging links with the past. Many links, not one. The conceit of a Golden Chain (pace Sutzkever et al.), a notion that relies on a 19th Century hierarchical view of Jewish life, no longer works. The tradition of Ashkenaz consists of shiny chains, rusty chains, broken chains, frayed ropes, bendlekh, fragile threads. _Everyone_ who engages in improving his/her ties to the past makes not only her/his present more meaningful but ours as well. The culture of Ashkenaz, like that of any living culture, is a lot more inclusive than a class-based "kultur". As a blind poet might have written (but didn't), they also serve who only sit and tell jokes. I mean that to be taken seriously. The culture of my shtetl is the product of interaction among rabonim, kleyn-shtetldike meshumodim, badkhonim, revolutionaries, kortn-shpiler, balebatim, vaser-treger, mark-zitserkes, those who lived behind hoyekhe fenster and those who lived in basements, gaboim and allied turkeys, kahalishe ganovim and proste garden-variety ganovim. We know this, paradoxically, from our high culture, from Mendele, Peretz, Asch, the brothers Singer, Der Nister. That is why, I think, we all learn even from those contributions which as such interest us least individually but which by their variety and range enlarge our understanding. Stendhal, a hero of mine, dedicated one of his novels "To the Happy Few". At the risk of being accused of complacency and self-congratulation I believe that all of us in Mendele constitute a happy few. Our very diversity enriches us all. Finally, I suspect that most of us cherish Yiddish for instrumental as well as sentimental reasons but not as an end in itself. Yiddish as such is just another language; it's the incredibly complex tradition that goes with it that makes it so important to us. Our thousand-year old tradition is what really matters, not its frame. So we should by all means support and even get involved in the Israeli matter. But we have to be on guard that sober zeal not turn into shrill zealotry. Noyekh Miller 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 11:39:41 -0400 (EDT) From: Marion Troia Subject: Yiddish in Israel Re: Yiddish in Israel (Vol. 08.032). Answer to the reactions of Sholem Berger and Sylvia Schildt to my protest against mobilising all Mendelists against the Israeli Knesset. With resolution 6 of the Conference of the World Council for Yiddish Culture in mind I would like to make the following marginal notes: Sholem Berger is of course correct pointing out that Israeli language policy is a literary or linguistic issue and not just a matter of politics. I would think that the Knesset was in the first place answerable to the Israeli people. If the Knesset does not enforce a law of its own making and the people of Israel have no means to demand enforcement, there might be something wrong with the democratic system as a whole. I cannot judge from behind my computer whether that is the case and I don't think it is my concern, unless Israeli (pro Yiddish) action groups ask for my support. The Mendele list is an international forum, not exclusively Jewish and can, in my opinion, not be used as a political pressure group without prior notice of the list's shames. Even if I am wrong about this, I wonder what the impact on the Knesset could be if Sholem Berger is already convinced that the Mendelist could not possibly have any impact on the policies of organisations dedicated to Yiddish only, such as the YIVO or the Sholom Aleichem Memorial Foundation. I do underwrite Sylvia Schildt's well voiced concerns. Living in a part of the Netherlands where a minority language is spoken, namely Frisian I am a bit doubtful about the importance of laws and funds for the survival of a language. Frisian has over the years acquired a certain legal status: It is taught in schools and may be used in court. Books published in Frisian are subsidised and the language can claim money from the European Community. To my knowledge it has not been proven that its legal status or the financial support it receives has greatly improved its standing and quality within in the Frisian community . A language flourishes mainly through the enthusiasm of its users. The Mendele list bears witness to this fact. Lucas Bruyn. 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 11:56:18 -0400 (EDT) From: emms2@juno.com (marilyn j fliegler) Subject: Yidish in Yisroyl Es dakht zikh mir az es iz shoyn tsayt epes oyftsutin vegn di khevre in Knesset un der Ministeriye vus viln nisht helfn mit di gezetsn veygn Yidish vus zay hobn aleyn geshaft. Ikh denk az es vet geven a gute zakh az unzer shames Iosif zol shafn a petitzie mit ale Mendelyaner mitgliders--vi fil zaynen mir-- un mir veln zikh ale untershraybn, un efsher mer... un es shikn tsu unzer mitglider Leybl Botvinik in Yishrul, er zol es araynbrengen un forshteln tsum Knesset... Men darf zey vayzn dafke, az mir zaynen Yidish-redndike Yidn... un afile di vus zaynen nisht Yidn oykhet...Un az Yidish LEBT...un men darf es untershtitsn... I think it is already time to do something about our friends in the Knesset and the Ministry that do not want to help and implement the law about Yiddish which they themselves created. I think it would be a good thing if our administrator Iosif, created a petition for all the Mendele members to sign, as many as we are now, and we will all sign up, and maybe more, and send it to our Israel representative Leybl Botvinik, so that he can bring it and present it to the Knesset in person. They have to be shown, in spite of everything, that we are Yiddish speaking Jews,( and even those who aren't Jews), that Yiddish LIVES, and it must be supported. It may be useful to have a copy available for signing at the 5th International Yiddish Clubs Conference, also. This will be in UCLA, Los Angeles at the end of August. Put my name on the petition for Israel to provide fiscal support and furtherance of Yiddish in Israel. Ha'Levay... Mendy Fliegler [Moderator's note: Your poor shames is confused... Lucas Bruyn beleives that the shames should not allow to discuss anything that can be construed as "a political pressure", while Mendy Fliegler thinks that the shames should immediately engage in collective correspondence with the Knesset. Although I did promise recently [08.006] to lead a brigade of Mendelyaner to Jerusalem to help Yiddish causes, I did not expect to be taken up on this offer so soon. Perhaps I should reconsider my options for a political leadership. Meanwhile, Mendele remains a discussion forum dedicated to Yiddish. The authors of the postings are solely responsible for the content of their letters. Mendele does not necessarily endorse or share views and opinions expressed in the postings. Editorial decisions are based mainly on the relevance of contributions to the scope of Mendele (Yiddish language, literature, and culture). - i.v.] 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 14:07:59 -0400 (EDT) From: miriam isaacs Subject: Yiddish in Israel I would like to underscore Sylvia Schildt's call for voicing concern over the fact that Yiddish was not funded in Israel. I was at the same conference she attended, and one of the most powerful memories that stayed with me was the high level of "fardrus" felt by the many writers, poets, working people- all of whom shared a love for Yiddish and knew that any efforts to function politically on their part would be met my the Jewish public in Israel with ridicule. S'tut vey. This was underscored for me at Yad VaShem when the person in the Hall of Names who boasted Yiddish as one of his languages on his name tag-one Yosef Shakhter, told me, when I spoke to him in Yiddish that he didn't have time for me and that I should speak English. He then refused to serve me when I tried to retrieve the names of my own relatives that were listed there. However it is that attitudes towards languages are established, there needs to be some strong-and poltical communication. Miriam Isaacs 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 12:40:54 -0400 (EDT) From: Leybl Botwinik Subject: Gezets letoyves yidish un ladino In mendele V08.034, fregt dovid braun vegn dem kneset gezets fun merts 1996 letoyves yidish un ladino. Vegn dem, kent ir gefinen mer protim in di mendele arkhivn, fun merts 1996 (zet mendele V05.284). Er fregt oykh, vegn di hiskhayvesn un vos hot di ladino komisye bakumen. Ikh vel prubirn entfern oyf vi vayt ikh ken di protim. Dos gezets bafulmekhtikt dem bildungs ministeryum tsunoyftsurufn 21 forshteyers fun farshidene organizatsyes un institutsyes. Fun zey, zaynen nor 7 ofitsyel yidish-yidishe. Lemoshl, faran in der reshime a forshteyer funem ministeryum. Loytn gezets, ken men tsutshepen an araber vos iz tetik in di yisroyl-arabishe shuln... vayter, forshteyers fun der akademye (dos kenen zayn mediker, arkheologn, matematikers, sport-lerers fun oyfheybn vog...) -- es shteyt nit befeyresh geshribn "vos farnemen zikh mit yidish..." Un azoy vayter... es shteyt oykh nit, az zey darfn kenen yidish, oder az di zitsungen veln vern gefirt oyf yidish... Ober lomir zayn optimistish. Me ken zikh forshteln, az m'et ye gefinen di pasike 'forshteyers'. Vi es zol nit zayn, vert inem gezets dokument ye dermont dem farnem fun der arbet: flegn, shtarkn, farshpreytn yidish. Far dem vet zayn a budzhet. Der ministeryum vet bashtimen a forzitser un a batsoltn ongeshteltn. Der ongeshtelter vet adurkhfirn di tog-teglekhe arbet. Biz aher, bashrayb ikh vos ikh veys vegn dem gezets far yidish. Me hot mir gezogt, az far ladino iz merveyniker dos zelbe. Der ladino komisye funktsyonirt shoyn. Zey hobn bakumen dem yor a budzhet fun 1,500,000 shkolim, an erekh a halb milyon dolar. A byuro (telfon, tishn, ...) iz shoyn do. Tsi dos iz bazunder tsugeshtelt gevorn funem ministeryum, oder dos vert oysgehaltn a dank di budzhet gelt, hob ikh keyn anung nit. Ober tetikeytn zaynen shoyn faran. Yidish darf oykh bakumen 1.5 milyon shkolim. Vegn byuro veys ikh nit. Tsi di gehalt fun dem ongeshteltn kumt fun di 1.5 milyon, veys ikh oykh nit. Di gelt far dem yor iz shoyn nito (far yidish), un iz geshpendet gevorn oyf andere zakhn (efsher oykh far yidish...). Oyb di komisye vet in tsayt nit oyfgeshtelt vern, veln mir farlirn di gelt far iberayor oykh. Ikh hof, az dos hot geentfert oyf dovids frages. Leybl botvinik, netanya 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 01:34:56 -0400 From: "David M. Sherman" Subject: Yiddish in Canada A brief comment on Fishl Kutner's observations about "key people keenly fostering Yiddish" in Canada. I won't disagree with Fishl's numbers, but of course there are many seniors who aren't doing any active "fostering" of Yiddish but who do turn out in significant numbers to Yiddish activities such as concerts. I'm not sure why Fishl wouldn't count such people on his lists. Regarding the transfer from Montreal to Toronto of the "Yiddish cultural centre" of Canada, this is a reflection of the same transfer that has taken place over a 22-year period for the Jewish community as a whole, and understanding it requires some understanding of Canadian politics. Ever since a separatist Parti Quebecois government was first elected in 1976 in Quebec (the province of which Montreal is the largest city), a steady migration of the Jewish community has occurred, especially among the anglophone (i.e., English- rather than French-speaking at home) Jews, which the Yiddish speakers primarily are. (Sephardim who are francophone are to some extent more comfortable with the enforced use of French in Quebec and the general denigration of things English -- though I doubt that they are very comfortable with the racist nationalism of certain parts of the government including the former premier. The PQ government is still seeking to win a third provincial referendum on unilateral secession from Canada, having lost twice, including the 1995 referendum loss which the premier publicly blamed on "ethnics" and "money"... you can guess what that is code for. But I digress.) The migration has been almost entirely to Toronto, and the result has been that Toronto is now clearly established as the Jewish capital of Canada. (I believe the Jewish population of the Greater Toronto Area is about 175,000 now.) Regarding Vancouver and Winnipeg: again, Fishl's comments reflect these communities as a whole. Winnipeg is an old, long-established Jewish community going way back to the early Jewish farmers on the prairies. But over the last generation it's lost a large chunk of the community; it's still viable but fading. I know lots of people *from* Winnipeg but I've never heard of anyone moving *to* Winnipeg. Vancouver, on the other hand, is a young and growing community in a generally prosperous city with a nice climate. The only other cities where Jewish life is growing, and which thus might show up in Fishl's numbers, are Calgary and (to a lesser extent) Edmonton, where because of the booming provincial (Alberta) economy there's been significant growth generally, and the Jewish communities have followed. David Sherman Toronto ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.035 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