Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.053 September 7, 1998 90 yoriker yoyvl fun der ershter yidisher shprakh-konferents in Tshernovits Part VI 1) Politics at the Conference (Matityahu Mintz) 2) Leybl Tobiash (Shaya Mitelman) 3) A. Almi (Shaya Mitelman) 4) Ester Frumkin (Iosif Vaisman) 5) Gershom Bader (Iosif Vaisman) 6) Leon Khasanovitsh (Iosif Vaisman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 21:02:27 -0400 From: Matityahu Mintz Subject: Politics at the Conference [Excerpted from "tsionistn un poeli-tsionistn oyf der tshernovitser shprakh-konferents"] oyb me zol zikh farlozn oyf di bashraybungen vegn der tshernovitser shprakh-konferents vos zenen aroys in di tsaytungen un zhurnaln tsu ir 20-yoriken yovl ken zikh bakumen der ayndruk az dos iz in tokh genumen geven a bahaltene initsiativ fun parteyen. zey hobn take zikh bamit tsu bateylikn in der konferents anonim. ober zey hobn nisht mevater geven oyf zeyere direktivn vos sheykh di diskusies in di komisies un in plenum. vi oikh vos sheykh di rezolutsiyes. dos iz ober a falsher royshem: loyt der dokumentatsie vos iz tsu undz dergangen kenen mir zen az dos iz a toes, a meynung vos hot biklal nisht oyf vos zikh soymekh tsu zayn. me darf ober derfun nisht makhn dem oysfir az in gang fun der konferents hobn zikh nisht geshafn ken blokn mit an ideologish-parteyishn kharakter. s'vet zayn pinktlekher tsu formulirn dem inyen azoy: in gang fun der konferents, ven me hot ongehoybn tsu realizirn a bashtimte initsiativ, hobn a sakh fun di delegatn zikh nokh a mol dermont on zeyer parteyisher ongeherikeyt. mir veysn nisht vegn ken shum partey vos hot fun frier aroysgevizn an interes tsu der shprakh-konferents, vos hot geshtoysn tsu farmamoshesn ot dem gedank un hot gepruvt ontseyhenen di gruntlinies fun an ideologisher platforme far di kumedike rezolutsies. es zenen nishto ken yedies mikoyekh aza tendents in rusishn "bund"; aza initsiativ hot nisht gekent gemolt zayn, oyb mir nemen in batrakht dem printsipieln tsugang fun "bund" vos hot farneynt dem alveltlekhn kharakter fun yidishn folk, un hot mimeyle gepaslet voser nisht iz bashlus mikoyekh a yidish natsionaln inyen vos iz ariber di grenetsn fun a bashtimter melukhe. dos iz oykh emes vos sheykh di i.s.d.p. - "yidishe sotsial-demokratishe partey" in galitsie. aza initsiativ iz oykh nisht gekumen mitsad di estraykhishe poeli-tsion, hagam zey zenen geshtanen gor noent tsu der politisher milie vos fun ir iz aroisgevaksn di shprakh-konferents. el-akht-kame-ukame iz di initsiativ nisht gekumen mitsad der tsionistisher organizatsie in estraykh-ungern, vos iz oyf an umgerikhtn ufn (un efsher nisht azoy umgerikht) geven fartrotn oyf der konferents mit an impozantn blok delegatn. di initsiativ iz gekumen mitsad etlekhe perzenlekhkeytn, un koydem-kol mitsad nosn birnboimen. vos hot fartrakht dem gedank mit a tsayt frier. tsuzamen mit im iz geven haim zhitlovsky: er hot shoyn mit yorn frier gehat formulirt di teorie fun oytonomizm un fun a yidisher natsie in golus, un hot zikh aktiv angazhirt in farvirklekhn politish ot di gedanken. er hot aroysgevizn an interes tsu der organizirung fun der "vozrozhdenie" - grupe un tsu ir teoretishn yesod, un er hot gehat a kheylek in zeyere bamiungen oyftsuboyen di partey fun di i's. birnboym hot zikh getrofn mit zhitlovskin in nyu-york onheyb 1908, un zey hobn tsuzamen oysgearbet dem plan tsu farbetn a tsol perzenlekhkeytn - shraybers, kinstlers, farlegers - kedey tsu dergreykhn a shine in der shtelung mitsad di yidish-intelektuale krayzn tsu yidish. der plan iz ongenumen gevorn, un me hot formulirt a proklamirung, oyf velkher es hobn zin gekhasmet bakante yidishe shraybers un shafers. in dem zinen iz interesant dos ort vos me hot bashtimt far der konferents. dos tsunoyfrufn zi in tchernovits hot gemuzt brengen dertsu az es zol zikh in ir nisht bateylikn ken breyte amerikaner delegatsie. der pruv mitsad di organizirers tsu batrakhtn zhitlovskin vi a forshteyer fun amerikaner yidn iz vos sheykh yene yorn geven a durkhoysike fiktsie. s'iz oikh nisht ken tsufal un ken vunder az s'hobn gefelt forshteyers fun merb-eyrope. di hoypt-makhetunim zenen geven, un hobn gedarft zayn, di yidn fun der tsarisher imperie un fun der estraykh-ungerisher. s'iz ondz nisht klor tsu vos me hot gedarft hobn dertsu ot di amerikaner farmitlung, un efsher iz dos a rezultat fun di shverikeytn zikh tsu farshtendikn tsvishn yidn fun rusland un fun galitsie, vi oykh in yeder eyner fun di teritories gufe. me darf oykh onvayzn az s'iz shver geven tsu organizirn aza konferents in rusland, tsulib di ongeshtrengte batsiongen un di sine vos hot gehersht tsvishn di yidishe parteyen. ober afilu oyb dos volt geven der viln fun di organizirers volt men nisht gekent bepeyl-mamesh durkhfirn dem tsuzamenfor in rusland. di politishe klem iz in 1908 dergangen tsu zayn sharfstn punkt. derfar zenen gekumen in batrakht galitsie un bukovine. vu yidn hobn genosn fun politishe rekht un der kamf tsvishn di parteyen iz nisht geven azoy geshpant. Matityahu Mintz Translated from Hebrew by Avraham Nowersztern Romanized by Ester Vaisman Reprinted from YIVO Bleter Naye Serye, b.1 (Nyu-York, 1991) with the permission from David Fishman, YIVO Bleter Editor. 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 23:43:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Conference participant: Leybl Tobiash (1863-1933) Der publitsist un aktiver propagandist fun undzer yidisher shprakh Leybl Tobiash iz geboyrn gevorn in der shtot Bender bam taykh Nester (Besaraber gubernye), in der mishpokhe fun a rov in 1863. Er hot gegrindet di gazete "Di yidishe folkstsaytung" in Kolomye, un hot dernokh aroysgelozt di tsaytung "Yudishes vokhenblat" in Chernovits, in velkher hot er zikh gestaret fareynikn di literatorn fun Bukovine un Galitsye. Er iz oyskloybn gevorn a vitse-prezident fun der chernovitser shprakh-konferents, ineynim mit Peretsn un Zhitlovskin. In 1928 hot Tobiash aroysgegebn dem bukh "Talmudishe elementn inem yidishn shprikhvort" mit a baylage fun bafliglte verter un oysdrukn fun gemore. Leybl Tobiash iz geshtorbn in 1933 in Vin. Shaya Mitelman. 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 01:04:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Serge Mitelman Subject: Conference participant: A. Almi (1892-1963) Ruth Kaswan in the beautiful work reprinted in the second Czernowitz issue (8.048:1) mentions, that her father Joseph (born in 1889) was the youngest attendee at the conference. Technically speaking, amongst the 70 people in the audience there was also a soon-to-be poet and journalist A.Almi (pen-name of Elyohu-Khaim, or Elyuhi-Khaim, Sheps), who was born in Warsau in 1892 and was only 16 in 1908. He debuted, in fact, in 1907 in "Roman-tsaytung" in his hometown, and came to the US in 1912. His memoirs "Moment fun a lebn" (1948) contain reminiscences of the Conference as a turning point in his life and career. A.Almi was a very prolific author untill his tragic death in Buenos Aires in 1963. Selected books: Di tsveyte ekzistents (Nyu York: Kosmos, 1921), Bay di randn (Nyu York: Ekho, 1923), Humoristishe shriftn (Varshe: A. Gitlin, 1928), Literarishe nesies (Varshe: M. Goldfarb, 1931), Gezang un geveyn (Nyu York: Shrayber-Farlag, 1943), Momentn fun a lebn, zikhroynes, bilder un epizodn (Buenos Ayres: Tsentral-Farband fun Poylishe Yidn in Argentine, 1948), In gerangl fun ideyen: eseyen (Buenos Ayres: Bukhgemeynshaft bay der Yidisher ratsyonalistisher gezelshaft, 1957), Heshbn un sakhakl : kapitlen fun mayn seyfer hahayim (Buenos Ayres: N.Kaplanski, 1959) Shaya Mitelman. 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 21:09:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Conference participant: Ester Frumkin Ester Frumkin - professional revolutionary, lifelong fighter for Yiddish "Ester" (Ester Frumkin, real name Malka Yankelevna (Maria Yakovlevna) Livshits) was born in 1880 in Minsk. Graduated from Mariinskaia Gymansium in Minsk and Pedagogical University in St.Petersburg. In 1905 one of the leaders of Minsk organization of Bund, in 1906-07 member of the Bund's Vilna Committee. Arrested several times and in 1908 exiled from Russia. At the Czernowitz conference called for the recognition of Yiddish "as the only national language of the Jews". After the Conference Ester stayed in Czernowitz for several months where she played an instrumental role in organizing Jewish Social Democratic Party of Bukovina. Ester Frumkin was one of the few Bund leaders, who advocated continuity of Jewish tradition: "When we speak of education in a proletartian spirit, we do not mean that children should recite part of the Erfurt Program instead of the "Shema", or a chapter of the Communist Manifesto instead of the "Modeh Ani." (Transl. by Nora Levin, 1977). She "wrote about religion as a necessary element in the raising of a "folk-child" and was eloquent about the positive educational value of religious customs such as the blessing of the candles" (N. Levin, 1977) - something that some other left-wing Yiddishists realized only 90 years later. In 1917 she was elected to the Central Committee of the Bund. After the 1917 Revolution she was a leader of Kombund and Evsektsia. Editor of the 8 volume edition of Lenin's "Oysgeveylte verk" in Yiddish. Author of "Lenin un zayn Arbet" (Moskve, 1925), "Oktyaber-revolutsye" (Moskve, 1928), and other books. Served as an editor of "Emes" - a major Yiddish publishing house. In 1935-36 she was the Rector of the Communist University in Moscow. Arrested in 1938, died of starvation in 1943 in Karlag - a concentration camp for the political prisoners in Kazakhstan. Iosif Vaisman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 21:34:01 -0400 (EDT) From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Conference participant: Gershom Bader Gershom (Gustav) Bader was born in Cracow in 1868. Received traditional Jewish education, taught in Chacky School in Lemberg. Publisher of annual "Yidisher Folkskalender" (1896-1908), that played an important role in the propaganda of Zionist ideas in Galicia. Founder of the first Yiddish daily in Austria-Hungary "Togblat" (1904-1906, "Dos Naye Lemberger Togblat" since 1906). Bader was an editor of a number of other Yiddish and Hebrew periodicals. He wrote several Hebrew textbooks, reference sources, and historical novels. After 1912 Bader lived in New York, where he actively contributed to several Yiddish periodicals. Several of his plays in Yiddish were produced in New York. Among his important works in Yiddish are: "Tsvishen blut un fayer" (Nyu-York : Ferband fun Galitsyaner un Bukoviner Iden in Amerika, 1916), "Draysig doyres Iden in Poylen fun der ershter tsayt, vos Iden zaynen ahin gekumen voynen, biz tsum letsten "miatezsh" (Nyu-York : Oriom Pres, 1927), "Eybige emes'n : fun sforim un funm leben : kleyne mayses un sharfe famerkungen far khol-erley groyse kinder" (Vien : Union, 1927), "Unzere gaystige riezen : dos leben un di lehren fun unzere Tanoim un Amoyroim" (Nyu York : Moyneshter, 1934), "Mayne zikhroynes" (Buenos Ayres : Tsentral-farband fun Poylishe Yidn in Argentine, 1953). He died in New York in 1953. Iosif Vaisman 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 21:26:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Conference participant: Leon Khasanovitsh Leon Khasanovitsh (Chasanowich, real name Kasriel Shub) was born in Sirvintos near Vilna in 1882. He founded Poalei Zion in Poland in 1905. In 1908 he fled Russia and became the editor of Der Yidisher Arbeter in Lemberg. In 1913-1919 he headed, with Ber Borochov, the Central Office of Poalei Zion in Vienna. He founded Di Yidishe Arbeter Korrespondents in the Hague, edited Der Yidisher Kemfer and Di Tsayt (both in New York). Co-founded the American Jewish Congress and the People's Relief Committee. Died in 1925 in Czechoslovakia. Works in Yiddish: Der krizis fun der Idisher kolonizatsye in Argentina (Stanisloy: Bildung, 1910), Di Yudishe kongres bevegung in Amerika (Varshe: Arbeter heym, 1917), Der Idisher hurbn in Ukrayne : materyalen un dokumenten (Berlin: Yuda, 1920), "Arkhiv fun'm Idishn sotsialist" (Berlin, Farlag Poyle Tsien, 1921). Iosif Vaisman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.053 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