Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.072 October 19, 1998 1) parevnik (Meyer Wolf) 2) Esq. (Iosif Vaisman) 3) early-bird (Pessl Beckler-Semel-Stern) 4) Camp Nitgedaiget (Shaurain Farber) 5) oym ani khoymo (Dovid Herskovic) 6) Yiddish matters (David Sherman) 7) Yiddish Poetry in America Page (Craig Abernethy) 8) Tante Sonye's briv (Joyce Field) 9) Career change (Philip "Fishl" Kutner) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 16:23:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Meyer Wolf Subject: parevnik Is anyone familiar with the term parevnik? I am interested in how it is used, but especially where it was used. Meyer Wolf 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 10:06:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Esq. It is customary for certain categories of people to use abbreviated word "Esquire" in the signature in documents written in English. I wonder if Yiddish has any equivalent for a "self-inflicted" courtesy title. In other words, what Boro Park lawyers add to their names in the signatures when they write in Yiddish? Iosif Vaisman 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 11:45:33 -0400 (EDT) From: pessl@juno.com (pessl beckler-semel-stern) Subject: early-bird Ikh hob a bakoshe tzu di Mendelyaner vos arbetn oys naye, Yidishe verter un vertlekh. Do in Floride is a minheg az men geyt aroys esn in restoran tzvishn 4 un zeks nokhmitod, vayl di prayzn zaynen a bisl biliger vi shpeter. Heysn, heyst es af English "an early-bird special." Azoy vi ikh halt in tzugreytn a "shmues" far undzer Yidish klub vegn esn in restoran, un bay undz iz do a rubrik vos heyst, "Vi zogt men af Yidish," bin ikh zikher az emetzer vet mir shteln di frag, vi zogt men af Yidish, "early bird?" Ikh hob a kler geton, un gornit. Afsher vet emetzn aynfaln a nay vertl af dem zeyer populern bagrif. A sheynem dank far der tirkhe. Pessl Beckler-Semel-Stern 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 14:05:02 -0400 (EDT) From: Sherynetie@aol.com Subject: Camp NITGEDAIGET Regardless of how Harold Orbach or his mother may have pronounced the word, any name is spelled as its owner says it is spelled. Marvin Engel, in a previous Mendele volume, referred to Camp Nitgedaiget as having been mentioned in the book "Followers of the Trail" by David Leviatin, published by Yale University Press in 1989. On pages 281 and 282 of that book are reproductions of materials IN ENGLISH published by the camp, where the spelling is NITGEDAIGET, pronounce it as you will. It was not only likely but certain that ads for the camp would be published in English as well as Yiddish, as were ads for other "roite" camps. Mit hartsike vuntshn lekoved ale yontoivim, Shaurain Farber 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 10:08:10 -0400 (EDT) From: David Herskovic Subject: oym ani khoymo Today's portion for the hoyshanes reminded me of a song to those words. Here are the lines I remember but first the translation -free- of the Hebrew words in the liturgy. (I have no books to hand so I am not sure about the first one) oym ani khoymo - a people for whom I am their wall [protector] boro kakhamo- clear as the sun goylo vesiro- exiled and forsaken domso lesomor- compared to a palm tree haharigo olekho- are murdered for You refrain: lomir dertayln, lomir dertsayln der loyb fin di yidishe kinder ayn male iz oym ani khoymo nokh a male iz boro kakhamo khotsh khotsh khotsh goylo vesiro dokh dokh dokh domso lesomor lomir dertsayln... nebekh nebekh nebekh haharigo olekho sorry this is all I remember. a gitn moyed in (shoyn far hoyshane rabe) a git kvitl in a gmar khasime toyve, Dovid Herskovic 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1998 12:32:40 -0400 From: "David M. Sherman" Subject: Yiddish matters I have to tell you, I get a kick out of the "Yiddish matters" heading that appears on every Mendele Review. I treat "matters" as a verb and see the heading as a reminder. Is the pun intentional? David Sherman 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 18:12:21 -0400 (EDT) From: "Craig Abernethy" Subject: Yiddish Poetry in America Page Mendelyaner are cordially invited to visit the Yiddish Poetry in American page, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/6801 currently featuring the work of the genial Avrom Reisen. In time, other poets will be added. Warm regards, Craig Abernethy 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 11:04:09 -0400 (EDT) From: JoyceField Subject: Tante Sonye's briv Leonard Prager will be too modest to announce in this forum his latest contribution to the JewishGen Yizkor Book site, his translation of Tante Sonye's Briv, which can be seen at . In his own words he describes this wonderful piece: "In 1962, when my wife Barbara and I were living in London ..., we wrote to Tante Sonye (Aunt Sophie) and asked her to write down all that she could recall about her family, the Progers (Pragers), and her shtetl Rebinke (Grebenki). On 18 October 1962 (from her home at 341 Remsen Avenue, Brooklyn 12, NY), Tante Sonye sat down and wrote a sixteen-page letter in Yiddish in which she tried to satisfy our request." (Leonard Prager) Leonard's translation into English is, of course, magnificent. Thank you, Leonard. Joyce Field 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 05:24:25 -0400 (EDT) From: "PHILIP \"FISHL\" KUTNER" Subject: Career change Yesterday Sally and I attended graduation exercises at the Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, CA. The ceremony and tour were very impressive and filled with emotion. It was at the end of a blind person's month's training when the person officially receives the dog and goes home. I raised the question what they do with dogs that were not successful or what happens when the dog gets old. It was at this point that they used the term /career change/. Today this term is often used for people in real life situations. The term for /career/ is /di karyere/ and /baytn/ means /change/. Now what would be the proper way to say /career change/? mit frayndshaft, Philip "Fishl" Kutner ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.072 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