Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.079 October 28, 1998 1) Nayster numer Afn Shvel (Sholem Berger) 2) Rut Vays (Andrey Bredstein) 3) Comments about Prof. Ruth Wisse (Morrie Feller) 4) vyagre af yidish (Itzhok Niborski) 5) Meaning of Shnukal (Anna Shnukal) 6) nomen Tsootl (Rukhl Eissenstat) 7) early bird and kasa (elye palevsky) 8) kasa (Bill Batkay) 9) kase (Gerry (Gershn Yankl) Tenney) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 00:21:54 -0500 (EST) From: "Sholem Berger" Subject: Nayster numer Afn Shvel nokh protem: Nekhe Farber, (212) 787-6675 NAYSTER NUMER "AFN SHVEL" S'iz nor vos aroys fun druk der nayster numer funem gezelshaftlekh-literarishn kvartlnik Afn Shvel, organ fun der Yidish-lige. Der yontevdiker numer iz opgegebn dem 90stn yoyvl fun der Tshernevitser yidisher shprakh-konferents. Der toykhn fun dem numer: 1. D"r Shikl Fishman --- "Zhitlovski un Tshernevits"; 2. Khayem Gininger --- "Yidisher lingvistik af der Tshernevitser konferents"; 3. D"r Shloyme Bikl --- "Yerusholaim baym Prut"; 4. Noyekh Prilutski --- "Di Tshernevitser konferents"; 5. Gershom Bader --- "Tshernevits"; 6. D"r Mordkhe Shekhter --- "Laytish mame-loshn", di instruktive rubrik vegn rekhtikn yidishn shprakh-banits. Oyb me iz a mitglid fun der Yidish-lige (25 dolar a yor) krigt men dem Afn Shvel bekhinem. An eyntsl-numer --- 7 dolar. Mit bashtelungen zikh vendn tsu: League for Yiddish, Inc. 200 West 72nd St., Suite 40 New York, NY 10023-2805 Sholem Berger (zayt visn az Sh.B. farnemt zikh nisht mit Yidish-lige abonementn.) 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 13:11:13 -0500 (EST) From: "Andrey Bredstein" Subject: Rut Vays Ikh khidesh zikh biz gor: in velkhe mistkastns hot aza kluger, gebildeter mentsh vi Louis Fridhandler genumen ot di grobe un ameratsishe verter mikoyekh der barimter yidisher profesorke Rut Vays: "Farvos zoln mir zikh ergern, un laydn agmes-nefesh ven azamin gornisht vi Ruth Wisse zogt epes krum?" Es vilt zikh meynen az emetser hot poshet avekgegavet dem Fridhandlers adres un nitst im oys... Azoy tsi andersh, vil ikh ober zogn, az ikh bin perzenlekh bakant mit froy Vays un ikh bin zeyer shtolts derfun. Vos iz shayekh ire verk (shoyn opgeredt vegn dem vos zi iz a froy un Mendele iz nisht keyn shenkl), gehern zey tsu eyne fun di talantirtste forsher fun undzere teg. Un Harvard blaybt nokh alts di greste (un derimekh di beste) yidishe bibliotek in Amerike vi oykh in Eyrope. Andrey Bredstein 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 23:40:28 -0500 (EST) From: feller@indirect.com (Morris Feller) Subject: Comments about Prof. Ruth Wisse I read with a sense of dismay the diatribe of Louis Fridlander in 8.078 against Prof. Ruth Wisse. Even though I, too, do not agree with her views on the survivability of the Yiddish language, nevertheless she has a record and a reputation as a scholar in the field of Yiddish language and literature. I would hope that, while discussions about Yiddish may become passionate, let them not become viscious. What we should do is redouble our efforts to ensure the survival of Yiddish, and in that way hope to counter her arguments as to why Yiddish will not survive. As I recall, her main argument states that for a language to survive it has to be handed down from the parents to the children. And I believe she also has said something about having to give up the use of English and using only Yiddish as another condition for it to continue to be a living language. It is these criteria with which I take exception, although I know that there are some, perhaps many, who agree with Prof. Wisse. I believe that the impact of modern technology, especially the ability to communicate in real Yiddish with anyone anywhere in the world via the Internet, will be a major factor in the survival of Yiddish. In effect we have the makings of a Yiddish global village. More advances will enable us to speak to one another in Yiddish on the Internet. As I have said earlier, the Internet will be the -gahs vos a loshn mus hobn- to be viable. Morrie Feller Phoenix 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 01:04:00 -0500 (EST) From: niborski@ccr.jussieu.fr (Niborski) Subject: vyagre af yidish A dank Dovid Herskovicn far di sharfzinike vyagre-bamerkungen (Mendele 08.078-9). Vos shayekh "vi zogt men dos af yidish", meyn ikh az der nomen iz SHOYN a yidisher. Der oystrakhter (undzers a yid, voden?) hot poshet ibergeshtelt di oysyes fun "[koyekh-]GAVRE". Funem "koyekh" hot er bloyz ibergelozt dem "y", vayl a "kokh" arum zayn hamtsoe makht men shoyn on memeyle. Itzhok Niborski 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 21:43:41 -0400 (EDT) From: Anna Shnukal Subject: Meaning of Shnukal Recently, a (non-Jewish) friend commented that my surname (spelt Shnukal or Shnookal in Australia) sounded like a Yiddish word. Can anyone tell me whether it is and, if so, its meaning? A Russian acquaintance told me that there were many people with that surname in Brno, Slovakia, and even a Shnukal Street, Ulitsa Shnuklova, so he said. My father, born 1913 in Slavgorod, Ukraine, near today's Dnepropetrovsk, always denied knowing either the origin or meaning of his surname; his father was born in Odessa. Many thanks in advance (and if there are any other Shnukals out there, I'd love to hear from you). Anna Shnukal 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 03:25:13 -0500 (EST) From: Eissenstat@aol.com Subject: nomen Tsootl Mayn tante, o.hasholem, hot geheysn Tsootl. Ich kenisht gefinen dos nomen in bikher fun yidish nemen. Keyner ken mir gebn an eytse. Mayne eltern hobn gezogt as es is nisht a variant fun Tseytl. Is es a nickname, sheym l'vay? Zi hot geshtamt fun Lodz. A sheynem dank in faroys. Rukhl Eissenstat 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:44:14 -0400 (EDT) From: EPalevsky1@aol.com Subject: early bird and kasa m'koyekh -early bird- leyg ikh for, fri -esers vos me ken dos farkirtsn af fr' esers; vos shayekh kasa (beser kase) iz der taytsh a posheter: - the "till" and/ or the "treasury" d"h der oytser vos an organizatsye, a kerpershaft, a mishpokhe u'khdoyme farmogt. der frukhtiker shabes farmegn iz geven farn mogn un efsher gor bloyz far di fri-esers. elye palevsky 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 13:21:06 -0500 (EST) From: William Batkay Subject: kasa Tayere Mendelener, In Sub-carpathian Ruthenia (the formal English name for the place) there were also very many magyarized (i.e., Hungarianized) Jews. Since Gilad Gevaryahu's original query mentioned food, my guess is that the word "kasa" is in fact the Hungarian spelling of the grain/gruel known as "kashe" or "kasha" in English. There were Romanians there, but not many, so it is unlikely that the term is from the Romania "casa." Mit hartsliche grisse, Bill Batkay 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 19:49:57 -0500 (EST) From: "gtenney" Subject: kase In Camp Kinderland kase was and I think still is the goodies sent to the kinder by the eltern. It is all put together and is shared. Gerry (Gershn Yankl) Tenney ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.079 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