Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.101 December 19, 1998 1) YV Interview: Dr. M. Schaechter on the Czernowitz Conference (Mark David) 2) Happy Birthday Ben Gailing, 100 years old (Mark David) 3) Elie Wiesel (Herman Taube) 4) Standard and colloquial Yiddish (Marc Sacks) 5) Sovetish yidish (Andrey Bredstein) 6) Prepositional phrases in haredi Yiddish (Zachary Baker) 7) Yiddish erotica (Meyer-Leyb Wolf) 8) Rose Leis' autobiography in Yiddish on the Web (Bob Becker) 9) Nit Gedayget Lid (Itsik Goldenberg) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 13:47:57 -0500 (EST) From: "Mark H. David" Subject: YV Interview: Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter on the Czernowitz Conference Yiddish Voice Interviews Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter 90 Years Since the Czernowitz Conference The Yiddish Voice, a Yiddish-language weekly radio show, will feature an interview with Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter observing the 90th anniversary of the Czernowitz Conference on the Yiddish Language (1908). The Interview airs during the program on Wednesday, December 23, at 7:30 p.m. on WUNR 1600 AM in Boston, Mass. Dr. Schaechter is Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Yiddish Studies at Columbia University. He is Executive Director of the League for Yiddish. He is Editor of "Afn Svhel" and "Yidishe Shprakh" (published by YIVO), and is the author of a number of studies, textbooks, and dictionaries in the field of Yiddish. The Yiddish Language conference in Czernowitz in 1908 was one of the major events in the development of Jewish culture in the 20th century. At a time when Yiddish was the main language of the majority of Jews, it was the first conference to consider achieving wider recognition of Yiddish as a language, Yiddish spelling, Yiddish grammar, and many related topics. Since that time, the importance of the conference has been extensively studied and discussed, and the anniversary of the conference has been widely observed, in Yiddish cultural circles throughout the world. The Yiddish Voice, which began broadcasting in July, 1994, features music, poetry, comedy, interviews, news, commentary, and announcements of current events, all of it in the Yiddish language. For further information, mail, telephone, or email to: Mark David 160 N. Washington Street Boston, MA 02114 Phone: (617) 738-1870 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 17:30:31 -0500 (EST) From: "Mark H. David" Subject: Happy Birthday Ben Gailing, 100 years old today (biz 120)! [A belated announcement on this forum, but probably still of some interest. -mhd] Today, the third day of Hanukkah, is Ben Gailing's 100th birthday. Ben Gailing is a Yiddish actor and writer, Cantor Emeritus of Temple Beth Abraham in Canton, MA, and the host of The Ben Gailing "Freylekher Kabtsen" radio show, World's Longest Running Radio Show by Any One Person in the History of Radio. The Yiddish Voice pays tribute to Ben online at http://www.yv.org/#gailing The site now includes recordings in Real Audio of three full recent broadcasts of the Ben Gailing show, as well as a warm and informative tribute by Boston-based writer and Yiddishist David Maisel. On tonight's radio broadcast we'll be celebrating both Ben and Hanukkah, with Hanukkah music, readings of Ben's work by Miriam Libenson, music by Ben, and greetings from various friends of his. The Ben Gailing show, now largely run by Hankus Netsky, is still on the air, in the 1/2 hour slot before the Yiddish Voice. Broadcasts: Ben Gailing Show: WUNR 1600 AM/Brookline, MA, Weds., 7:00 p.m. The Yiddish Voice: WUNR 1600 AM/Brookline, MA, Weds., 7:30 p.m. My thanks to Hankus Netsky and David Maisel for permission to reproduce their materials. hot a gutn khanike! Mark David 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 11:28:51 -0500 (EST) From: HTaube218@aol.com Subject: Elie Wiesel Es gloibt zich koim: Elie Wiesel a 70-ker? Der yunger, energisher, sheferisher shraiber, professor, kultur-tuer un mekunen fun Churben Europe iz shoin a ben- shivim? Mir dacht zich az ersht nechtn iz er aroys fun gehenim in Auschwitz un Buchenwald, ersht nechten hob ich relaint far maine talmidim zain ersht bichl: "Nacht". Yetzt, mit 31 bicher shpeter, mit a Nobel Priz un tzendliker andere anerkenungs-doctoratn un loyb-oistzaichnungen iz der "Professor in Humanities baim Boston Universitet" hot der universitet gefajert Elie Wiesels 70tn geboiren-tog. Wilt zic mir wuntshen main liebn fraint, "Reb Elie" zain froi, Marion, zajer zun, Elisha noch asach glikleche, gezunte yorn. Lekoved zain geburtstog will ich du opdruken a poetishn notitz fun main lieder-zamlung: "Land fun Bloye Himlen" Elie Wiesel Du redst bifshites dem loshon fun main dor, dain shraibn - an oysgeshrai fun protest kegn vulgarn glaichgilt, shwaigenish fun di welt-firershaft in der tzait fun churbn. Ich bin nochgegangen daine wanderungen fun Paris biz Moskwe, fun Buchenwald biz Yerushulayim, Ich fihl zich heymish in dain Siget wi in Lodz, farglivert Poiln. Ich bin der "shwaygendiker, meshugener beitler" in dayne chiburim: Ich trog dain mesoire fun churbn Europe tzum yungn dor. Du bist undzer mistishe legende un gevissn. Ich hob dich asach mol gehert redn, traistn, shtrofn un mutikn daine tzuherers in "Waisn-Hoyz", in Botai-Knesses'n un universitetn, oych baim "Welt Tzuzamenfor "Fun Chuban tzu Oyfkum". Kain mol ober hob ich nisht gefihl aza noentkayt tzu dir vi in a Dinstik inderfri in Kibbutz "Lochamei Haghettos", wen du host geredt tzu unz in an ofen feld baim "Yitzchak Katzenelson Museum". A vint hot getrogn dain shtimme, warm-haimish, host getailt mit undz gefiln, gedankn, zorgn, geredt poshit, tzu amoch, churbn-geratevete, oysgedrukt undzere wundn, vaytikn, benkshaftn. afile daine hent-bavegungn, dain ziestikulirn, ponim-oysdrukn, knaitshen un oygn-faldn, dos kesayderdike oysglaich daine fun wint-tzeshoyberte hor, hot dich gemacht aygn-noent, balibt tzvishn undz. Der "Welt-Tzuzamnfur" in Yerushulayim iz a blat geshichte, a derfarung vwn bahaltene gefihln zenen oyfgeshwumen, vie mir hobn gehat dem mut tzu shvern traihait tzum ondenk fun heldn-martirer. Wie shwer es zenen di zichroynes fun yenem tog, wen mir hobn tzum letztn mol gezen Yitzchak Zukerman-o"h. Wet oyf eibik blaibn in main zikorn dain geshtalt, daine werter fun mut un traist.... Herman Taube 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 11:06:34 -0500 (EST) From: Marc Sacks Subject: Standard and colloquial Yiddish On Thursday, Dec. 10, Arthur Komar wrote: "There seems to be some controversy lately about YIVO Yiddish vs. dialects vs. haredi argots, as if there is just one correct way for a living language to survive. Dead languages such as Latin or Classic Greek don't have such problems. Is that what we really want for a living Yiddish? Of course a living, cultured language should not only have a beautiful, classic literature, but should have the possibility of evolving through regionalisms, dialects and yes, even hodgepodge street argots. Rather than mourn the haredi Yinglish-Yiddish we should cheer it. It does not detract from the classic culture but rather proves that Yiddish, unlike Latin, is a living language and an evolving culture." I have two comments on this. The first is that Latin and Ancient Greek are not all that monolithic either. There are extensive differences between, say, Ciceronian Latin (the "standard"), the relatively uneducated medieval Latin of such writers as Jordanes and Saxo Grammaticus, Church Latin, and the polished neo-classical style of writers like Milton, to name just a few varieties. And in the Greek world we have Platonic, Homeric, New Testament (itself written in koine, which was the popular Greek of its time, or if you will the Greek equivalent of Aramaic), Byzantine Greek, etc. All languages go through changes, and written languages reflect these changes as well as spoken languages do. My second comment is that "pure" forms of languages, whether canonized by great writers capable of elevating their own dialects to a quasi-national status, as Dante's Tuscan has become today's standard Itaalian, or by organizations self-chartered for the purpose, like the Academic Francaise, have an important place in those languages' development but by no means the only place. Anyone who has studied languages in school and then traveled to the countries (or local neighborhoods) where those languages are spoken realizes that the differences between standard varieties, as taught and as written in literature and in formal texts such as journal articles, and the locally spoken ones can form considerable barriers to communication. Why should it be different with Yiddish? Let YIVO do everything it can to standardize the language for the good of scholars and students while recognizing that local forms have not gone away and will continue to enrich the language. Yiddish, like English, picks up words everywhere its speakers go. The infusion of English into American haredi Yiddish would be a fine study for a folklorist; I suspect someone must have done one by now. Also, keep in mind that while the haredim may be isolated religious communities today, that does not mean they are incapable of producing a great Yiddish literature, now or in the future. Marc Sacks 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 11:45:53 -0500 (EST) From: "Andrey Bredstein" Subject: Sovetish yidish In Mendele 08.099:5 hot Arthur Komar bamerkt: "Arn Vergelis poem "Dos Land Birobidzhan" [...] written in the Soviet Yiddish dialect rather than in YIVO" Es shaynt mir az Arn Vergelis volt zikh oysgebrokhn mit a shtarkn gelekhter (nit gekukt af zayn itstiker shverer krankayt) ven er volt zikh dervust aza interesantn prat mikoyekh zayn eygener dikhtung. Ober lomir zayn ernst: tsu vos darf men oystrakhtn naye yidishe dialektn? Mir hobn zey, nit tsu farzindinkn, genug. D"r M. Shekhter hot in di 70-er yorn opgedrukt in "YIVO bleter" a tifn analiz fun Sovetish yidish, vu er ruft es on davke mit a vort "shprakh". Un ven aza groyser onhenger fun der YIVO-klal-shprakh zogt "kosher", iz efsher es iz take yo a simen, az me hot in gevezenem Sovetnfarband geredt di yidishe shprakh un nisht keyn yidish dialekt? Es bakumt zikh, az nisht nor Arn Vergelis (ver iz bli sofek a guter dikhter), nor afile di beste yidishe poetn, vos hobn veynik gehaltn fun di YIVO takones (Arn Tseytlin, Itsik Manger un nokh, un nokh), hobn ale geshribn in yidish dialekt... Andrey Bredstein 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 18:54:01 -0500 (EST) From: Zachary Baker Subject: Prepositional phrases in haredi Yiddish For those Mendelyaner who are tracking the ongoing evolution of Yiddish usage, here is some more grist for your mills: We just received a large-print children's book, "Der toyre-shier," compiled by an author who goes by the name Menakhem-Mendl (I believe that his surname is Meshi- Zahav). The book was published in Jerusalem, 5758 [1997/98], and the title-page includes the following information: "Fun _di_ serye 'In likht fun doyres'" [my emphasis]. Others have recently commented on the trend away from declension (am I using the correct term?) of the definite article (in the singular) in Yiddish prepositional phrases used by haredim. This example demonstrates that the trend is not restricted to areas where English is the dominant language, but is also encountered in Israel, where this book was printed and where its compiler lives. Nevertheless, one shouldn't over-generalize; within the text of this book usage is closer to standard -- though not entirely uniform, e.g.: "er hot gezungen dem dozign berihmtn zemer fun _der_ hagode" (p. 117), "[zey] zaynen glaykh tsugegangen tsu ihm in _der_ mizrekh vand" (p. 201), "[er] iz in ale yohrn geven oysgemisht mit _di_ politsey" (p. 201), to take three random examples. (Granted, the last example is ambiguous, with "politsey" possibly being employed as a plural noun in this instance. In my transcription I have followed the rather daytshmerish spelling -- mit nekudes -- found in the book.) Zachary M. Baker YIVO Institute for Jewish Research [NOTE: The YIVO Archives and Library have closed, in preparation for the Institute's move to the Center for Jewish History. We expect to re-open in the late winter or early spring of 1999.] 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 16:33:03 -0500 (EST) From: Meyer Wolf Subject: Yiddish erotica A. Joseph Ross finds the Weinreich dictionary prudish, for all that it includes entries for penis, vagina and sexual intercourse. Apparently what he means is that it omits the Yiddish equivalents of "four=letter Anglo-Saxon" words. Uriel Weinreich's motive was not prudery, but rather the recognition that the inclusion of "vulgarities" would ignore the sensibilities of the audience to which the dictionary was addressed and therefore fail to fulfill the puposes for which he prepared his dictionary. For Mr. Ross and others, I repeat Weinreich's reply to those who asked about such words: whoever wants a fairly complete list of Yiddish dirty words can find them in Stutchkoff. For those who may have difficulty in running them down, start by checking page 180, column right for the anatomical terms for the sexual organs. Section 597 'oysgelasnkeyt' provides the verbs and some proverbial material. Halevay meshiekh will come soon, so that those who take an interest in Yiddish will come to be as interested in the words reflecting the spirit of Jewish culture as in the vocabulary of bodily functions. Meyer-Leyb Wolf 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 13:37:28 -0500 (EST) From: "Becker, Bob" Subject: Rose Leis' autobiography in Yiddish on the Web I am posting the Rose Leis story, a Yiddish autobiography on the website, http://www.sound.net/~bbecker. This is a labor of love, not for profit. Rose Leis, 1987-1980, was my grandmother. She was born near Minsk and emigrated to New York after the pogroms in 1900. I make this book available for the enjoyment of all with the ability and desire to read it. Please take a look and share this with friends who would enjoy reading it. All I ask is feedback from those who read it. Shalom, Bob Becker 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 13:35:54 -0500 (EST) From: "Robert Goldenberg" Subject: Nit Gedayget Lid Within the last month or so, there was some discussion on MENDELE about Camp Nitgedayget. By chance, I came across the words and music to what I presume was the camp song. Called "Nit Gedayget Lid," it was published by the I.W.O. in 1932 in a songbook titled "Mit Gezang Tsum Kamf," a collection of songs compiled and arranged by Jacob Schaeffer. The lyrics to the song, by B. Fenster, are different from those by Perets Markish in the song with a similar title, "Nit Gedayget." Do any mendelyaner remember singing the song? Here are the words: In unzer kemp Nit Gedayget, Zaynen mir ale yatn un khaveyrim, Arbet un kamf hot farbridert, Zorg un noyt hot unz bafraynt, Kumen mir aher fun shtot un shap, Hey, khaveyrim! Zingen mir a lid un ot iz dos lid: Nit gedayget, nit gedayget, nit gedayget........ Itsik Goldenberg ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.101 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html