Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.108 January 19, 1999 1) klezkamp - an iberblik/an overview (Sylvia Schildt) 2) Aharon Appelfeld on Yiddish (Herman Taube) 3) Kop moyekh magister (David Zakai) 4) transliterated Yiddish grammar book (Joyce Fama) 5) Yiddish word order (Ellen Prince) 6) Yiddish Word Order (Mikhl Herzog) 7) Porgy and Bud (Ruth Etkin) 8) The shtetl house; song: a yingele (Mikhl Herzog) 9) Mayn Yingele (Al Grand) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 17:20:51 -0500 (EST) From: creativa@charm.net (Sylvia Schildt) Subject: klezkamp - an iberblik/an overview In an atmosfere in velkhe afile gevise profesorn fun yidish redn vegn teyt fun yidish iz amol shver tzu blaybn mutik un vaytergeyn mit der arbet fun farshpreytn mame loshn un di yidishe kultur-oytzres. Ikh hob ersht farbrakht a vokh in klezkemp un bin aheymgekumen mit banayte keykhes un hofnung. In vos bashteyt aza banayung? In an atmoshphere in which even certain professors of Yiddish speak of the death of Yiddish, it is sometimes difficult to remain courageous and keep on with the work of spreading mame loshn and the Yiddish cultural treasures. I just spent a week in Klezkamp and and came home with renewed strength and hope. What is this renewal made up of? L'khatkhile hob ikh zikh gefunen in an ort, a veltele, ongepakt mit yugnt - fun eyfelekh biz yunge tates-mames un zeyere kinder. Teyl fun zey hobn afile geredt yidish tzishn zikh. Zikher hobn zikh dortn eykh gefunen eltere mentshn, eynike gor eltere, ober di koridorn, di klasn and algemeyne zamlungsortn zaynen geven ful mit yungvarg. Un vos hot tzugetzeygn di yungvarg? Klezmer muzik. Yidishe muzik. Un afile dos yidish vort vos far a sakh fun zey iz dos geven an antplekung. For starters, I found myself in a place, a little world, packed with youth from infants to young parents with their kids. Some of them even spoke Yiddish among themselves. Of course, there were also older people, some even quite elderly, but the corridors, the classes and general gathering places were filled with young people. And what drew these young people? Klezmer music. Yiddish music. And even the Yiddish Word, which for many of them is a discovery. Keyner hot zey getzungen, opgekeyft. Zey zaynen tzuzamengekumen mit frid, mit frayen viln,zikh tzuzamentzuredn, tzu lernen, tzu vaksn. Americkaner fun meshpokhes dervaytert fun yidisk\hkeyt, Kinder fun der shares ha pleyte, neytzl geblibene fun Shoah. Muzikantn. Aktivist un akademiker fun der gorer velt. Afile nit yidn fun ayzland, fun terkay, fun belgie, fun frankraykh un estraykh, daytshland. No one forced them, bought them. They came together joyously, of their own free will, to interact, to learn, to grown. Americans from somewhat alienated households. Children of the Surviving Remnant and their children. Holocaust survivors. Musicians. Activists and scholars from the world over. Even non-Jews from Iceland, Turkey, Belgium, France, Austria, Germany. Tzuzamen hobn zey gelernt, gearbet, geshpilt un antplekt oytzres fun der yidisher kultur b'khlal un fun Yisroyldiker Yidisher kval b'frat. Ikh hob gezen mit freyd un vunder vi yunge amerikaner yidn leygn arayn in moyl, efsher tzum ershtn mol, dos yidish vort, gelernt naye yidishe lider. Der hofnung iz az zey veln aheymkumen un mit faregreserte klezmer repertvarn, farshpreytn di naye lider in zeyere kehiles. Together they studied, worked, played and discovered treasures of Yiddish culture in general, and of Israeli Yiddish sources in specific. I observed with joy and wonder as young American Jews put into their mouths, perfhaps for the first time, the Yiddish Word, learned new Yiddish songs. The hope being that they will return home with enlarged klezmer repertoires, spreading the new songs in their communities. Ikh hob getrakht, az di meyvinim fun bildung voltn a sakh gekent oplernen fun Klezkemp. I thought, that the experts in education could learn a lot from Klezkamp. Der oylem iz geven a farshidnartiker. Frume, fraye, yunge, alte, fun ale shtromen fun yidishn lebn. Aza vunderlikher dugme far undz alemen, yidn in di tfutzes, yidn in eretz yisroyl. Shabes hot men gekent davnen afn altn shteyger, mit mekhitze, tzi afn nayem shteyger, tzi ingantzn nit. Un yeder eyner hot bavizn derekh eretz dem tzveytn. Alevay af undz alemen gezogt. The audience was a varied one. Religious, non-religious, young, old, from all streams of Jewish life. What a wonderful model for us all, Jews in the Diaspora, Jews in Israel. On the Sabbath one could pray in the traditional manner, with separate areas for men and women, or in the new way, or not at all. And everyone managed to show respect for the other. May it be said of us all. Ikh makh do nit kin reklame l'teyves Klezkemp. Me zet fun foroys az es vet take zayn a fuler klezkemp kumedikn yor, un in der vayter tzukumft. Ikh vil poshet zogn az loyt mayn farshtand iz Klezkemp a sakh mer vi a tzaytfarvayl -- es iz khinukh af der hekhster madreyge. Me darf shafn mini-klezkemp aktivitetn in di universitetn, in di kehiles, durkh organizatzies. Yidish aktivistitn un aktivistn fun "Yiddishkayt" hobn a sakh tzu lernen fun Klezkemp. I'm not making a commercial for the benefit of Klezkamp/ One can already see that there will be a full Klezkamp next year and into the far future. I simply want to say that according to my understanding Klezkamp is more than a leisure activity -- it is education of the highest level. We need to create mini Klezkamp acitvities in our universities, in our communities, through our organizations. Yiddish activists and activists for Yiddishkayt can learn a lot from KlezKamp. Eyn nokhmitog, be'es a tzol aktivitetn, zaynen forgekumen in der zelber tzayt, mit a \sakh a sakh yidishe verter tzvish yung un alt, hob ikh gehert royshndik in kop, a kol fun a bekanter akademiker loy-zogerin velkhe hot nit lang tzurik ongerufn yidish r\nit relevant far undzere tzaytn. Hob ikh zi ge'entfert -- Zayt mir meykhl - tzi kukn mir beyde af der zelber velt? Tzi davenen mir fun zelbn sidur? One afternoon, when a number of lively activities were going on at once, with a lot of Yiddish being heard among young and old, I also heard (in my head) the voice of one distinguished academic naysayer I had recently heard declaring the irrelevancy of Yiddish today -- and I replied to her -- "excuse me -- are we seeing the same world? "Are we davening from the same Siddur? Sylvia Schildt 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 10:49:14 -0500 (EST) From: HTaube218@aol.com Subject: Aharon Appelfeld on Yiddish David Streitfeld, in his book report in "The Washington Post" , ( Book World, Sunday, January 10th,) writes about a conversation with the distinguished author of more than 35 works of fiction, Aharon Applefeld and his views on Yiddish. Applefeld said: "I like the Jews here, they are preserved more as Jews, with some features and behaviors I will call very Jewish - gestures, signs of tenderness. It's more here than in Israel, even if they've been Americanized. SometimesI would like to speak to them in Yiddish. Of course, they don't know the language, but they should know. They look like they should be speaking Yiddish". David Streitfeld told me, that most of his coversation with Applefeld was about his books and the subject of the Holocaust, "a subject of inexhaustible interest to him". Still, I feel good when reading that one of the great Israeli novelists of our time speaks with warmth about Jewish New York and his longing for Yiddish.... Herman Taube 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 09:21:17 -0500 (EST) From: szczrz@juno.com (David Zakai) Subject: Kop moyekh magister What is the proper spelling and meaning of the Polish Yiddish expression "kop moyekh magister"? kop = head or brain (like German Kopf) moyekh = brain (like Hebrew moa<*h>) magister = master I actually recall hearing it spoken as "kop moyekh magistra," but may be mistaken. If "magistra," is correct, I wonder if it is similar to the Polish genitive (possessive) case, yielding a translation like: "The brain is the master of the head." And in what context would it be used? Does it mean: 1. You've got a good head on your shoulders (i.e., you think clearly). 2. That's a good idea. 3. Don't try to fool me, I am wise to your strategems. (a retort) 4. You impish child, stop fooling around. (a gentle criticism) David Zakai 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 17:57:57 -0500 (EST) From: JFDANCE@aol.com Subject: transliterated Yiddish grammar book I have been searching (no success yet) for a Yiddish grammar book that is transliterated. I am extremely interested in learning Yiddish and can only go so far without knowing conjugation, tenses, etc. Can you help? I'd be very grateful. Thank you... Joyce Fama 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 17:29:47 -0500 (EST) From: "Ellen F. Prince" Subject: Yiddish word order Ingo Wagener inquires about research on Yiddish word order and its history. I heartily recommend Beatrice Santorini's work, listed on http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/publications.html as well as the work referred to therein. Ellen Prince 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 18:05:45 -0500 (EST) From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: Yiddish Word Order Ingo Wagener (08:107): Have you seen the work of Beatrice Santorini, Sten Vikner, Zelda Kahan Newman? Mikhl Herzog 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 10:30:34 -0500 (EST) From: "Ruth Etkin" Subject: Porgy and Bud I've just been catching up on Mendele, after the flurry of holiday company and such, and would like to comment on 2 postings, if it's not too late. Irv Young's (January 10) derivation of "Ich hub im in bod" is not what I remember. My memory is that it referred to the washing of a dead body by the hevra kidushin.....in effect wishing that person to "drop dead". On a much lighter note...about Porgy and Bess... I'd like to share a delightful observation I read in the NY Times a few months ago even though it won't help Mikhoyel Basherives who asked about a Yiddish translation of the work ( Jan.4). George Gershwin, though Jewish of course, was not considered a writer of Jewish music. Yet the column I read (I can't remember the writer's name) pointed out that the opening musical phrase of "It Ain't Necessarily So" and the opening chant of the first brakha before reading the Torah...Bar'khu et adoshem ekhad..are too similar to be a coincidence. Try singing them both and you'll hear that it probably is "necessarily so". Shalom Ruth Etkin Boca Raton, Fl 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 07:29:08 -0500 (EST) From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: The shtetl house; song: a yingele Alla Sokolova (08.105) inquires about the designation for the rooms in a typical shtetl house. She cites a number of words in the local Podolian Yiddish dialect about which we have voluminous data in the archives of the Language and Culture Atlas of Ashkenazic Jewry. Volume III of the Atlas is in press but, unfortunately, the words in question will only be represented in later volumes. I cite the following from memory. The actual data from numerous Podolian towns (tape-recorded interviews and transcripts) is largely inaccessible at the moment. Perhaps my colleague, Mordkhe Schaechter, who conducted most of the Atlas interviews for the area in question, can be of more help. As to the words in question zol' - Standard Yiddish _zal_, glossed as 'hall' and 'parlor'. (The vowel A1, in certain positions, is realized as [o]; cf., _tote_, _mome_, _kolt voser_, _ont_ 'hand', etc.). uz - Standard _hoyz_ (The vowel is designated U4; cf. _bukh_ 'belly', _fust_ 'fist', _muz_ 'mouse', etc; and word-initial [h] is dropped in the area in question.). The gloss 'stable' is entirely new to me and I would be grateful for any documentation that Ms Sokolova can provide. In Yiddish, in general, _hoyz_ varies in meaning from 'house' =3D a private dwelling (in Poland, more or less, where _shtub/shtib_ means 'room') and a brick or stone structure of multiple dwellings, further East, where _shtub_ means 'house'. Regionally, _uz_ (and _fi'res_=3D _fo'rhoyz_) may specify the entryway ('foyer') to the structure in question. A wonderful subject for onomasiological/semasiological studies. David Herskovic (08.105) cites a song which my mother sang in the early 1930's. I would volunteer to record it on Real Player if Mendele could receive it, although someone else may be able to point us to a recording of it. I offer several slight textual variations: First verse: Ikh hob a kleynES yingele ("daytshmerish", I know, but still) Second verse: NOR zeltn zeltn ze ikh im Mayn YINGELE ven er vakht Third verse: O fremd iz mir, etc. There are more verses which escape me at the moment. Can anyone else help? Mikhl Herzog 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 10:11:49 -0500 (EST) From: Savoyid@aol.com Subject: Mayn Yingele In response to David Herskovic's request for details on the author of the _lid_ which begins with _Ikh hob a kleynem yingele_ (Vol. 08.105) the poem from which Mr. Herscovic quotes the first three stanzas is entitled _Mayn Yingele_ and was written by Morris Rosenfeld. The Yiddish poet Rosenfeld was born in the Suwalki region of Poland in 1862. He came to New York in 1886 following his immigration to London. Rosenfeld worked as a tailor in clothing factories and his poetry reflects the hardships of sweatshop conditions on both the workers and their families. I find it impossible to read the poem without having my eyes well up with tears as I recall my mother's singing that song to me when I was a small child. Here is the full text [my transliteration]: Ikh hob a kleynem yingele, A zunele gor fayn! Ven ikh derze im dakht zikh mir, Di gantse velt iz mayn. Nor zeltn zeltn zey ikh im, Mayn sheynem, ven er vakht, Ikh tref im imer shlofendik, Ikh zey im nor baynakht. Di arbet traybt mikh fri aroys Un lozt mikh shpet tsurik; A fremd iz mir mayn eygn layb! A fremd mayn kinds a blik! Ikh kum tserklemterheyt aheym, In fintsternish gehilt, Mayn bleykher froy dertsteylt mir bald, Vi fayn dos kind zikh shpilt; Vi zis es redt, vi klug es fregt: "O, mame, gute ma, Ven kumt un brengt a peni mir Mayn guter, guter pa?" Ikh her es tsu un ayl: es muz, Yo, yo, es muz geshen! Di foterlibe flakert oyf: Es muz mayn kind mikh zen!... Ikh shtey bay zayn gelegerl Un ze, un her, un sha! A troym bavegt di lipelekh: "O, vu iz, vu iz pa?" Ikh kush di bloye eygelekh, Zey efn'n zikh - "O, kind!" Zey zeyen mikh, zey zeyen mikh Un shlisn zikh geshvind. "Do shteyt dayn papa, tayerer, A penele dikh, na!" A troym bavegt di lipelekh: "O, vu iz, vu iz pa?" Ikh blayb tseveytigt un tseklemt, Farbitert un ikh kler: Ven du dervakst a mol, mayn kind, Gefinstu mir nisht mer..." Al Grand ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.108 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