Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 3.227 February 10, 1994 1) Luba Kaddison on Boston Yiddish Hour (Mark H. David) 2) European Jewry (Khayem Bochner) 3) Mendelian genetics (Arre Komar) 4) Yisrael Zamir's *My father IBS* (Yohanan Weininger) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed Feb 9 20:36:43 1994 From: mhd@world.std.com (Mark H David) Subject: Luba Kaddison on Boston Yiddish Hour Luba Kadisson on The Yiddish Hour as it Begins its 4th Year on WBRS An interview with veteran Yiddish stage actress Luba Kadisson will be heard on The Yiddish Hour on Sunday, February 13. Kadisson discusses her recently published memoirs, _On Stage, Off Stage (Harvard University Press, 1992), and looks back on her career in the theater, including the many years of collaboration with her late husband, the actor Joseph Buloff. The Yiddish Hour is heard every Sunday, from 6 to 7 P.M. on Waltham/Brandeis radio station WBRS 100.1 FM. Mark David is host and producer. ****** This exclusive interview, conducted by regular Yiddish Hour contributor Hasia Segal, continues the celebration of The Yiddish Hour's third year on the air. The Yiddish Hour features music, news, humor, poetry, interviews, and commentary, much of it recorded exclusively for WBRS, and all of it in Yiddish. The previous broadcast year featured exclusive interviews with persons well-known in the Yiddish speaking community and beyond, including Ruth Wisse, Vladka Meed, Shlomo Perel, Jeff Warshauer, Mordkhe Schaechter, and Miriam Kressyn. ****** WBRS-FM, supported by the students of Brandeis University in Waltham, serves the Brandeis community and residents of surrounding towns, including Waltham, Watertown, Newton, Cambridge, Boston, and Brookline. For further information, contact the producer of The Yiddish Hour, Mark David, by mail at WBRS, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02254, or by telephone at (617) 738-1870. 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed Feb 9 21:53:01 1994 From: bochner@das.harvard.edu Subject: Re: European Jewry I've been too busy to follow the discussion in detail, so forgive me if this has come up already: I haven't noticed any mention of mitochondrial DNA. Unlike the more familiar genetic material, mitochondrial DNA is received only from the mother, and so it gives a good measure of relatedness through _maternal_ lines of descent. I _thought_ I heard it reported once that some sampling of mitochondrial DNA was done among a cross-section of Israelis, and that a high proportion of the results were consistent with descent from a common origin 3000 to 3500 years ago. But this is just a vague recollection; I have no idea where I heard it, and I'm certainly no biologist Does anyone know more about it? Khayem 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed Feb 9 23:43:48 1994 From: "Dr. Arthur Komar" Subject: Mendelian genetics The proper contemporary way one traces racial descent, at least through the female line (which seems to be of most interest in the recent discussions of rape vs. intermarriage) is through mitocondrial DNA which is inherited only from the mother. This is far more precise than the archaic blood typing refered to in some recent letters. Such analysis has been done for Jewish populations with comparison to other comunities. I have read such a report about 2 years ago by Dr. Karen Bacon , Dean of Stern College of Yeshiva University. I don't have the precise reference at my fingertips but can track it down if there is some interest. The particulr problem that Dr. Bacon was interested was the issue of whether the Falasha Jews were genetically distinct from there Ethiopian neighbors and whether they bore any closer genetic relationship to European Jews. The Halakhic implications of this question is quite evident and was the driving issue of the article. As I recall (but you realize that I read this several years ago) was that there are distinct genetic markers the distinguish European Jews, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic from their neighbors. Some few of these markers do seem to occur in the Falasha community, but by and large they are much closer genetically to their African neighbors. The article was not as concerned about the relationship of the European Jews with their Gentile neighbors but I have the impression that that information has also been fully catalogued, analyzed and published elsewhere. The reference may even be in Dr. Bacon's article. AS for the red hair that is found in central European Jewish populations, it seems rather eveident that it could not be from the Khazars since they were a Turkic people who's hair is uniformly black. Red hair is conspicuously found in Celtic populations. The fountainhead of Celtic populations is the Southern region of Poland appropriately known as Galicia. Indeed the classic ancient Celtic site (circa 1500 BCE) is known to be the Austrian village of Halstadt. The Celts were an Iron age people who did not arrive in the British isle until about 500 BCE. Other groups of Celts migrated to Spain wich also has a Gallego region and yet others went east to setle the Anatolian province of Galicia. The point of this all is that red hair is charecteric of Celtic central Europe, particulary Galicia. Thus it is hardly surprisng that it is found so frequently among galitsianers. As for the oriental features among many Russian Jews, In addition to the Judaizing sects of Byelorussia the Kantonisten laws required the constription of Jewish males (usually by khapers who swept through the shtetles) for 10 year stints in the far east. They would frequently return to their native shtetles when demobilzed with wives and children acquired in the outposts of empire much as we have Vietnamese brides brought home from our erstwhile Asian empire. Arre Komar 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu Feb 10 07:15:36 1994 From: yohanan weininger Subject: Yisrael Zamir's *My father IBS* On Feb 8 at the Jerusalem Municipal Library there was a "literary evening" in honor of the new book, "Avi, IBS [My Father, Yizhak Bashevis Singer]" , (Sifriat Hapoalim, 1994) by Yisrael Zamir, who is an editor of *Al-Hamishmar* and a stalwart, old kibbutznik (Beit Alfa). Dr. Malka Shaked, the lecturer, and Ehud Ben-Ezer, the writer, reviewed the book. They also ventured debate on the various endings of *Family Moshkat*, presenting Zionist and Hebrew literature interpretations of Bashevis and Zamir. Video excerpts were shown from "May-haben ba'manhattan" (From the Son in Manhattan), a TV docudrama which intersperses the 1955 father-son meeting with IBS themes. The program chairman, Hebrew poet Avraham Hus, asked Zamir to read the book's ending. Zamir obliged, although he said he had thought to read some other part and not the sentimental close. The highlight was Zamir's stories. For example, from how his father met Begin: Bashevis was coaxed to meet the premier when Begin was in New York enroute to collect a Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo: they shmooesed like two Polish Jews, but when TV cameras were turned on Begin started to scoff at Yiddish (that Yiddish lacked military terms, as opposed to Hebrew)... (Not on that TV clipping, Bashevis explained of non-equivalent strengths of Yiddish and Hebrew. Begin, What word did Yiddish have and Hebrew not? Bashevis, For example "tukhes". Begin, In Hebrew, "takhat". Bashevis, "Ober vos for a meen ponim hot takhat?") Later, in June 1982, at a press conference in the north, Begin, euphoric about making Lebanon "a friendly country", asked Zamir the journalist, when would his father visit Israel? Zamir answered that his father says he won't visit, "not as long as you are prime minister". Whatever insights one might draw from Zamir's history and work, for certain, his puckish and softspoken smile recalls his father. The book's cover design has their intermeshed sihouettes in two simple red and blue lines. - Yohanan Weininger ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 3.227 To subscribe, send SUB MENDELE FIRSTNAME LASTNAME to: LISTSERV@YALEVM.YCC.YALE.EDU Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a Subject: line. 2. Sign your article. 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