Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 3.322 April 19, 1994 1) Yekke in Yiddish (Josh Plaut) 2) "Zhibe" (Howie Aronson) 3) Letters of Sholem Aleichem re: Tevye (Louis Fridhandler) 4) Dictionaries (Bob King) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon Apr 18 23:01:56 1994 From: rjplaut@MIT.EDU Subject: Yekke in Yiddish I just returned from Israel where I happened to read an article on Yekkim in Eretz magazine, the monthly publication of the Israeli Society for the Protection of Nature (Autumn 1993 issue, pages 29-33). The article says"...the orgin of this name (yekke) is not known for certain. Apparently, the Jews of Eastern Europe used it even before it became popular in Israel {in the 1920s & 1930s}. It may relate to the jacket (yakke in German) that was worn by the Jews of Germany. One Israeli theory is that yekke is an acronym for yehudi kasheh havana (Hebrew for "slow-witted Jew")... The Jan.-Feb. 1994 Eretz magazine contains a letter to the editor on page 70 stating: "...I learned that yekke is derived from the old German word Geck, which means "fool."In the Middle Ages, bishops and kings employed fools, who were allowed to tell the truth. In the area around Cologne, the word is pronounced "Jeck." This area is famous for a very special carnival, and everybody involved is called a yek...considering the "strange behavior of the German Jews after coming to Palestin/Israel, it may well be possible that this word was applied to them..." Do any Mendele readers have any more knowledge about the origin of the word yekke, and does Yiddish literature mention the yekke? Did East European Jews use the word yekke, and if so, for how long has it been used? Was iit a way of answering the German Jews who called their Yiddish-speaking brothers and sisters to the East "Oost Juden?" Josh Plaut 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon Apr 18 23:19:23 1994 From: hia5@midway.uchicago.edu Subject: "zhibe" A student of mine recently heard the Yiddish word "zhibe" which is said to mean something approximating hair coming down over the forehead. We've found at least one Yiddish speaker who knows the word, so it appears to be real Yiddish. The question arises, where does it come from? The /zh/ seems to clearly indicate a Slavic origin, but checking standard Russian, Polish, Belorussian, and Ukrainian dictionaries reveals nothing. I haven't checked dialect dictionaries yet. Perhaps some Mendelnikes/ Mendelnitses either know the term and/or know its origin. Thanks. Howie Aronson 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Apr 19 14:07:05 1994 From: 74064.1661@CompuServe.COM Subject: Letters of Sholem Aleichem re: Tevye First, grateful acknowledgment to Varda Ullman Novick for telling me that my previous translations helped answer a family question revealing that her grandmother was born and grew up in Boyarka, near Kiev. Letters show that Sholem Aleichem resided in Boyarka for many summers. At least as early as May 1889, as late as Aug. 1905. Now, the series of Sholem Aleichem letters to Mordecai Spector re: preparation of the first Tevye story: Tevye Der Milkhiker. Letters three, four and five follow: Letter three. The third letter to Spector is dated Kiev, October 20. It is in the form of a contract detailing conditions both parties are to meet once the promised piece is delivered. Sholem Aleichem added the stipulation that he may give away copies of the work to friends and acquaintances whenever he wishes. It is signed both as S. Rabinowitz and "my pseudonym, Sholem Aleichem." Letter four. Kiev, November 4, 1894. Dear Colleague! I understand you must be at your wit's end. I'm writing to put your mind at rest. Be calm. A few more days must pass. The piece still needs a little more polish. It's not so easy to let a piece of work leave my hands. My legacy from the Zeyde Reb Mendele (may he live and be well) teaches me that a work must be finely honed... A little patience! Your Sholom Aleichem. Letter 5. Kiev, November 7, 1894. Dear Spector! See how after all I behave like a mentsh toward you. For now, I forward the first half of the narrative; the secretary is still at work copying the second half. He'll finish by tomorrow or the day after, then I'll check it over and send it on to you. I send it because I believe you that a big congregation awaits me in shul. I hate to make the public wait. So get ready to set the type, and for God's sake send me the proofs as we discussed. Tell me, how do you usually deal with the censor? Do you send manuscripts or proofs? Answer me this very moment. Your most devoted Sholom Aleichem. Louis Fridhandler. 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Apr 19 14:51:27 1994 From: LIGI355@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu Subject: Dictionaries, again This may have already been asked and answered, but I thought it would be worth a try anyway. I'm trying to locate for a friend who knows some Yiddish but can't read it in the Hebrew script a Yiddish-English, English-Yiddish dictionary--or either half of that. Does anyone know whether such a thing exists? I recall something of this sort, but I can't put my finger on it. Bob King _____________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 3.322 A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. 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