Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.026 June 15, 1994 1) IWO/YIVO (Zachary Baker) 2) Help needed with Yiddish handwriting (Larry Rosenwald) 3) Jewish comics (Al Madansky) 4) Shabbatai Zvi (Hugh Kottler) 5) Mayn Kaleh's Appetit (Sheldon Benjamin) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Jun 14 13:35:48 1994 From: BM.YIB@RLG.Stanford.EDU Subject: IWO/YIVO In MENDELE 4.022 Gaston L. Schmir comments on the use of IWO to represent the Yiddish acronym YIVO. It should be made clear that the Buenos Aires YIVO has used those letters as the YIVO acronym, and not the New York YIVO. The "Musterverk" series, published by the "Literatur-gezelshaft baym YIVO" in Argentina, contains the following Spanish name on the versos of many title pages: Ateneo literario en el IWO. On the added title pages, the following publisher's name usually appears: Ateneo literario en el Instituto cientifico judio. The two YIVOs in New York and Buenos Aires could once have been described as branches of a single organization, but as time and the generations have passed they are effectively two separate organizations. I have heard through the grapevine that the Argentine YIVO is considering a merger with other Yiddishist groups, such as the Argentine branch of the Alveltlekher yidisher kultur-kongres (like the two YIVOs, there are two of these). If there are any MENDELnikes with decent Argentine connections, it would be interesting to hear more details about this possible combination of forces. Back to the name IWO/Instituto cientifico judio for a moment: It IS striking that our counterparts in Argentina choose to use the acronym IWO -- not only because of the "W" (used only in loan-words in Spanish) but also because of the "I." Think about it -- the implication is that "Yidisher" (with tsvey-yudn) should be pronounced "Idisher" (as indeed it often is, depending on one's geographic origins). And, as Dr. Schmir pointed out, the original English name for YIVO was Yiddish Scientific Institute. That name goes back to the days of the Vilna YIVO. "Yiddish Scientific" has always been problematic, because (a) YIVO is not exclusively (or these days even primarily) a Yiddish-oriented institute, and (b) "Visnshaft" (=Wissenschaft; Nauk) has a broader connotation in Yiddish (and other European languages) than it does in English, where unless "science" is qualified by "social" it refers to biological, chemical or physical sciences. Hence the change of name to YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Our hispanophone readers can perhaps comment on the precise connotation of "cientifico" in "Instituto cientifico judio" (though note: judio, not yiddish, is used in Spanish). I have not seen the spelling YIWO, though on pre-war Polish editions I have seen JIWO. One last "tshikavest": During World War II, the acronym YIVO was used by Jews in some ghettos as shorthand for "YIdn Viln Azoy." This is explained by Yisroel Kaplan as follows: "A bakante 'nays-agentur' geven bay di yidn in Baltikum." (See "Dos folksmoyl in natsi-klem," Tel Aviv, 1982, p. 110. I have also seen it used in the same context for "YIdn Veysn Alts.") A friend who now resides faraway from both New York and Buenos Aires used to refer to the institute as YIVO-knivo. Zachary Baker 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Jun 14 15:08:11 1994 From: LROSENWALD@WELLESLEY.EDU Subject: Help needed with Yiddish handwriting A colleague of mine asked whether I'd translate some Yiddish letters written by his grandmother. So I said I would, and got the letters, and would I believe have no trouble translating them - if only I could read them. I have almost no experience in reading Yiddish handwriting, and wondered whether the Mendele-collective could offer me any advice. For example, are there books with samples of Yiddish handwriting transcribed into print? Or any particularly useful techniques? I'd be grateful for any and all help - thanks, Larry Rosenwald 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Jun 14 16:34:11 1994 From: fac_albert@gsbvxc.uchicago.edu Subject: jewish comics The 1914-1915 comic strips of Abie the Agent (aka Abe Kabibble) by Harry Hershfield was published in 1977 by Hyperion Press, Inc. 45 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT 06880. I recommend them for their picture of "yiddish" in America in those times. Another book to look at is Michael Corenthal's Cohen on the Telephone, A History of Jewish Recorded Humor and Popular Music 1892-1942, published in 1984 by Yesterday's Memories, 5406 West Center St. Milwaukee, WI 53210. By the way, was Will Eisner of "an Opmach mit Got" the same Will Eisner who penned The Spirit during the 40's? Al Madansky 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Jun 14 17:18:59 1994 From: hugo@monster.apd.saic.com Subject: Shabbatai Zvi I'm sure that most Mendelniks have heard of Shabbatai Zvi, the false messiah who lived in Salonika and Smyrna in the 17th century. His "colorful" story is well known around the Sephardic world and is a subject of literature in Ladino. I'm curious to know whether Shabbatai's fame spread to the Ashkenazic realm either during his lifetime or soon afterwards, and whether any mention of him is found in Yiddish literature. Also, was there ever a false messiah in the Ashkenazic world who achieved as much fame (or mischief) as did Shabbatai? Hugh Kottler 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed Jun 15 00:20:56 1994 From: sbenj@MIT.EDU Subject: Mayn Kaleh's Appetit Perhaps one of Mendele's Musical Mavens can answer this query.... Years ago in the basement of the HUC library in Cincinnati I came across the words to a Sani Shapiro broadside, Mayn Kaleh's Appetit. Then reference to this song (without reference to music or recording) showed up in Marc Slobin's wonderful book, Tenement Songs. Does anyone have sheet music or know a melody to this? I have the words and, atonal as I am, I can't quite fit them to a melody. Maybe there is a Sani Shapiro collector out there? I take no political responsibility for the song's title. Sheldon (Sholem-Ruveyn) Benjamin ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.026 A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line. 2. Sign your article. 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