Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.121 October 3, 1994 1) Introduction (Abe Bloom) 2) Red and yellow hair (Dan Leeson) 3) Oranges/pomegranates (Dan Leeson) 4) Oranges/pomegranates (Bob Wilson) 5) Der rovete's man (Raphael Finkel) 6) Teaneck Yiddish Club (Gregg Hudis) 7) Fedder-Fraynt (Avrom Yitzkhok Blair) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Oct 94 21:48:17 EDT From: abebloom@aol.com Subject: Introduction I thought you would like some information as to my interest in Yiddish and my background. Firstly, born June 1, l916 in the Bronx, New York. My father was a printer and also active in Yiddish affairs having among other things translated English language books that were serialized in the Yiddish language newspapers of the day. I was told that my brith was a literary gathering. I personally do not remember. Most of my fathers later years were with the Forvetz, as a zetzer (compositor), and like many a zetzer, was an avid, hungry reader. We, all four children were sent to the Sholem Aleichem shulen in the Bronx. I got as far as mittel shul, but my two sisters went further. My elder sister performed with the Folksbiene for many years and also appeared on the stage for professional theatres and during the later part of her life, was on WEVD as the broadcast voice of YIVO. My claim to fame is that I read all of the available novels of Jules Verne in Yiddish before I saw them in English. Being the son of a Forvetznik colored my thinking of the language and found it warm and very comfortable. Unfortunately, my parents have been gone 40 and 30 years, respectively, and my contacts with the language have been very sparse. I find no trouble in reading nor in understanding the spoken word, but, have difficulty in expressing myself and finding the right word. As to Mendele, I get a great kick out of it and have no trouble with the transliterations. I am familiar with the YIVO conventions, but have little patience with some of the nitty picky discussions about what would be the proper way to transliterate. My feeling is that if it is possible to make ones self understood, then fine, the problem is solved and we are communicating. That was the purpose of the original concept and therefore we are on target. Zeit alle gezunt un lummir olle schreiben mer un mer. Abe Bloom 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Oct 1994 11:15:01 EDT From: leeson@aspen.fhda.edu Subject: Red and yellow hair My grandfather was a redhead, but like a carrot! I new knew him but he was famous (maybe notorious)for being the only red-headed Jew in Paterson, NJ. His son (my father) had most of the red squashed out of him and I have none at all. I would think that any nickname given to my grandfather had to have been Al-lazar di rote, but such was not the case. He was calle Al-lazar di geller. I heard of other Litvaks with red hair called "yellow-haired" in this same strange way and wonder if Litvak Yiddish exchanged red for yellow for some reason about which I know nothing. This matter came up on the Jewish genealogical bulletin board and 18 people jumped all over me when I said that my red-headed grandfather was called Al-lazar di geller. But two Litvaks came to my defense saying that that was common use in beautiful downtown Ponnovez. Now I know red from yellow, but was there a geographic crossover of some kind? Dan Leeson 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Oct 1994 11:51:51 EDT From: leeson@aspen.fhda.edu Subject: Oranges/pomegranates Anno Siegel in Berlin reminds me that there is a reference in the Song of Songs to cheeks like red pomegranates, so maybe I wasn't so crazy after all. Anno also has a recording of the song to which I was referring and it is called "Di Grine Kuzine" with music by Schwartz and lyrics by Prizant. And (while we are on the subject of colors and for those who do not remember), the beautiful girl cousin with cheeks like red oranges (baloney!!) was called green because she was a newly arrived immigrant or a greenhorn. A greenhorn cousin has come to us This greenhorn is as beautiful as gold Cheeks like red oranges And feet that would dance constantly She did not walk, she leapt She did not speak, she sang Happy and gay is this greenhorn And that's my girl cousin Dan Leeson 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 03 Oct 1994 00:44:47 -0500 (EST) From: LBW%NFATCBN1.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: Oranges/pomegranates Far Dan Leeson, Bet ikh aykh hakn mir nisht kayn chaynik vegn mayn oysleyg, leyg ikh bay a por verter funm kuzine-lid: Tsu mir iz gekumen a kuzine sheyn vi gold iz zi geven di grine bekalekh vi frishe pomerantsn fisalekh vos betn zikh tso tantsn bekalekh vi frishe pomenantsn fisalekh vos betn zikh tsu tantsn. Der taytsh fun "di grine" iz af english, "pale", azoy hobn di oves bashribn Ester haMalke. Bob Wilson 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 2 Oct 1994 22:20:47 EDT From: raphael@ms.uky.edu Subject: Der rovete's man Koydm kol, lomikh moydiye zayn ale alte gute-fraynt az ikh bin, borukh-hashem, tsurik gekumen fun goles-malaysia. Geshtelt di eyntsike suke in gantsn land, gepravet dem eyntsikn seder, der eyntsiker geleyent sholem-aleykhems mayses (der tokhter) un yehoyash's khumash (nokhamol der tokhter). Di malaysianer shprakh hot a sakh arabisms, oft bakant fun loshn koydesh: "yatim" iz a yosm, af keynem nit gedakht, "karib" iz a koyrev, un "sabtu" is shabes. Negeye Moyshe-Zekharie Baker's freg vi es zol heysn der rovete's (er nitst a fremd vort, "rabinershe" vos se klemt dos harts tsu hern) man, gib ikh mayn teyrets: "rebitser". Derekh agav, farvos es groylt zikh mir dos vort "rabinershe": Es dakht zikh mir az "rabiner" ruft men emetsn vos hot nit keyn pasikn (loyt dem redner's seykhl) smikhe. Bay mir zaynen ale rovn (oder rebeyim) -- rovn, nit rabays, nit rabiners, un nit reverends. Raphael Finkel 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 2 Oct 1994 20:01:48 -0700 From: ghudis@ix.netcom.com Subject: Teaneck Yiddish Club The Yiddish Club of the Jewish Center of Teaneck, New Jersey will hold its first meeting of the year on Thursday, October 20, 1994 at 8 PM. Discussions of current events and culture, all in Yiddish. The center is located on 70 Sterling Place, Teaneck. For directions or other details contact me at (201) 833-4748 or ghudis@ix.netcom.com. Gregg Hudis 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 05:57:42 -0400 (EDT) From: ablair@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Subject: Fedder-Fraynt Tayer Mendelniks: Our Fedder-Fraynt Program is doing great! So far, we have 26 froyen un menner writing to each other in Yiddish, and getting to know each other. Most are writing in Hebrayishe oysyes, and a few in transliteration. All the Yiddish Grad Students at Ohio State University are participating and enjoying their Fedder-Fraynt. I haven't heard from any of the other University Grad Students. Could it be that Ohio State is the only University that has a Grad Yiddish Program (nudge, nudge)? ...........sorry, just trying to stir up a little competition! So........University Grad Students: Let's hear from you (and that goes for the rest of you guys.) Try it; you'll like it! You can reply to me either through Mendele or through my own E-Mail address: ablair@magnus.ac.ohio-state.edu A gezunt ahf aykh alle, Avrom Yitzkhok (Allan) Blair ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.121 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. 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