Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.177 November 12, 1994 1) Introduction (Moishe Rosenfeld) 2) Introduction (Hal Alpert) 3) Survivors of the Shoah (Binyomin Weiner) 4) Prokofiev (Khayem Bochner) 5) Bunke and l'ak (Mikhl Herzog) 6) Butterflies (Mikhl Herzog) 7) Oifn Pripetchok (Sarah Traister-Moskovitz) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 18:10:07 -0500 From: rockrosen@aol.com Subject: Introduction I am new to the Internet and to Mendele. I have been immersed in Yiddish personally and professionally all my life. I am an alumnus of the Folk-shule (Montreal), Camp Hemshekh, the Yiddish Drama Group with Dora Wasserman, Yugntruf in the 60's, professional Yiddish Theater, Yiddish radio, the Bund, Workmen's Circle, un azoy vayter...Currently, I write news for the Forverts, broadcast the news daily on WEVD, and book many Yiddish performers in North America, and some in Europe I am happy to have joined Mendele, knowing that so many friends and colleagues are here as well. I look forward to this important connection. I have one project which I would like to mention. The Bund is planning to produce a documentary about Camp Hemshekh. If there is anyone who wishes to be involved, or can supply archival materials, film footage, audio, photographs, or would be willing to be interviewed for the film, please get in touch with me. We're at the pre-preliminary stages. Moishe Rosenfeld 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 19:46:20 -0500 From: halpert2@aol.com Subject: Introduction Born Brooklyn New York, 1944. Public school education plus four years in Workman Circle, 1952-1956. Graduated from Brooklyn College in 1966 and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. Retired 20 years later and entered the Real Estate profession in California. Currently a RE broker in Vacaville, CA. Married, 3 children. One left at home, age 16. Wife is a Marriage Counselor. I'm curious about your group, and will be interested in what kinds of things come across the ether net. Look forward to observing for a while. Hal Alpert 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 17:57:24 -0500 (EST) From: bmw6@columbia.edu Subject: Survivors of the Shoah I thought I would send along some information on an organization with which I have recently become involved. It's called "Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation," and it has just been founded by Steven Spielberg. The goal of this project is to video record the testimonies of as many Survivors as possible, in order to data-base them, and store them in five of the major Holocaust archives (Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the Simon Wiesenthal Center in L.A., the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC, the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale, and the U.S. Holocaust Museum in D.C.) Conceivably, this could amount to tens of thousands of audio-visually recorded oral histories by the end of the decade. Having just finished my training as an interviewer, I can tell you that this new organization seems to have been very succesful in incorporating itself into the already existing agencies of Holocaust memory, including YIVO, and strengthing the overall effort tremendously. I'm sending this along, because the organization is trying to make contact with as many Survivors as possible. If you are a Survivor and would like to tell your story, the organization has a number that you can call for more information and to make arrangements: 1-800-661-2092. If you know Survivors, then please pass this information along. They are also looking for interviewers and assistants in the various cities in which they are setting themselves up, and information about these positions, as well as general information on the program can be obtained by calling the same number. Feel free to send me any questions you have, as well, only I'm not sure how much I'll be able to answer, as I've only just finished training and haven't done any interviews yet. Binyomin Weiner 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 94 18:08:46 -0500 From: bochner@das.harvard.edu Subject: Prokofiev: Overture on Yiddish Themes wrt Dan Leeson's question: I know next to nothing about Prokofiev (he was a composer, right? ;-) But I presume the original title was probably in Russian? If so, the following is relevant: The 'polite' term in Russian for "Jew" is "yevrey", the word corresponding to "Hebrew". (The word corresponding to "Jew", "zhid" is considered offensive in Russian.) And the adjective "yevreyskiy" is ambiguous between "Jewish", and "Yiddish", just like "yidish" is in Yiddish; to specify Hebrew, you have to say "staroyevreyski" ('ancient Jewish'), if I remember correctly. So if the adjective in the original title is "yevreyskiy", then the translation "Overture on Hebrew Themes" is inaccurate, either because the translator was thrown off by the similarity between "yevreyskiy" and "Hebrew", or because of the corresponding (old-fashioned) English euphemism of "Hebrew" instead of "Jewish". Either "Jewish Themes" or "Yiddish Themes" would be more accurate, depending on which describes the music better. And if the adjective wasn't "yevreyskiy", or the title wasn't in Russian, then forget I mentioned it ;-) Khayem Bochner 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 94 23:12 EST From: zogur@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu Subject: Bunke and l'ak Dovid Braun: My "sources" tell me that _bun'ke_ is the vessel in which one boils the water for the tea (i.e., the "tshaynik"), while "l'ak" (apparently also "hl'ak/gl'ak) was for keeping the tea warm (in a "fartifung" in the "oyvn" called a "kakhl'e" or a "shabesnik"). Mikhl Herzog 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 94 23:12 EST From: zogur@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu Subject: Butterflies Moyshe-Yankl Sweet: "zUmerfeygele", not "zOmerfeygele". If you can wait a bit, I have the data you're looking for--various Yiddish words for 'butterflies' and and their regional distribution. It has to be "extracted", and I can't get to it immediately. Let me know. Mikhl Herzog 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 12 Nov 1994 08:04:04 +0800 (PST) From: hcedu012@huey.csun.edu Subject: Oifn Pripetchok and memory of parent Chane Honig's memory of her mother singing Oifn Pripetchok to her in her crib while mother was ill with diptheria was very touching to me. It also made me recall strong memories of the smell of chalk in my father's classroom at the Workmens' Circle in Springfield Mass.,my father's energy and playfullness as a teacher and his passionate devotion to pass on yede oisiye fun aleph beys. He taught us this song and it did not seem sad to me then as a 4 year old...because as the song tells, it takes elter vern tsu farshteyn vos ligt in de oisiyes.. Kol Hakavod to you Alice Honig for your long years of distinguished work in the work of bettering the lives of poor children and their parents. Sarah Traister-Moskovitz ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.177 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. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Send change-of-status messages to: listserv@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele nomail b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail c. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu