Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.321 February 13, 1995 1) Introduction (Michael Kleiner) 2) The Oxford Yiddish program (Itsik Payne) 3) Why study Yiddish? (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 4) Mentsh (Ellen Prince) 5) Mentsh (Michael Steinlauf) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 21:14:47 -0500 (EST) From: mkleiner@astro.ocis.temple.edu Subject: Introduction I am Michael Kleiner of Philadelphia, Pa. I was raised a secular Jew, attending the Jewish Children's Folkshul. I also taught there for five years. During the '80s, early '90s, I was active in the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations (CSJO), particularly around young adult and continuity issues. I was on conference planning committees, delivered a couple of speeches, facilitated some workshops and handled publicity when the conferences were held in Philadelphia in 1988 and 1993. I know that at some of those early conferences I met Miriam Jerris. After a number of years as a journalist and public relations person, I returned to school and will receive a master's degree in educational media from Temple University in August. The program has allowed me to be very creative with a number of projects. During the fall semester, I had a course on Designing Instructional Resources, in which the students had to write a teacher's guide/curriculum or training manual on a topic of their choice, and produce the media -- videos, slide shows, overhead transparencies -- to complement the instruction. I chose Eastern European Jewish Immigration 1881-1924. I produced a slide show, which included my mother singing in Yiddish. This project showed a progression from my shule days. As a student, the teacher had us interview our grandparents who were immigrants. When I taught the course in 1987, I had the students interview immigrants, but we put together a slide show with music and the students presented the reports at the closing assembly. That was before I knew of educational media and how to do it right. In my teacher's guide, I also have the students doing interviews with an end product of a video or slide show or CD-ROM. Although I don't know Yiddish, I am interested in the culture, music and literature. I also recognize the language's importance. In 1969-70, our family spent a year in Norway. We also traveled in Europe. Wherever we came into contact with the Jewish community, it was my mother's Yiddish that enabled us to communicate (with the possible exception of Norway, where they knew English). My mother translated for us. We learned a great deal about the experiences of people during WWII. My grandmother spoke a lot of Yiddish. My aunt is translating Yiddish material for a man who is writing a book about a righteous Gentile. Michael Kleiner Philadelphia 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 20:11:16 -0500 (EST) From: jmpayne@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Subject: The Oxford Yiddish program For B. Adler: The story I've heard is a little different from Ellen Prince's. There was a conflict between the director of the Postgraduate Hebrew Centre and Dovid Katz, one which resulted in Katz' resignation and his subsequent forming of the Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies. The Hebrew Centre retaliated by hiring a chartered accountant to investigate financial misconduct by Katz et al, an investigation which turned up no such wrong doing. Having spoken with Peter da Costa, director of the Postgraduate Hebrew Centre three weeks ago, and having been told by him that there would probably not be summer program (something that was patently untrue, as Marie Wright of the Yiddish Institute informed me; the Yiddish Institute's summer program was fairly well in place by that time), it seems to me that a lot of this boils down to that tired old battle between the Hebraists and the Yiddishists. This is especially true when one considers the output of the Yiddishists at Oxford versus their Hebraist counterparts. Mostly this battle is annoying and typically divise of the Jewish Studies movement. Clearly Yiddish is still considered by many to be the bastardized German of Mendelssohn. Its a wonder anything gets done. . . This is the story as I've heard it. Other Mendelniks will probably chime in with their interpretations/ideas. Itsik Payne 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 08:39:40 -0500 From: shirshan@aol.com Subject: Why Study Yiddish? Matt Dailey has lifted Mendele to new heights. We soar on his words - oyf odler fligl. Would that we could bestow goldene margaritkelekh for words on Mendele that are too precious to be contained only within our family; his words are so uplifting, so moving, it makes one ponder how to share them with the world, how to distribute them on the wind. I shall read them proudly at our Yiddish Club meeting this week, and I forecast that many members will shed a tear of appreciation. I am honored that Matt is on our network. Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan Boynton Beach, Florida 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 18:02:14 EST From: ellen@central.cis.upenn.edu Subject: mentsh to: louis fridhandler granted it's not technically one word but the english complex noun _human being_ has the same sense as _mentsh_ ('decent, ethical person'). ellen prince 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Feb 1995 11:44:47 -0500 (EST) From: m_steinlauf@acad.fandm.edu Subject: Mentsh In response to Louis Fridhandler's search through other languages for an approximation to the Yiddish mentsh, the Polish word czlowiek (pronounced chwoviek) is pretty similar, carrying all three of the meanings Louis lists for mentsh. Even more interesting is comparing the connotations of the Yiddish mentshlekhkayt and the Polish czlowieczenstwo. While they seem to be a reasonably close fit, it should not surprise us that the Polish seems to emphasize the component of dignity most, while the Yiddish that of compassion. Michael Steinlauf ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.321 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 subscribe: sub mendele first_name last_name d. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu