Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.378 March 30, 1995 1) Kol Mevasser (Ruben Frankenstein) 2) The importance of Mendele (Louis Fridhandler) 3) Sanctification of Yiddish (Moshe Waldoks) 4) Help with word meaning (Norman Rosenblatt) 5) H. Leivick`s "Shloflid" (Ruben Frankenstein) 6) Bavarka (Alan Shuchat) 7) Origins of proverb? (Ronald Florence) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 12:58:33 +0200 (MESZ) From: frankens@mibm.ruf.uni-freiburg.de Subject: Kol Mevasser Tsu di Yiden in Poylen: Di heldishe armiyes fun di groyse miteleyropeyishe regirungen, Daytshland un Estrayikh-Ungarn zaynen arayin in Poylen. Der mekhtiger marsh fun unzere armiyes, hot getsvungen di despotishe Rus- sishe regirung tsu antloyfen. Unzere fohnen brengen aykh rekht un freyheyt: glaykhe birgerrekht, frey- heyt farn gloyben, freyheyt tsu arbeyten ungeshtert in ale tsveygen fun ekonomishen un kulturelen leben in ayer gayst. Tsu lang hot ihr zikh geplogt unter dem eyzernem moskovitshen yokh, vi fraynd kumen mir tsu aykh, di barbarishe fremde regirung iz oys! Di glaykhe rekht far Yiden zol vern geboyt oyf feste fundamenten. Lozt aykh nisht, vi a sakh mol friher, obnaren durkh khanufedige fer- shprekhungen! Tsi hot nisht oykh in 1905 der Tsar tsugezogt di glaykhe rekht far Yiden un tsi hot er nisht daroyf gegeben dem hekhsten manifest? Vi hot men aykh obgetsohlt dem dozigen khauv, vos men hot oyf zikh genumen far der gantser velt? Gedenkt dos oystrayben, vos men traybt togteglikh di jydishe massen fun zeyere eyngezessene mekaumaus! Gedenkt Kishinev, Homel, Byalistok, Siedlets un fil hunderter andere blutige Pogromes! Gedenkt dem Beilis-Protses un di arbet fun di barbarishe regirung, tsu farbreyten dem shreklikhen ligen fun blutgebroykh bay di Yiden! Azau hot der Tsar gehalten eyn monarkhish vort, vos er hot gegeben, elendig in di klem! Er iz itst vider in di klem! - Ot, dos iz di sibo fun sayne farshprkhungen. Ayer heyliger khauv iz a itst, tsuzamen tsu nemen ale kraften, mittsuarbetn bay di bafrayung. Ale folkskreften: Ayer yunger daur, ayere kehilaus, ayere khavraus missen zikh shtelen vi eyn man, mittsuhelfen tsu di heylige zakh. Mir ervarten, als ir velt bawayzen durkh fakten ayer fershtand un ayer ergebenheyt. Vendet aykh mit dem gresten bitokhaun tsu den komandanten fun unseren militer in di erter, vos saynen nohe tsu aykh. Ale zorten liferungen velen bald un gut batsolt. Bant dem veg, tsu batsvingen in gantsn dem saune un tsu brengen dem nitsokhaun fun freyheyt un gerekhtigkeyt. Di obere leytung fun di farbindet Daytshe un esteraykhish-ungarishe armees - Generalstabschef General Erich Ludendorff The above is a most interesting document of the appeal of the Germans and their Allies to the Jews in Poland at the start of World War I. Ruben Frankenstein Freiburg, Germany 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 28 Mar 95 14:23:09 EST From: 74064.1661@compuserve.com Subject: The importance of Mendele realized Yetst veys ikh shoyn vi vikhtik es iz mir tsu zen un leyenen di briv fun Mendelen. A vokh tsayt iz avekgefloygn (Mar. 21 tsu Mar. 28) un ikh hob nisht gehert, nisht gezen gornisht fun Mendelen! Tog ayn tog oys hob ikh gezukht mit likht farn Mendele E-mail, un gornisht gefunen. Hob ikh ibergetrakht. Vu iz Mendele? Iz epes efsher der mer mitn E-mail? Oder, ken es take zayn az s'iz gornisht do tsu shikn tsu undz, di abonentn? Ikh bin geven azoy dorsthik far a shtik nayes fun Mendelen. Es hot mikh getriknt in haldz. Ikh hob azh geshrign gevald! Vu iz mayn Mendele "fix?" Haynt hob ikh lesof bakumen di ongeleygte dray briv, un es iz mir gringer gevorn afn hartsn. A sheynem dank. Louis Fridhandler Irvine, CA [Der shames iz etlikhe teyg nisht geveyn in gantsn bay di koykhes. Zayt im moykhl. nm] 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 17:15:13 -0500 (EST) From: waldoks@binah.cc.brandeis.edu Subject: Sanctification of Yiddish I've been looking for an appropriate "yidishe tefile" (oder a tekhine) to place in the shabbat service at the time of the taking out or returning of the Torah. Thanks to "brich shmey" even though Aramaic has not been spoken for close to two millenia its sound resounds througohuot synagogues all over the world. Nu! es iz shoyn tsayt far Yidishe tefiles tsu gefunen a platz. It's time for yiddish to take its place. Not necessarily the "zog nisht keynmol" appropriate for Yom haShoa. (It is often the only yiddish found in siddur supplements.) I'd love to receive aytzos and I'll try to integrate it at at various services that I am involved with. By the way, in the most recently issued catalog for Eylat Chayim, the Jewish spiritual retreat center, is offering a Yiddish Week. It is nice to see a non-secular, non-Orthodox setting for yiddish renewal. zayt mir ale gezunt. Moshe Waldoks 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 15:47:06 PST From: nrosenbl@interserv.com Subject: Help with word meaning efsher volt emitzer mir helfen. Vos hayst "peti-meti" (peh, ayin, tes, yod, - mem, ayin, tes, yod) af english. sholem aleichem hot es genitz in zayn maysehleh "ven ickh bin rotshild." a dank. Norman Rosenblatt 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 13:07:02 +0200 (MESZ) From: frankens@mibm.ruf.uni-freiburg.de Subject: H. Leivick`s "Shloflid" In volume 4.354 on March 7th I asked for your help. Is there really nobody among the Mendelniks who is able to find the words of this lullaby by H. Leivick starting with the words: Leg dem kop oyf meyne kni... It has 4 stanzas. I need the last two. It was translated by Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger, 2nd cousin of Paul Celan and a talented Poet by her own, murdered 18 years old in the work-camp Michailovka (Ukraina). I shall very grateful to anyone who may help. Ruben Frankenstein 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 23:02:23 -0500 (EST) From: ashuchat@wellesley.edu Subject: Bavarka Harvey Spiro asks about "bavarka". I don't know about a Polish origin, but Russian has a noun varka = a brew and a verb varit' = to boil, cook, brew. (Samovar = self-boiler, auto-boiler?) Alan Shuchat 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 17:48:18 -0500 From: ron@mlfarm.com Subject: Origins of proverb? I'd welcome information about the origin or instances of the usage of the Yiddish proverb, `Men tor nit betn oyf a nayem melech.' (Never pray for a new king.) Thanks. Ronald Florence ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.378 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