Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.002 May 15, 1995 1) Other Yiddish Internet groups (Marvin Friedman) 2) Genendel (Rick Gildemeister) 3) Translation grants (Les Vogel) 4) Yiddish in _The Economist_ (Sheine Mankovsky) 5) Yiddish theater (Harold Black) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 02:18:28 -0400 From: marvinf629@aol.com Subject: Other Yiddish Internet groups In the May 5 Forward, there was an article by Tom Teicholz on Jewish information available through the Internet. Among others, the article refers to the Yiddish Voice of Brookline, Mass, the Virtual Shtetl (University of North Carolina) and YIVO on-line. If anyone has the specific Internet addresses for these lists, and any comments about any of them, I'd be interested. Surprisingly, the article did not mention Mendele. Marvin Friedman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 May 95 08:39:02 EDT From: eeglc%cunyvm.bitnet@yalevm.cis.yale.edu Subject: Genendel I poked around in the archives to find the beginning of the discussion of Genendel. Since there are so many different spellings, I can't be sure how far back the discussion goes, and whether what I heard as the explanation has already been mentioned. Gnendl, I read somewhere, comes from a Germanic word gnanne, which is supposed to mean "grandmother". The logic behind naming a girl Gnendl is the same as that of the male "Alter". You want to draw the evil eye away from the child by fooling it that it is in fact old. Azoy iz geven di mayse, ober di gantse megileh geyt efsher vayter. Dos zenen mayne poshete oreme verter vegn der boben. Rick Gildemeister 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 15 May 1995 08:58:08 EST From: vogel@mail.loc.gov Subject: Translation grants Came across this post in another capacity and couldn't resist sharing it with the hevreh-leit on Mendele who may wish to pursue it. Unfortunately I can neither vouch for its accuracy or offer additional information. Les Vogel ___________________________ NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES DIVISION OF RESEARCH PROGRAMS TRANSLATIONS PROGRAM The Division of Research Programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities welcomes applications for translation projects. Translations grants support individual or collaborative projects to translate into English works that provide insight into the history, literature, philosophy, and artistic achievements of other cultures. The Endowment welcomes print and electronic publications that make available to scholars, students, teachers, and general readers the thought and learning of both ancient and modern civilizations. Translations supported by the Endowment provide introductions and explanatory annotations that clearly establish the historical and intellectual contexts of the work. Awards in the Translations Program are made for up to three years and usually range from $30,000 to $150,000, depending on the scope and magnitude of the project. The new deadline is JULY 1, 1995, for projects beginning no earlier than May of the next year. For application material and further information, write or call: Translations Program Division of Research Programs, Room 318 National Endowment for the Humanities 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506 Tel: 202-606-8207 Fax: 202-606-8204 E-mail: khansen@neh.fed.us An overview of programs at the Endowment is available at the Endowment's home page on the Internet: http://www.neh.fed.us. Translations grant applications are not presently available over the Internet, and NEH will NOT accept grant proposals sent through the Internet. 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 May 95 09:49:07 EST From: sheine_mankovsky@cclink.metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca Subject: Yiddish in _The Economist_ A colleague brought to my attention an article which appeared in the May 6, 1995 edition of The Economist entitled "Jerusalem on the Amur" on Birobidzhan. The article refers to Yiddish as "the Eastern European Jewish folk-language written in Hebrew characters". What is a folk-language? Is Yiddish a folk-language? Thanks for any clarification which might be offered. Sheine Mankovsky 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 14:02:12 -0400 From: hb0001@epfl2.epflbalto.org Subject: Yiddish theater Herman Yablokoff's English version of his autobiography has just come off the press. It is called, "Der Payatz." (The Clown). It chronicles his early years in Grodno, his rise to fame in the Yiddish theater. He was the author of the haunting song, "Papirosn." Another song of his, "Shveig Mein Hartz," was plagiarized into the hit song, "Nature Boy." He was the only performer to entertain in the displaced persons camp after WWII. He details his travels there under the auspices of the American Joint Distribution Committee. A beautifully written book available from Bartleby Press; 11141 Georgia Ave.; Silver Spring, MD 20902. Harold Black ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.002 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. 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