Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.107 September 10, 1995 1) Yiddish Research Network (Sean Martin) 2) Children and future of Yiddish (Charlie Kent) 3) Seredipsk (Jeff Warschauer) 4) Mer Borsht-Belt (Rick Gildemeister) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 10:34:49 -0400 (EDT) From: semartin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Subject: Yiddish Research Network Di yidish-forshnets/The Yiddish Research Network Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures The University of Texas at Austin E.P. Schoch 3.102 Austin, TX 78712 September 8, 1995 Dear Fellow Yiddish Researchers! I am pleased to announce the organization of te Yiddish Research Network. The main goal of the YRN is to provide information to researchers about the scholarly activities of others in all fields relating to Yiddish literature, linguistics, cultural history, folklore, etc. The concept of the network arose through discussions at the conference on Yiddish and Ashkenazic Studies at the Ohio State University in Columbus earlier this year. The YRN will be managed jointly by graduate students at OSU and at the University of Texas at Austin. Our initial task will be to compile a directory containing the following information about members: 1- Name, address, e-mail 2- Areas of particular expertise 3- Publications (past and pending) 4- Unpublished papers, theses, essays, etc. The YRN Directory will be distributed in hard-copy form by postal mail. It will be updated annually. We have chosen not to go "on-line" for two important reasons. First, we feel that Mendele is the only electronic network required for Yiddish; it provides a valuable and ample forum for direct contact among Yiddish researchers. Second, we believe there are many researchers around the world who are not "hooked up" at this point, and we wish to include everyone who wishes to be included. therefore, we will communicate with and distribute information to members primarily through regular postal mail, although announcements will also be made on Mendele (with the permission of Mendele's shames, of course!). Due to the costs of various materials and postage, we must ask a subscription fee for the Yiddish Research Network. The subscription price will be US$5.00 (donations will also be gratefully accepted). We will attempt to make arrangements for payment within the European Community, Israel and other countries by May of 1996. Checks are to be made payable to the University of Texas at Austin. The YRN is sponsored by the Department of Germanic Languages at the University of Texas at Austin and supported solely by membership fees. All funds received are used only for materials and postage. To subscribe, please send the following information to The Yiddish Research Network, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, The University of Texas at Austin, E.P. Schoch 3.102, Austin, TX 78712. Information should be written as you would like it to apear n the YRN Directory. The YRN Directory will be updated and distributed annually. Deadline for inclusion in the 1996 YRN Directory 1996: January 31, 1996. Name Institutional Affiliation Address E-mail address Areas of particular interest Research: Please attach a listing of all publications, including those that are in press or under consideration. Additionally, include all unpublished articles, essays, theses, etc, that you believe would be of interest to fellow Yiddish researchers. Please adhere to MLA format guidelines. With best wishes, Glenn S. Levine, University of Texas at Austin Sean Martin, Ohio State University (semartin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) Lisa Jenschke, Ohio State University 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 07 Sep 95 13:17:59 EDT From: 102253.2241@compuserve.com Subject: Children and future of Yiddish In mendele vol.5.102 Morrie Feller touched on a very sore subject. I too have been attending Yiddish cultural events, where the average age is "deceased". However I'm a little more optimistic than you (maybe it's because I live in Toronto). In contrast to what I wrote above, at the Ashkenaz festival we just had here, I was more than pleasantly surprised by large numbers of under 40's that where there. So there is some hope. As to how you get the Federations, bureaus of education etc. to adopt a Yiddish program, I'm afraid you run into a brick wall of "budget". We all know the difficulty now in fund raising. Does it mean the communities hold back even more from their overseas contributions? To hear some Israelis speak, it may be o.k. But I have my doubts that the local balebotim will surender their turf that readily. Most of the university programs are privately endowed, how successfuly that can be carried over to day-school, and congregational schools makes me dubious. I hope I'm wrong. Nevertheless you performed a mitsve by bringing this subject into the open. Charlie Kent Toronto 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 14:24:46 -0400 From: warschauer@aol.com Subject: Seredipsk Re [Zellig Bach's] joke about the school director [5.106], I was told the very same joke (in English) by a Spanish friend from Barcelona, and he knew it as a Spanish, or possibly Catalan joke. Oh, well... the Barcelonians seem to like to think of themselves as Jewish... (!) Jeff Warschauer 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 07 Sep 95 14:28:24 EDT From: eeglc%cunyvm.bitnet@yalevm.cis.yale.edu Subject: Mer Borsht-Belt Another Murray Banks favorite: It's early morning and some Jewish men are arriving at the shul to pray; one by one they arrive, but they end up with only 9, and you need 10 to make a minyan. The cleaning lady scopes out the situation, points out her finger and nods her head, "Ikh vel aykh krign a tsentn." She goes outside and grabs the first guy that passes and says: "Mister, vi volt ir geglikhn zayn der tsenter? The man looks aghast and says, "Mises, ikh volt afile nisht gevolt zayn der ershter!" Also, btw, the use of the word glaykhn is also attested to in American German, as gleichen. I *think* H.L. Mencken, but I'm not 100% sure. Rick Gildemeister ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.107