Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.137 October 11, 1995 1) Exclusive interview in Yiddish with Colin Powell (Zellig Bach) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Oct 1995 21:58:21 -0400 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: Exclusive interview in Yiddish with Colin Powell _Peysekhl der Shabes-GOYtshik_ First I heard on television that Colin Powell speaks Yiddish. Then I read it in the New York _Times_, in its Week in Review section (9/24/95, p. 13), in an article on the Op-Ed page. And then I read in the English-language _Forward_ (pp. 1 and 2) the news story "A Bisl Yiddish Could Go Far If Powell Takes the Stump" [for a presidential run]. In the old days, when fire engines used to run on _actual_ horse power (not on horse power in cars), the horses in the firehouse would suddenly come to life all aquiver at the first bell of an alarm. So did the old journalist in me sense a scoop, and I immediately called the general's office for an appointment. A male secretary answered. "And what media do you represent, Sir?" I hesitated for a moment, not being certain how to answer. I knew, of course, that _Memdele_ is a "medium," attracting many lurkers before they "out" themselves with an introduction... but a "Media"? So I fudged my answer: "I'm a frequent free-lance contributor to Mendele..." "Mendele who?" "The Grandfather of..." "The 'grandfather' you said? The General, as you certainly know, is all for _family values_, so he will be glad to see you... Let me check his schedule... How about Wednesday, October 4, at 14 hours?" [military time -- ZB]. "Sorry, I couldn't make it, it is Yom Kippur, a very High Holiday... I'm sure the General will understand since, as a young boy in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, he was employed in an orthodox synagogue where on Friday nights he would turn the lights on and off, for which services he earned a quarter..." "Yes, Sir, I read it in his book... How about the following Monday, October 9, at 16 hours?" [4:00 P.M. civilian time -- ZB]. On the day of the appointment I was ready with all my questions formulated in my mind. I carried a clean, fresh handkerchief and wore, you will excuse me -- whole socks. This was according to lifelong admonitions by my mother, o"h: "When going visiting, always carry a fresh handkerchief and wear whole socks, because, God forbid, if you are suddenly taken to the hospital and undressed, lo and behold -- holes in the socks..." The second part of this admonition was radically different for my sisters: "... Always wear clean underwear because, khas vekholile, you are suddenly taken to the hospital and undressed, lo and behold -- dirty underwear..." I arrived for my appointment ten minutes early, and was escorted by an aide to one of the General's offices in his splendid house in McLean, Virginia. The oak floor and red leather Queen Anne chair lent it an air of formality. On one wall were displayed assorted Medals of Honor he received throughout his distinguished career. On the wall opposite his chair was a vertical row of framed photographs of the Presidents he served, Reagan, Bush, Clinton. On a small side wall, an enlarged framed picture of the ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue following Desert Storm. The General greeted me with a firm handshake. I expected his erect military bearing, but was pleasantly surprised by his warm smile and soft twinkle in his eyes. The Interview: ZB Vos hobn ayere khaveyrim aykh gerufn ven ir hot gevoynt in dorem Bronx? CP Peysekhke, min hastam far mayn nomen Powell. Eyn mol hob ikh gefregt dem rov fun der shul vu kh'hob ge'arbet etlekhe yor yedn fraytik tsunakhts, vos volt geven mayn nomen in idish far Colin? Kh'gedenk nit dem nomen vos er hot mir gezogt, ober es hot geklungen vi 'columnist'... ZB Ir meynt efsher 'Kloynimus'? Dos iz an alter nomen, kumt fun Grikhish un meynt a "sheyner nomen." Fun Grikhish iz es arayngegangen in Aramish, un dan in Hebreyish un Yiddish. Hayntike tsaytn ober vert es zeltn genutst. "Peysekhke" fun der ander zayt iz a zeyer sheyner un farshpreyter nomen, kumt fun wort "peysakh," dem groysn yontef fun frayhayt, ven di yidn zaynen antlofn fun Mitsrayim, Egypt, vu zey zaynen geven shklafn... Vi men zingt inem shpiritsuel "Let my people go..." CP Zeyer interesant... Ir zent a litvak? ZB Yo! fun vanen veyst ir? CP Kh'her dokh vi ir redt... In indzer neighborhood zanen maysnts idn geven rumenishe un ingerishe... Vi zogt men 'neighborhood' af idish? ZB Gegnt. CP Yo, ta'ke, gegnt, itster dermon ikh zikh... Kh'farshtey az di mitglider in "Mendele" zanen kemfers far idish. Ver iz ayer hoypt general? [he said it with a hard /g/] ZB Er iz a pensyonirter profesor fun sotsiologye, a zeyer basheydener mentsh, un er bashteyt deroyf men zol im rufn shames... CP: Shames gor?... Kh'gedenk dem shames fun der shul vu kh'fleg arbetn fraytik tsunakhts... a sheyner, varemer mentsh... Er flegt mir rufn "Peysekhl, der shabes-GOYtshik" (laughs)... Vi gefelt aykh aza nomen? ZB Zeyer gerotn un tsugepast... Kh'hob gehert az ven ir zayt geven in Yisroel, hot ir un Shamir, der demolstiker premyer, ongefirt a langen shmu'es ingantsn in Yiddish... CP (Laughs heartily, and his eyes are all atwinkle) An oysgetrakhte maynse... fun onheyb bizn sof on a vort emes!... Di maynse iz poshet geven tsu sheyn, khotsh an oysgetrakhte, es optsuleykenen... Iz zayt ir der ershter journalist, fun Mendele, vemen ikh zog oys dem sod az di gantse geshikhte iz geven nit gestoygn, nit gefloygn... (looks at his watch.) Kh'bin zikher az ir hot a tuts oder mer vikhtike frages, un kh'vel aykh muzn zen nokh a mol far a tsveytn shmu'es fun etlekhe sho tsayt. Iz vet ir mir, kh'bet aykh, antshuldikn farn hayntikn kurtsn intervyu... Ir hot mir farshaft groys fargenign, mir dermont mayne sheyne kinderyorn, un opgefrisht mayn idish. Iz muzt ir mit mir hobn a farbays -- a glezele tey, mit lemon, hart tsuker, un a kikhl... [The General pressed a button on the telephone, and said on the intercom: 'Please bring me two set-ups of tea with lemon, some dry, flat cookies, and cubes of sugar, not the powder sugar.'] We got up and exchanged some pleasantries. An aide brought in a tray with the requested assortment, including sugar cubes. I enjoyed the snack very much. I genuinely thanked the General for his time and ready accessibility, and congratulated him on his fluency in Yiddish after so many years. As can clearly be seen from this verbatim interview, he knows quite a lot more than just a "bisl" Yiddish... The following day I called his secretary for my second interview. He said: "It all depends. If the General decides to run for President, his time, naturally, will be extremely limited." Now a thought began to obsess me: Suppose next time Colin Peysekhke Powell turns the table on me and asks _my_ advice whether to run or not to run for the presidency. What should I tell him?... I'll discuss it, of course, with our Noyekh, and I'm sure he will give me the politically correct guidance... Zellig Bach Lakehurst, NJ ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.137