Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.147 October 22, 1995 1) Di Froyen student discount (Ruvn Millman/Valerie Weinstein) 2) Ya! (Dovid Braun) 3) Sholem Aleichem Street (Dovid Braun) 4) "Khapt un nemt" (Milt Eisner) 5) Yiddish in curriculums (Morrie Feller) 6) Mogen oder mogn (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 7) Asch's _God of Vengeance_ (Esther R. Magal) 8) Hob un bin (David Herskovic) 9) Pakn un khapn (David Herskovic) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 14:26:42 -0400 From: ruvn@aol.com Subject: Di Froyen student discount The Di Froyen/Women and Yiddish conference wants to encourage students to attend this groundbreaking conference on October 28th and 29th in New York City. We are offering a special price incentive to students with I.D.-- $5 for the Saturday evening performance at Hunter College, Park Avenue at 69th Street, 8 p.m. The evening will consist of conference opening keynote remarks by Frieda Forman and Irena Klepfisz, and "Zeyere Eygene Verter/Their Own Words:Yiddish Women's Voices," a bilingual Yiddish/English performance of women's poetry, stories, and songs about their lives, passions, and dreams which premiered at the Jewish Museum in New York. Sunday's program (at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Broadway at 122nd Street) of over 30 panels, workshops, and artistic readings is available to students with I.D. for $30, lunch _not_ included. Work-study opportunities are open to all for $20 for both days, including lunch. We still need help on both Saturday night and Sunday. Call Ruth Ann or Emily at National Council of Jewish Women, 212-535-5900 or mail in your brochure to NCJW, 9 East 69th Street, NY, NY 10021. Fax 212-535-5909. E-mail Brurye@aol.com Ruvn Millman Valerie Weinstein 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 15:32:57 EDT From: dovid@mit.edu Subject: ya! (a propos _yo_ & _ye_) s'iz bakant az litvishe zogn _ye_ un eltere -- _yoy_ -- un az "ale" andere zogn _yo_. s'iz nokh do a drite subgrupe litvakes: di vos zogn _ya_. di zaynen mentshn fun "kovner lite" -- mayne bakante vos zogn _ya_ zaynen fun kovne, ponevezh, un di shtetlekh plungyan, trashkun, un andere. undzer khaver zelig bak zogt nit andersh vi _ya_ -- khotsh s'volt mir keyn khidesh nit geven ven er hot dos vegn zikh aleyn nokh keyn mol nit bamerkt. Dovid Braun 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 15:54:12 EDT From: dovid@mit.edu Subject: ulitsa Sholem-Aleykhema / Sh.A. Street Oyb ikh hob nit keyn toes heyst di hoyptgas fun der shtot birebidzhan "sholem-aleykhem-gas" oder, af rusish, ulica Solem-alejxema. Dovid Braun Cambridge, MA 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 18:57:52 -0400 (EDT) From: eisner@delphi.com Subject: "Khapt un nemt" In Vol5.135, Mendy Fliegler inquired about the song "Khapt un Nemt." I sent in the words to this song earlier this year in response to an earlier query. You might want to look it up. Milt Eisner McLean VA [Try 5.017. nm] 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 23:18:02 -0700 (MST) From: feller@indirect.com Subject: Reasons for putting Yiddish in curriculums In my previous posts about teaching Yiddish to children, I stated that Yiddish should be taught on as broad a scale as Hebrew, and that synagogues and Jewish community centers have to be convinced that Yiddish should be part of their curriculums. This would also apply to Bureaus of Jewish Education (or their equivalent). As one who has taught Hebrew for many years in various settings such as synagogue afternoon classes, Bureau of Jewish Education High School, public high school and junior college, I think I can explain some of the reasons why Hebrew is offered on such a broad scale. First and foremost, synagogues want their children and youth to prepare for Bar Mitzvah, and to participate in services where Hebrew is read. Ability to read the Hebrew Bible is also a goal. Courses in community centers, high schools and colleges offer Hebrew as a modern language with one objective being able to utilize the Hebrew when in Israel. An additional objective is to acquire the ability to read modern Hebrew writings. When it comes to reasons why Yiddish should be offered on the broad scale mentioned above, I have a few. But I would appeal to the members of Mendele to come up with as many as possible so that a really good case can be made for stating that no Jewish education can be complete without a Yiddish component. At the forthcoming 3rd International Meeting of Yiddish Clubs in Miami next March, we will have the opportunity to present a position paper on this subject at a plenary session. After discussion, a resolution would be drafted. This could be an important first step in our effort to broaden the study of Yiddish. Morrie Feller Phoenix 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 21 Oct 1995 07:53:30 -0400 From: shirshan@aol.com Subject: Mogen oder mogn We have organized a new chapter of (their spelling) "ARMDI - American Red Magen David for Israel" and everytime I receive correspondence on their official stationery git es mir a tzip in hartzn. I wish to formulate a letter to the national headquarters, as well as the regional command here in golus, to describe/explain Yivo's (our Library of Congress) transliterational standards/rulings. Ot iz mayn shayle: Should I suggest Mogn Dovid (which I deem correct) or Mogen Dovid (which my Board says is more familiar)? M'stame vet aza briv helfn vi a toitn bankes, ober ikh vel efsher beser shlofn baynakht. Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan Boynton Beach, Florida 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 14:21:24 -0200 (B) From: ets@aleph.tau.ac.il Subject: Asch's _God of Vengeance_ I know that when this play was first performed on Broadway in the 1920s it was shut down for "immorality." Having read the play I can figure out why, but I'm interested in the details of the event, and any reviews the production may have received before it was closed. Was it ever staged on Broadway in later years? Were Yiddish productions also raided? The play has only been staged once in Israel in the past 20 years (in Hebrew) as far as I know, and there were very few performances. The censor didn't care, but certain people were bothered... Ethel R. Magal 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Oct 95 21:36:56 EDT From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: hob, bin Can someone please tell me the difference between 'hob' and 'bin' when used in the past tense. For eg. you say 'ikh bin geshlofen' and 'ikh hob gegesen'. 'ikh bin geshtanen/gekimen' but 'ikh hob gegeyben/genimen/gezokt'. In plural 'bin' becomes 'zenen' and 'hob' becomes 'hoben'. So we say 'zay zenen gegangen' as opposed to 'zay hoben gegesen'. I am not sure if every 'bin' becomes a 'zenen' when pluralised. In third person 'bin' becomes 'is' and 'hob' becomes 'hot'. 'er is gegangen' vis a vis 'er hot gegesen'. When used in present 'hob' is 'have' and 'bin' is 'am' but in the past the two become confused. Is there a rule? David Herskovic 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Oct 95 21:37:01 EDT From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: pakn, khapn I disagree with Eliyahi Juni in his eg. of pakn in the OJ context. He is using pakn in place of convicting or perhaps to say 'but they couldn't make it stick'. pakn is used to emphasise when one is caught red handed and also implies, but not neccesarily, a certain element of suprise on the part of the catcher. If a boy is caught cheating during a farher he could say 'der rebe hot mikh gepakt'. Catching a shoplifter would provide the perfect example of men hot eym/ir gepakt. Regarding khapn, a riddle or a witty pun is also known as a khap. I don't think 'ikh khap nisht' is quite used for 'I don't understand'. I would prefer 'I can't figure it out' which is why I would not go along with his example of "I don't khap why they didn't have a khapts'm when the shaygets broke the window." David Herskovic ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.147