Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.199 December 24, 1995 1) In memory of Julius Sokoloff (Sheine Mankovsky) 2) Makamos or makomes (Shoshana Balaban-Wolkowicz) 3) Kestl-ovntn (Zachary Baker) 4) Hershel of Ostropol (Hershel Bershady) 5) Hershel of Ostropol (Noyekh Miller) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 95 10:03:47 EST From: sheine_mankovsky@cclink.metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca Subject: In memory of Julius Sokoloff I is with deep sadness that share the news of the passing of Julius Sokoloff. Julius was a wonderful individual who understood the wholeness of Jewish culture. The following tribute was written by Helen Helfant, Yiddish Culture Group in the Bernard Betel Centre, and appeared in the Canadian Jewish News September 7, 1995 edition in Toronto: Together with all the friends of Yiddish in our Jewish community, we mourn the passing of Julius Sokoloff. He was an intellectual blessed with a sense of humor, a man of high integrity with unique abilities, who gained the love and respect of all segments of our Jewish community regardless of political differences. His priority in life was the State of Israel. He grew up in the youth organization of the Zionist Movement--Dror Habonim. Already as a very young man he served in the Bricha, an illegal Israeli group that was instrumental in helping the survivors of the Shoah to immigrate to Israel, which was ruled by England at that time. In Toronto, Sokoloff was elected many times to the highest office of the United Zionist Movement. Thanks to his unusual abilities, in all organizations in which he served, people lookep up to him, to his wisdom in solving the most complicated problems of our times, especially in regard to Israel, the land that he loves so much. Deeply concerned about Jewish education, he was one of a few dreamers that brought to life the unique Bialik School that serves hundreds of Jewish children, teaching them the great values of Judaism. A great admirer of Yiddish literature and the Yiddish language, he successfully fought to bring Yiddish classes into Bialik School. For the same reason, as a lover of Yiddish, he joined the Yiddish Culture Group in the Bernard Betel Centre, which he chared. Under his leadership for the last six years, the number of participants has doubled. There is no substitute for people like Julius Sokoloff. He will be greatly missed by all of us. Sheine Mankovsky 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 16:33:08 -0800 From: shoti@eworld.com Subject: Makamos or makomes Kh'zukh materialn vegn un arum makomes. Der yiker, oykh, ver hot zey geshribn, ven, un vu hot men es tzum ershtn mol gedrukt. Dos bukh _Parashutn veynen_ (ibergezets fun herbreysh oyf idish fun Itzkhok Luden) iz dos eyntsykh bukh vos kh'ob letsns gefunen geshribn in makomes. A dank - a freylekhn Yontef Shoshana Balaban-Wolkowicz 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 95 07:02:09 PST From: bm.yib@rlg.stanford.edu Subject: Kestl-ovntn We recently received a letter from a researcher who is studying Yiddish secular schools in pre-World War II Poland. Among other things she asked for a description of "kestl-ovntn" (a term she came across during her research). As a graduate of the Minneapolis public schools during the 1960s, I hadn't a clue about this term, so I asked two of my co-workers who attended Yiddish schools in Vilna during the 1920s and 1930s. They described "kestl-ovntn" as follows: Students (in gymnasium, according to one informant) would place questions of various types (personal, pedagogical, political) into a box, and a committee of teachers would convene an assembly, where the questions would be pulled out, one by one, and answered. My questions are: (1) Is this practice familiar to any Mendelyaner who might be reading this? If so, can you elaborate on it? (2) Were "kestl-ovntn" a common practice in other Eastern European schools at that time? What were the terms used in other languages for these assemblies? (3) Were "kestl-ovntn" held in American schools -- either Jewish or otherwise? Zachary Baker 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 20:12:16 -0500 (EST) From: hbershad@sas.upenn.edu Subject: Hershel of Ostropol Published in late 1995: _The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol_, retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, 64pp. NY: Holiday House, $15.95 (ages 5 to 9). I think the Ostropolyer part of the name refers to someone who came from, or travelled through, Austria and Poland. Efsher nisht. Hershel Bershady 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 From: nmiller@shakti.trincoll.edu Subject: Hershel of Ostropol Binyomin Weiner (5.198) asks about Hershele. Ostropol or Ostropolye is a shtetl in Podolye due west of Berditchev. In addition to the book mentioned by Hershel Bershady there are a number of collections in Yiddish. Zachary Baker (4.002) lists a collection by M. Gershenzon published in Kiev in 1939. There are at least two more: _Hershele Ostropolyer der Velt Barimter Vitsling_, New York, Hebrew Pub- lishing Company, n.d. _Mayses, Vitsn un Shpitslekh fun Hershel Ostropolyer_ iberdertseylt fun A. Holdes, Kleyne Bibliotek numer 6, Varshe, Farlag Yidish Bukh, 1960. Iberdrukt fun Mlukhe-Farlag far Natsionale Minderhayten in USSR, Kiev, 1941. Hershele was among other things court-jester to the Baal Shem Tov's grandson, variously known as Rebbe Borukh of Medzibozh and Reb Borukhl Tulchiner (1780-1811). Many of the Hershele stories center around Reb Borukhl and his less than exemplary character. Dubnov cites a tradition that he was indirectly bringing about Hershele's death; another lays the blame on Reb Borukhl himself. Be that as it may, here is a question. Reb Borukhl enjoys the singular honor of being as far as I know of being the only rebbe whom the _secular_ Yiddish literary tradition treats disparagingly. True, there are fictional rebbes (such as in I.J. Singer or Chaim Grade) who don't come off too well, but historical rebbes are treated with respect by Opatoshu, Tsvi Cahn and others. Are the Hershele stories responsible for this? Noyekh Miller ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.199