Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 6.050 August 8, 1996 1) Shnek (Nina Warnke) 2) Shnek (Kees Booy) 3) Shnek (Anno Siegel) 4) A race against time (Joshua Fishman) 5) Mazl tov (Moishe Kijak) 6) Spinoza and Yiddish (Charles Siegel) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 20:05:31 -0400 (EDT) From: bw4@columbia.edu Subject: "shnek" In German "Schnecken" refers to two long braids started above or over the ears which are then each turned in a spiral over the ear (and then fastened with pins) so that they look a little bit like snail shells or like rolled-up snakes. Nina Warnke 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 09:20:58 +0200 (MET DST) From: booybrcl@worldonline.nl Subject: shnek, a frizur The german word for snail is 'Schnecke'. The german Wahrig dictionary says that Schnecke also means: Haartracht mit gewundenen Zoepfen ueber den Ohren. Hair style with wound braids on the ears. It was also called the headphone-style. Kees Booy 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 10:05:55 +0200 From: anno4000@lublin.zrz.tu-berlin.de Subject: shnek In 6.049 Joachim Neugroschel asks about the word "shnek" for a female hair-do. The word is most probably from German, where "Schneckenfrisur" or short "Schnecke" (snail) was used for a hairdressing that was popular in the twenties. The characteristic part of it is a large curl covering both temples. The curl is such that it almost forms a spiral and thus reminds of a snail-shell. I'm convinced that this is the reason the hair-do is called that, though I haven't found the etymology for this particular meaning of "Schnecke" in a dictionary. Anno Siegel Berlin, Germany 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 22:35:12 -0400 (EDT) From: jfishman@aecom.yu.edu Subject: A race against time An international register of those individuals who were involved in (or are presently involved in) any of the several types of secular Yiddish schools in America--as teachers, farvalters, parents and\or students--is being assembled by Gella Schweid Fishman, Director of "The Secular Yiddish Schools in America Oral History Project". Mrs. Fishman is also Special Consultant to the newly-established archival collection "The Secular Yiddish Schools in America Collection", at The Stanford University Libraries, Department of Special Collections, Stanford, CA 94305. One of the purposes of the Register that is now being assembled is to better inform those who are interested in the process and progress of the two above-mentioned projects. A "starter list" of more than 300 individuals (many of whome have participated in one or both of these projects) has already been put together, but there are thousands more out "there"--and we should be in touch with one another! Those who would like to participate are asked to give the following information about themselves: 1. Your full name, including Yiddish and maiden name 2. Your present address and telephone number 3. Name(s) of the shul(n) with which you were (or still are) involved, its (their) location (city and state) and its (their) organizational affiliation (Arbeter-Ring, Farband, Ordn, Sholem Aleichem, or other/none) 4. The type(s) of involvement (teacher, farvalter, parent, student) 5. The precise years of your involvement (of each type) 6. If you were a student (the most common type of involvement), describe the extent of your Yiddish education (folkshul, mitlshul, hekhere kursn, lerer seminar) and the precise years spent at each level. This endeavor is a "race against time". it is an effort to document the names of those individuals who participated in (and may still be participating in) "the golden age of Yiddish education" in America. When most of the shuln closed, most of the records, pedagogical materials, documents, photos, shul journals, etc., that described their varied and vibrantly creative inter-generational activities were lost or discarded. Those remaining must now be collected and preserved against the ravages of time and forgetfulness. Together we can, at least partially, reconstruct some of that glorious history so that future generations will be able to study it and integrate it into their own individual and collective Yiddishkayt. Pass the word! Snail-mail: Gella Schweid Fishman, 3340 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467 Joshua Fishman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 14:16:16 ARG From: kijak@einstein.com.ar Subject: Mazl tov mit etlekhe vokhn tzurik hob ikh geshikt tzu aikh a forleig: aroisgebn fun tzait tzu tzait a literarishe bailage. azoi vi keiner hot zikh nisht aroisgezogt kegn dem dozikn forshlag, shtois ikh zikh on az ale zenen maskim dermit. eigntlekh hot zikh shoin ongehoibn drukn di naie bailage: undzer khaver dovid, der nayer sholem aleikhem, hot shoin derefnt di oisgabe mit zain oiser geveindlekher arbet. zol es take zain a guter onhoib. mir farmogn in undzer reshime, fil talantirte shraiber. mir vartn oif zeyere literarishe shafungen. zait ale gezunt. ayer argentiner fraint moishe kijak 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 10:45:10 -0700 From: preserve@netwizards.net Subject: Spinoza and Yiddish There are many references to Spinoza in Singer's writing. The most obvious is the story "The Spinoza of Market Street," about a man who is an expert on Spinoza and who constantly broods on Spinoza's ideas. Singer himself seems to have done exactly the same thing: in his autobiographical novel _The Certificate_, for example, he is prevented from praying when he thinks about Spinoza's idea of God. Charles Siegel ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 6.050