Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 6.059 September 9, 1996 1) Yiddish classes in Seattle (Edie Cohen) 2) Roza Gutman-Yasni (Ron Robboy) 3) A trask fin basque (David Herskovic) 4) Yugntruf yontefdikn shmueskrayz (Ruvn Millman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 11:09:45 -0700 (PDT) From: bd016@scn.org Subject: Yiddish classes in Seattle I just received information about Yiddish classes that are being taught out here in Seattle, Washington. It is part of the Community Adult Jewish Education Council of Greater Seattle. A Yiddish language class titled the "Joys of Yiddish is being offered at the Jewish Federation Library on Wednesdays beginning October 9 dein 11an to noon for the intermediates, and from noon to 1 pm for the advanced. The beginner class is from 1pm to 2pm. Fee is $50.00 for ten sessions. Also available is a Seattle Yiddish Group with Murray Meld and Frank Krasnowsky. This is to meet at various locations on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, ongoing fee is $1.oo for members and $2.00 for nonmembers as a contribution. Also various Hebrew classes are also offered. If interested you can write them directly at: Jewish Education Council Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle 2031 Third Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 At least this is the first such local class that I have seen notice of in Seattle. Edie Cohen 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 12:19:26 -0700 From: rrobboy@cts.com Subject: Roza Gutman-Yasni Uzi Armon asks (for a friend) about Yiddish song writer Roza Gutman-Yasni (Mendele 6.058). The _Leksikon fun der nayer yidisher literatur_ contains a bibliography and biographical sketch, from which I summarize here. Born in Kovne, Lithuania, in 1903. Folkshul, gimnazye, and university education. Debuted in 1920 in _Vispe_, a Kovne zamlbukh. From 1921-39, lived in Berlin, Paris, Spain, and London. From 1939 in New York, where she taught at New York University. Published in magazines in Kovne, Warsaw, New York (_In zikh_, _Tsukunft_), and Tel Aviv (_Di goldene keyt_). Her work has been translated into Hebrew, Russian, and English. Several of her poems appear in E. Korman's wonderful _Yidishe dikhterins antologye_ (Chicago, 1928). The Library of Congress catalog lists the following books: Gutman, Rosa, 1898- Lider. 1964. 45 p. : 20 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: PJ5129.G89 L53 1961 (Hebr) NOTES: Romanized. Gutman, Rosa, 1898- Shirim. [1972] 71 p. port. 22 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: PJ5129.G89 S5 (Hebr) SUBJECTS: Akhmatova, Anna Andreevna, 1888-1966. ADDED ENTRIES: Rabinzon, Hayim, 1914- tr. NOTES: Romanized. Gutman, Rosa, 1898- Lider. [Berlin, "Renaissance," 1925] 12 p. 13 x 16 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: PJ5129.G89 L5 (Hebraic Sect.) NOTES: Romanized. Gutman, Rosa, 1898- Lider. [New York] 1947. 31 p. 21 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: PJ5129.G89 L53 (Hebr) NOTES: Romanized. The 1972 volume was published in Tel Aviv, and has opposing Hebrew- and English-language pages, according to the University of California library catalog. I assume the other items marked "(Hebr)" are in fact in Yiddish, misleadingly annotated through Library of Congress practices Zachary Baker alluded to on Mendele 5.182. Interestingly, Uzi refers to Gutman as a song writer. I take that to mean she was either a composer herself, or actively collaborated as lyricist with a composer. Is that correct? When the _Leksikon_ appeared (copyright 1958), Gutman was still an active writer -- notice that the _Leksikon_ gave a more recent birth for her than does the Library of Congress -- but makes no mention of a musical dimension to her work. The _Leksikon_'s bibliography for sources on Gutman, however, does cite item no. 5338 in Sh. Slutsky, _Avrom Reyzen bibliografye_ (New York: 1956). Might this be a musical setting by Gutman of a text by Reyzen? Ron Robboy A postscript: Korman's _Antologye_ (1928) has a beautiful photo portrait of the young poet. 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 08 Sep 96 19:14:30 EDT From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: A trask fin basque Azoy vi Sylvia Schildt hot gebeyten dem 'nayer sholem alaykhem' geybn a kik of dem geveybs bletel fin a baske profeser hot er ir tsilib getin. Es iz faran an osshprekh vos men zogt of a meshigener 'ven meshige volt vay getin volt er zikh geforfen far yesirim'. Hert zikh an, meshige hot ongehoyben vay tsitin in es valgert zikh a pershoyn miten nomen edo nylan (ikh zikh nokh a reymez in zan nomen) far yesirim. In es iz nisht kan khokhmes val er drayt zikh arim mit a hak ofen playtse in okh in vay tsi deym imgliklekhe vos bagegent eym alayn inem vald. Zan mitel fin oskratsen fin inter di erd a reymez tsim etymologishen vortsel fin a vort hot mikh dermant fin an andre baveygung fin remozim. Ikh mayn die khevre vos trefn of ales a reymez inem toyre. Tsi deym nitsen zay nisht pshat oder epimirishe moralen vos men ken zikh alts oslernen nor zay nitsen nomeren. Men nemt a parshe in men tsaylt ahin hidert in tsrik fiftsig, rekhts drasig in links finef-in-akhtsig, arof tseyn in arop fiftsen in men khazert dos iber finef in drasig mol biz vi lang men treft der reymez. Derval, vos zay hoben nor gezikht hoben zay alts getrofen. Der velt zogt take 'az men zikht treft men'. Far ir vert ershtont fin deym nayem metode vel ikh akh zogen az es hot gornisht miten toyre. Es vent zikh ver der zikher iz. Vehoraye Edo Nyland. Vos er hot gevolt hot er getrofen. Hert aynts fin zane pshetlekh. Avayre, vos iz nitamol an origineyle yidish vort, zogt er, kimt fin 'aberats' vos aberats iz tatch rakhtum. Freyg ikh akh vos hot rakhtum mit an avayre? A kashe of a mase. Azoy iz. Ikh hob of deym a kashe. Avayre is mit a vays in aberats iz mit a bays. Ken zan az reb edo iz a yidishist in er hot gedrayt mit di lomdishe finger az vibald a bays hot a pintel in a vays hot nisht a pintel vos darf men a shire of a vays? Eyle may az men hot gelaygt a shire iz pshat az di pintel iz nisht vikhtig in a vays on a shire in a bays ken men lakht ostoshen. Lot deym hob ikh gor a besere pshat. Avayre dos nemt zikh fin 'abberation'. Az es gefelt akh nisht, nu, es iz mer an abberation vi aberats. In az gants yidish shtamt finem Baske shprakh darf men dokh visen vos dos iz di baske shprakh. Di baske shprakh nemt zikh gor fin ogam. Ogam vater nemt zikh fin Odyssey. Vos iz di mase? Oddysey, halten farshidene lomdim, hot zikh bazetst ergets fi in dorem irope. Inzere tane kame, take deym reb edo hot fest geshtelt az er hot gelanded in skotland. Ikh layg tsi deym tsi az min hastam iz dos geveyn mit a por yor far dem onkimen finem lokh ness monster. In a raye dertsi val lokh nes iz fin diye yidishe verter vos nemen zikh direkt finem ogam. Es zeyt okhet os az reb edo iz fin diye vos halten az Shakespear iz fin inzere val lot eym iz Shakespear geveyn a boki inem ogam. Er hot dort a vort fin aynts fin Shakespear's shpilen vos iz ongefer vi der anvesonisoy finem veyiten lekho. Er lernt in deym aran a gevaldigen pshat in alts miten ogam. Ikh bin zikher az bay die naylandishe familie farentfert men di fier kashes nisht mit avodim hoyini nor men zogt az ma nishtano iz of ogamish. Nokh ayn lesten pshat miz ikh do tsibrengen. Er zogt az chasidim nemt zikh fin ogamish of an oks vos ken zikh nisht osshprekhen. Ikh bin take nisht kan mayvin of ogamish iz mir memayle shver zikh tsi dingen ober ikh hof az di por verter zenen genig eym optsivenden. David Herskovic 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 02:38:44 -0400 From: ruvn@aol.com Subject: Yugntruf yontefdikn shmueskrayz What did our grandmothers read on Rosh-Hashone and Yom-Kiper? "Mayses un Muser" (tales and morals), tfiles un tkhines (prayers and suplications) from the makhzor Kol-Bo (a prayer book for the Jewish Holidays with Yiddish translation and commentary). Brukhe Lang will lead a discussion of the following questions using some extracts from the makhzor Kol-Bo (if you can't read Yiddish don't worry, someone will help you out!): - what do the high holiday prayers consist of? - what extra prayers were included in the makhzor Kol-Bo? - How is the deeper meaning of the prayers conveyed to the simple Yiddish reader? Thursday September 19th at 7:30 Beith Ephraim 535 W 112th St (amst/bway) in NYC (take #1 or #9 train to 110th) Members $2 Non Members $3 Students $1 RSVP Brukhe by Sept 18. at 212-280-1168 *Brukhe is incredibly interesting in this subject! mir farbeytn aykh af a yontevdikn tsuzamenkum funem shmueskrayz Yugntrufs: "Vos hobn undzere bobes geleynt rosh-hashone/yom-kiper?" Mayses un muser Tfliles un tkhines Inem makhzer Kol-Bo Brukhe Lang vet onfirn mit a shmues in velekhe me vet ofn smakh fun etlekhe oysstugn funem makhzer Kol-Bo arumredn di vayterdike frages: - in vos bashteyt dos davenen fun di yomim-noroyim? - vos far a min iberike tfiles hot men arayngenumen inem yidishn makhzer Kol-Bo? - viazoy taytsht men dem tifn meyn fun di tfiles farn poshetn yidish-leyner? Donershtik dem 19th September 7:30 in ovnt Beys Efrayim, 535 vest 112te gas (amst/bway) in manhaten (unterbanen #1/#9) $1 mitglider $3 nisht-mitglider $1 studentn Entfert bizn 18tn Sept. Brukhe 212-280-1168 Ruvn Millman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 6.059