Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 6.121 December 5, 1996 1) Khanukiya (Michael Shimshoni) 2) Likht/lekht (Joachim Neugroschel) 3) Zschokke? (Louis Fridhandler) 4) Kishenev and the impact of Avraham Burg (Sylvia Schildt) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 Dec 96 10:28:47 +0200 From: mash@weizmann.weizmann.ac.il Subject: Khanukiya In Mendele Vol 6.117, David Herskovic wonders why in Israeli modern Hebrew we call the Hanuka menorah a khanukiya, while in Yiddish the term menoyre (from the Hebrew Menora) is used. David adds that the Temple candelabra was called menora, and after all there the miracle of Hanuka had happened. I think that the reply is that in spoken Hebrew in Israel, "menora" is used for all kind of sources of light, sacred and profane. Also the Temple Menora (which is the symbol of Israel) had room for seven lights, unlike the khanukiya with 8+1 lights (Exodus 37,23). Finally let me add that we do call the menora also "menorat khanuka", but khanukiya is more common. A freylikhen khanike, Michael Shimshoni 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 11:34:00 -0500 (EST) From: achim1@cris.com Subject: Likht/lekht a vaiterer prat vegn "likht" [6.118]--dos heyst, di gramatishe minim fun "likht". Alpi Weinreichs verterbukh (dem yidish-englishn teyl), heyst (dos, di) "likht" "candle", ober (di, dos) "likht" "light". nor inem english-(klal-)yidishn teyl rekomendirt der mekhaber bloyz "dos likht" (neytraler min) far "candle" un bloyz "di likht" (loshen-nekeyve) far "light". 's fregt zikh tsi der doziker khilek iz foran _in_ eyntselne dialektn (vos hobn di sistem fun dray minim) oder tsi Weinreich hot gevolt fareybikn "DI likht" vi an element fun der litvakisher system fun tsvey minim. veys emetser tsi di dozike minim-utfeylung fun "likht" eksistirt in voserer es iz dray-minim dialekt? 's ken zayn az yidish hot gevolt bahaltn dem khilik vos me nitst af daytsh, vu "Licht" is tomid neytral in beyde taytshen. nor der rabim iz "Lichter" far "lights" un "Lichte" far "candles" (Grosstadtlichter = City Lights). un der e-rabim eksistirt nisht af yidish. 's zenen do oykh andere yidishe substantivn mit versheydene rabims far versheydene taytshn: "der man"/ mener (male adults)--nor manen (husbands) (emes, a bisl altfrenkish). Joachim Neugroschel 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 11:40:21 -0500 From: lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Zschokke? Iosif Vaisman (6.116,4) wonders why a minor writer, Zschokke, was included by Sholem Aleichem along with the likes of Goethe and Schiller in the list of authors to which the monologist's mother is devoted (in A Vayse Kapore). Curt Leviant (Old Country Tales) translates the Yiddish Tshoke as Chekhov. Iosif Vaisman is probably on the right track. Chekhov does not sound at all like Tshoke. The monologist does not seem to mangle words ala Mrs. Malaprop. I have never heard of Zschokke. A search of the Encyclopedia Britannica turned up a bibliography that includes F. Zschokke, _Medieval Stained Glass in Switzerland_ (English translation, 1947). Probably not the one. What was Zschokke's genre, in what language? How come a story by Sholem Aleichem written in 1904 mentions him? It is unusual enough to suggest a clue (hinter di kulisn) to something at least mildly interesting. Louis Fridhandler 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 11:51:52 +0100 From: creativa@charm.net Subject: Kishenev and the impact of Avraham Burg durkhleyendik af gikhn khaver botvinik's iberblik funem kishinevn konferentz, hobn mayne eygn zikh opgeshtelt on di protim bnugeye a negativn politik fun sokhnut. a politik vos iz punkt antkegn dem nayem israel gezetz (7-3-96). vi mir veysn, undz mendelyaner un andere libhobers fun mame-loshn, iz sokhnut nebekh gevorn a shpiltzayg in di hent fun dem avraham burgn - un ot der sheliakh traupianski, iz nor zayn marionet - di verter, der politik, dos is mpi avraham burg. vi ikh zol nit veln zikh avektretn fun perzenlikhkeytn un nor zikh kontzentrirn af abstraktn, muz ikh tzugebn az eyn negativer mentsh, es vilt zikh zogn "soyne", ken opton a sakh shodn. in dem fal, iz der perzenlikhkeyt der "chair" fun sokhnut, fun WZO, vos er kumt do in Amerike zamlen gelt. ikh bet di fun aykh vos hobn kontaktn mit yidishe (Jewish) organizatzies khutz l'aretz, zoln lozn visn ayere mit-arbeter, az ir zayt nit tzufridn mitn politik fun burgn bnugeye yidish un az zayne bafeln tzu di sheliakhim vos arbetn in gevezenem ratnfarband muzn tzurik unnemen a pozitivn pozitzie -- a frayndshaft - tzu mame loshn - zikher arayngenumen finanzieler shtitzung -- iz nit yoysherdik, nit k'day, un me darf dem mentshn aroysvarfn fun zayn amt. afile di mentshn in ot di lender, vos redn nit kin gutn yidish als rezultat fun stalinizm, asimilatzie, u.a.v., iz yidish far zey say vi say a farbindung - a liblikhe farbindung, mit yidishkeyt bikhlal. als lerer fun yidish limud in Baltimore Hebrew University, her ikh zeyer oft pozitive verter fun rusn. ikh dermon mikh az eynmol, zitzn mir a klas fun arum 10 mentshn, baym ofenem tir,un es geyt farbay a ruske. zi derhert a yidish vort un shmeykhlt "in berdl arayn" - zogt, ''Oy, Idish''-- shpatzirt glaykh in klas-tzimer arayn, un zetzt zikh glaykh avek. zi hot gefunen eygene.. un dos iz a doktershe, nit kin proste froy. loyt mayn derfarung mit rusn, moldaver, ukrainer, u.a.v. - afile tzvishn di vos kenen zeyer veynik yidish, bamerk ikh az es iz do a libshaft, a varemer opruf tzu mame loshn. eyb ikh volt gekent rusish, volt ikh gern gefirt klasn far yidish in rusish do in amerike - un ikh meyn take az ikh volt gehat a sakh talmidim, zikher tzvishn di vos hobn mer oder veyniker sheyn durkhgemakht ESOL klasn. ikh hob nit lang tzurik ungeshribn a lid l'koved dem 1tn yidish festival in neve ilan. erloybt mir dos aykh tzu tzitirn, vayl dos redt tzu der teme, yidish oder hebraish: A Yidish Vort A Yidish vort klingt in Hebraish gor nit fremd A bisl Ivre loykh in Yidish vi a goldn hemd Vos putzt un dekt di alte vundn tzu (Shvester, bruder, khaver, vu bistu?) Yidish on Hebraish klingt modne, kalt un pust Hebraish on a Yidish vort, s'felt a mamen's brust Genug gekrigt zakh, yidn, es iz sheyn take tzayt Mir zoln araynzapn dem kol ha-Yidishkeyt. Fregt nit mer kin kashes, shrayt nit mer un shelt Tzu fil has un sine in undzer kleyner velt Milyonen umgekumen, es ruft undz zeyer blut Tzum nayem, sheynem uftu, mit libe, hartz, un mut. Hebraish oder Yidish? S'iz afile kin shayle nit. Kumt-zhe gikh tzum seykhl, vayl di tzayt dokh take flit. Men darf zikh lang nit klern un zikh vunder a sakh S'iz eyn folk, kinderlekh, eyn kium, eyn neshome-shprakh. sylvia schildt baltimore, maryland ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 6.121 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.cis.yale.edu Send change-of-status messages to: listserv@yalevm.cis.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele nomail b. 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