Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 3.123 October 27, 1993 1) Birobidzhan (Vera Szabo) 2) Birobidzshaner shtern vegn yugentruf (Meyer David) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Oct 26 18:50:38 1993 From: veszabo@theo.jtsa.edu Subject: birobidzhan Ale mendele-leyeners zaynen farbetn af a shmues sho vos vet zayn dem 2tn november, 1993, 6 azeyger in ovent in Columbia University - Deutsches Haus. Di adres iz: 420 W 116st, New York. A yidish-talmid vet redn zayn heymland, vegn di birobidzhaner yidishkeyt. Informatsie: Beatrice Lang: (212) 280-1166 oder Vera Szabo: (212) 662-3658 Zayt gezunt Vera Szabo 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue Oct 26 23:17:33 1993 From: mhd@world.std.com (Mark H David) Subject: birobidzshaner shtern vegn yugentruf I got over to Harvard's periodical stacks yesterday to check out their Yiddish offerings. There I found, and held in my hands for the first time in my life, actual copies of the Birobidzshaner Shtern, semi-daily newspaper of the Birobidzshan, Russia. Although they were all from the 1990's, they practically crumbled in my hand as I held them, as though they were printed 30 years ago or more. The latest copy I could find was from Thursday, December 31, 1992. On the second page of this issue, I found the following very interesting article. It reports on the wonderful then-current issue of Yugntruf Journal on the theme "mothers and fathers that speak Yiddish with their children", edited by our fellow Mendelnik Meylekh Viswanath's wife, Gitl Shaechter-Viswanath, which features contributions by Mendelniks David Sherman and Reyzl Kalifovitch-Waletsky, among many others. (And, belatedly, a yasher koyekh to all the tates and mames who contributed to the wonderful previous issue of Yugntruf, especially its former editor, Gitl Shaechter-Viswanath.) By the way, I would like to not only recommend that you all obtain your very own copy of this important back issue, but also that you immediately obtain the impressive current issue of Yugntruf Journal, edited by yet another -- you guessed it -- Mendelnik, Dovid Braun. Yasher Koyekh Dovidn! Anyway, I thought I would bring this to your attention, and maybe it will make interesting and inspired reading, since it inspired me to copy it, type it into my computer, and to write all of this in praise of Yugntruf myself. OK, so let's read it. But first, put yourself in the context of the intended reader. It's New Year's Eve, 1992. It's --- thursday. You're reading your little town's daily paper, which you bought for 50 kopeks (1/2 cent). But this isn't just any little town. Your little town is in Siberia. Your little town is in the "Jewish Autonomous Region", and you are reading the Birobizhaner Shtern. Meyer David -------------------------------- Birobizshaner Shtern, Thursday, December 31, 1992. Page 2. YIDISH IZ EYBIK fun r. shoikhet di teg hob ikh bakumen dem frishn (avgust-dekaberishn far hayntiks yor) numer funem alveltlekhn yidishn yugntlekhn zshurnal "yugntruf", a spetsyel gevidmetn der biz gor lebnsvikhtikster teme: "tates un mames, vos redn yidish mit di kinder". vegn der naytikayt un aktuelkayt fun ot der frage farn haynttsaytikn yidntum, direkt far zayn ekzistents vi a folk ken men beser zikh nit oysbrayen vegn der badaytung far im funem mame loshn, vi dos hot gezogt der mekhaber funem eygnartikn forvort in dem batractn numer -- "ay, di kinderlekh!" "dakht zikh, az s'iz keyn zisern nishto vi tsu hern, vi a kleyn kind redt yidish -- bam shpiln zikh, bam esn, bam veynen, bam gebn a kush..." un di rikhtikayt fun di verter fun gitl shekhter-vishvanat, dem redaktor fun funem zshurnal, bashtetikn fil fil mol in zeyere aroystretungen a sakh andere eltern, velkhe zaynen aroysgetrotn af di shpltn fun dem zshurnal. dos zaynen perl teytlboim fun nyu- york, dos porfolk shermans -- toronto (kanade), taybl erlikh -- fun tshikago, sore zilberman fun melburn (avstralye) un andere. dos zaynen mentshn fun farsheydene profesyes un interesn. zey fareynikt ober eyn interes -- di grenetsloze farlibtkayt in yidish, velkhn zey gibn gern iber di eygene kinder. take vegn dem toyshn zey zikh mitn leyener. a shod nor, vos der zshurnal brengt fun libhober fun yidish fun andere erter, ashteyger, fun rumenye, ungern, poyln... tsi dort hert men shoyn mer nisht keyn yidish vort? leyenendik dem zshurnal "yugntruf" tsaygt men zikh iber an iberik mol, az undzer mame-loshn iz nit farshvundn gevorn, me redt af im, me banitst zikh mit im, es lebt un vet lebn eybik, bizvan s'vet ekzistirn aleyn dos yidishe folk. ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 3.123