Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.091 August 20, 1995 1) A protest brivl (Leybl Botvinik) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Aug 95 10:02:51 IDT From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il Subject: A protest brivl, far ayer informatsie tayere khaveyrim mendelyaner, ikh gib aykh do iber a kopie fun a protest-brivl vos ikh hob geshikt tsu a groyse yidishe ('Jewish') federatsie vos diskriminirt kegn yidish. gute yidn hobn ibergelozt gelter fun zeyere yerushes far algemeyne yidishe tsvekn. ver es vil iberlozn gelt in der tzevoe far spetsifish yidish proyektn oder institutsies zol oysfirlekh un genoy oyshraybn tsu vemen di gelter zoln ahinkumen, vayl undsere 'gute' federatsies hobn yidish in drerd. vi es zol nit zayn, vintsh ikh aykh un unds alemen lange, gezunte un sheferishe yorn, un a gut zis yor. a gemar khsive un khsime toyve. leybl botvinik netanya Karen Adler, Chair Legacy Fund Committee, UJA-Federation of New York 130 East 59th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022 A personal, open letter to the Board and Officers of the NY-UJA, and to the Legacy Fund Committee: Dear Karen Adler, It has come to my attention, that a very modest project proposal which I had been instrumental in preparing and presenting, has been rejected on the basis of it dealing with the preservation and promotion of the Yiddish language and culture among young people in Israel. All my information seems to point to the Legacy Fund Committee practicing a very destructive form of discrimination. I understood, from an excellent source, that in other project proposals over the years requesting aid for Yiddish-oriented projects in Israel, a similar rejectionist attitude has governed the decision making: Yiddish is important, but ... has the lowest possible priority... One begins to question where the hearts and souls of leading Jewish community leaders and organizations lie... But then, I shouldn't be surprised, Jewish community leaders, Rabbis, etc have been helping to bury Yiddish in North America for decades. I am writing this letter, not in the name of the organization I prepared the proposal for, but rather in my own name, as a personal protest. I do not fear expressing myself openly against the self-hatred of Jewish organizations and individuals who help in the continued destruction of the Yiddish language and culture either actively and directly, or passively and indirectly. Yiddish has played a major role in Jewish life in the past, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, and will continue to do so. It has been said, that the Jewish People is a mirror on the state of World affairs. It has also been suggested, that the state of Yiddish reflects the state of the Jewish People. Look around you, at the sorry state of American Jewry, and think about that! There is a strong need to preserve and promote the welfare of the Yiddish language and culture. First and foremost, because it is an important part of our heritage. Secondly, because our People -- the Folk-people, especially the young, want it and need it. The proposal which was made was for Educational Multimedia Computer Programs in Yiddish for Students, to be used by the over 3000 elementary and high-school students studying Yiddish in over 55 schools in Israel (Note that the given figures are constantly increasing with more schools added from year to year). The very fact, that young people have an interest in, and want to learn Yiddish (in Israel) is noteworthy, and should be studied in its own light. Just three weeks ago, -- to relate a similar occurance,-- an other rejector of Yiddish almost 'got away with murder': The city of Netanya has had, for the first time ever, a school with two classes in Yiddish introduced to 5th and 6th graders (30 students total). Next year, they will again be allocated this tiny allowance of 4 weekly hours. A second school principal has also opened his doors, and has been granted 4 hours too by the Yiddish department of the Ministry of Education of the State of Israel. The 'Mefakakhat' (inspector) supervising the elementary schools in Netanya, had not known, that the first principal had introduced Yiddish in mid-year. When having heard of the double request for teaching Yiddish, she immediatly forbade it, stating that Yiddish will not be taught in her diys 'more important things' than Yiddish. If Jews were to think in this manner consistently, we would have assimilated into non-existance as a Nation over 3 millenia ago. An inquiry was immediatly made, and steps taken to stop the inspector's rejectionist policy. She claimed, that she knew Yiddish, even 'loved it'... (we all know that old adage: 'some of my best friends are Jews...'). She went on to say, that despite her own Yiddish background there was really no need for the study of Yiddish. In short, a backlash prevented her from stopping the teaching of Yiddish in Netanya. Quite simply: the success of the first classes, and the high motivation of the students. The crucial and deciding factor was, that the students' (and parents') educational wishes and needs come first. In the past few months, a proposal has been floating around the Israeli Parliament, -- the Knesset, -- to introduce a special committee under the Ministry of Education to deal with the preservation and promotion of the Yiddish language and culture (a parallel proposal was made for Ladino). Over 30 Knesset members, representing all the major, and most of the minor parties took part in the 3 readings. The consensus was: 'al khet she khototi' (= for the sin I have sinned) against the Yiddish language and culture. Flowery speeches and promotional promises were made, as well as expressions of remorse over the harm which has been done to Yiddish by Jew and non-Jew. Statements promoting Yiddish were made by the Left, as well as the Right; by the Ultra-orthodox and non-religious; even by Arab MKs. It is expected, that the new law will pass within the next few weeks. I'm just sorry about one thing in this whole deal: that the amount requested in the Legacy proposal, which was rejected, was for a mere $100,000, and not for the hundreds of millions of dollars that is, by virtue of tragic historical circumstances 'owed' by the Jewish and non-Jewish world to the legacy, -- Past, Present and Future -- of the Yiddish language and culture. For your information, I am including an example of a more ambitious and serious project proposal -- the Centre for Yiddish Techno-Newware --, which I present as the first of 3 major projects for the future of Yiddish. And, as to the rejectionist policy vis-a-vis Yiddish: di komitet megt zikh shemen! (= the committee ought to be ashamed of itself!) ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.091 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. 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