Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.123 September 27, 1995 1) Yitskhok Varshavsky z"l (Leybl Botvinik) 2) Yiddish books for young children (David Sherman) 3) Poetic license? (Keyle Goodman) 4) Folkstimlekhkayt (Ruvn Millman) 5) Shlak (Nathan Kravetz) 6) Shlak (Daniel Soyer) 7) Yiddish software (Andrew Cassel) 8) Uts (Meyshe-Yankl Sweet) 9) Yiddish activities in October (Martin Lindauer) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 95 12:32:18 IST From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il Subject: Profesor Yitskhok Varshavsky (Yerushalayim/Pariz) z"l es tut mir leyd ibertsugebn di troyerike bsure, az der forzitser fun dem veltrat far yidish un yidisher kultur iz erev rosh hashone (zuntik), plutsem nifter gevorn. in zayne letste shoen oyfn oylem haze, hot er zikh opgegebn mit yidish. er iz gezesn in zayn byuro, inem sokhnut binyen in tel-aviv un adurkhgefirt a tsol aktivitetn, ongeshribn un diktirt briv, telefonirt, un azoy vayter -- far yidish un yidisher kultur, -- un plutsem shoyn nit geven mit undz. profesor varshavsky iz geven bakant vi zeyer an energisher, aktiver tuer far yidish, un hot a sakh oyfgeton say in frankraykh un say in yisroyl far undser geroydeft loshn. in di letste khodoshim hot er matsliekh geven tsurik araynglidern dem hemshekh dor ohavei yidish inem guf fun dem veltrat (nokhdem vi etlekhe yor iz geven a ris tsvishn di tsvey vikhtike kerpershaftn). er hot geholfn shafn dem banaytn landrat far yidish fun ale klubn un yidish organen in land, un hot mit groys mi un hofenung gearbet oyfn planirn di kumendike velt-sesie far der yugnt (planirt oyf yuli 1996). zayn groys energye un vizie vet undz shtark oysfeln. es iz avek a koyekh far yidish in yisroyl vos iz geven a shlisl mentsh in tsunoyfbrengen farsheydene shikhtn, grupirungen un ideologyes, mit dem tsil tsu fareynikn di shvakhe yidish koykhes un gebn zey mut un hofenung oyf vayter. lomir zikh lernen fun zayne dergreykhungen, un arbetn tsu dergantsn dos vos er hot nit derlebt tsu dergantsn. koved zayn ondenk. leybl botvinik netanya 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Sep 95 14:03:15 EDT From: dave@cai.lsuc.on.ca Subject: Yiddish books for young children Joel Maxman asks about Yiddish books for young children. I agree that the NYBC computer printout doesn't tell you a whole lot. I highly recommend books by Leon Elbe. Fun Kleyne Kinders Vegn is an excellent collection of short stories, each one appropriate for a bedtime story (and short enough that if your Yiddish reading fluency isn't that great you'll still get through it). They're peppered with doggerel (hunterel?:-), little catchy poems and songs that are part of each story. Yingele Ringele (or is it Ingele Ringele?) is a novel with separable chapters, also each appropriate for bedtime reading, about a little boy who has a magic ring that takes him on various adventures. Elbe's pro-labour message comes through, but even a hardcore right-winger like me doesn't mind. These aren't for kids who only speak a little Yiddish; they presume reasonable comprehension. Enjoy! (Our kids can still chant: "Berele kaperele, lokshn d'rerele, gey in vald un khap a berele, gey in vald un rays oys a merele, gey tsum shnayder un nem a sherele. Berle kaperele, lokshn d'rerele!" Used when one kid is sulking and the others decide to pick on him or her.) And a P.S. to Allan Fineberg's post about having fun with our kids when we visited New Jersey recently: thanks to the shames for allowing me to post the request that Allan responded to. We got to visit NYC, make new friends, and treat the Finebergs to our Yiddish-speaking kids all in one. Yasherkoyekh noyekh! David Sherman Toronto 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 12:11:06 -0700 From: ac939@lafn.org Subject: Poetic license? Ikh gleyb az mayn post is farshvindn gevorn, vel ikh vider amol probirn. Ikh hob ergets gefunen a gram. Eyn shure endigt zikh mit dem vort "lipn" un di andere shure endigt zikh mit "klipn". Ikh vos meynt a "klipe" ober di mertsol fun "klipe" iz "klipes". Efsher iz dos "poetic license". Efsher kent ir mir aroyshelfn dermit. A sheynem dank foroys. A zisn yontef ale mendelyaner. Keyle Goodman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 15:32:08 -0400 From: ruvn@aol.com Subject: Folkstimlekhkayt In Mendele Vol 5.118, khaver Leybl Botvinik fun Netanya shraybt... ...men on 'grass roots' (di groz-vortzlen). bay... Nisht azoy lang tsurik hob ikh zikh gelernt an _Yidish_ vort far dem fun Dr. Nowersztern, "folkstimlekh." Ruvn Millman New York 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 11:35:43 +0800 (PST) From: hcedu005@huey.csun.edu Subject: Shlak Responding to Sylvan Beer's interesting note on "shlak,": in or out of the sukkah,"shlok" (per Weinreich) means "stroke." Just don't have one, anywhere. Nathan Kravetz Los Angeles 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 22 Sep 95 23:55:14 EDT From: 74212.2700@compuserve.com To: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Subject: Shlak Just to put in my two cents about the Shlak Question, I agree that to wish that a shlak tref someone is not so much to wish that a suke roof fall on him as to wish that he have a stroke or apoplectic fit, or that bad things in general happen to him. By the way, Harkavy also defines shlak as a dove-cote or pigeon-house. Daniel Soyer 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 21:59:14 -0400 From: cassel@libertynet.org Subject: Yiddish software yasher koyekh to Uri Postavsky's efforts to introduce software that would allow Mendele to accomodate yidishe oysyes. A warning, however, to some of those in the techno-vanguard. I've just discovered to my dismay that Dagesh, which I believe is the most popular Hebrew-character wordprocessor, will _not_ work under Windows 95. I thought it was just my installation; however a message from the people at Davka in Chicago, who distribute Dagesh, confirms it. Somebody is supposedly working on an upgrade, but I wasn't encouraged to hold my breath ... Andrew Cassel Elkins Park, PA 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 01:14:52 -0600 (CST) From: msweet@facstaff.wisc.edu Subject: Uts--a yidish vort oder nit? I am passing on a query from the Dictionary of American Regional English, concerning the word "utz," meaning a (usu. metaphorical) shove or nudge, e.g. "I need to give him an utz about getting that job done." It is apparently most common among Jewish Americans, but no likely Yiddish etymon is to be found in the standard references that I've checked. There is a German dialect word "utzen" meaning to tease, that may be related. Anyone with comments or ideas on this? Meyshe-Yankl Sweet 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 10:22:00 -0700 (PDT) From: bgratch@stmarys-ca.edu Subject: Yiddish activities in October I am a regular reader of Mendele, and although I haven't introduced myself yet, I will, I will. Right now I have a question that someone out there might help me with. I will have some time to spare in October (it's a long story) and would like to spend a week or so at some Yiddish activity (class, workshop, discussion group, cultural happening, etc.). If anyone out there knows of such, I would appreciate your contacting me at bratch@stmarys-ca.edu Important note: This is a borrowed address. (How else would a nice Jewish boy be at St. Marys?) So in the subject line, include the name MOISHE please. (I used this "flag" even before I joined Mendele.) Thanks for any help. Martin Lindauer ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.123