Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.127 September 29, 1995 1) Folksbine honored (Ruvn Millman) 2) Klutznick Symposium (MaryEllen Read) 3) Chemistry texts in Yiddish (Zachary Baker) 4) Gilgul fun a nign (Hershl Hartman) 5) Teaching Yiddish to Children (Ellen Cassedy) 6) Rumenye un andere lider (Refoyl Finkel) 7) "Rumania, Rumania" (Shleyme Axelrod) 8) Secular kolnidre in L.A. (Hershl Hartman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 14:10:19 -0400 From: ruvn@aol.com Subject: Folksbine honored On October 18, 1995 _The Folksbine Theatre_ will be honored by receiving a "Token of Esteem" from City Lore. The evening (from 6:00-9:00pm) includes a "feast" of classic NY foods, guests like Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger and Elizabeth Swados, entertainment by the Folksbiene, and dancing. The cost is $12 for City Lore members, seniors and students, $18 gen. admission. Call (212) 529-1955 for information. Ikh'ob gemeynt ir volt geven farinteresirt in dem. A gut yontef alemen! Ruvn Millman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 16:18:18 -0500 (CDT) From: mread@creighton.edu Subject: Klutznick Symposium Call for papers The Ninth Annual Klutznick Symposium: October 27 & 28, 1996 Yiddish Language and Culture: Then and Now Creighton University's Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization and Center for the Study of Religion and Society will host the Ninth Annual Klutznick Symposium to take place in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday, October 27 and Monday, October 28, 1996. The theme of the Symposium will be Yiddish Language and Culture: Then and Now. The Program Committee seeks proposals for presentations on Yiddish language and culture, past and present. It is interested in receiving proposals on topics related to the history and development of Yiddish as a language, and aspects of Yiddish culture, including music, fiction, poetry, humor, and theater. Those chosen to participate in the symposium will be expected to submit their papers in a scholarly format; those papers will be published in a collected volume. Participants will also be expected to make twenty minute presentations of the essential elements of their papers in a manner suitable to an audience composed of the general public and scholars. Please note that the reading of papers as submitted for publication would not be appropriate to this audience. Audio/visual aids are encouraged. Subsidies for the presenter's costs of transportation and accommodation will be provided. For further information contact Leonard Jay Greenspoon, Chairholder of the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization (ljgrn@creighton.edu or phone 402-280-2304), or Bryan Le Beau, Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society (blbeau@creighton.edu or phone 402-280-2562) at Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68178. One page abstracts and vitae should be submitted to either Dr. Greenspoon or Dr. Le Beau by April 1, 1996. MaryEllen Read 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 95 14:58:14 PDT From: bm.yib@rlg.stanford.edu Subject: Chemistry texts in Yiddish In response to Bob Rothstein's query (5.124), YIVO does not own a copy of "Khemishe terminologye" (Minsk, 1927). I have not checked other library catalogs, but books of this type are quite rare. YIVO does have several chemistry textbooks, though: Brokhes, Sh. Khemye loytn laboratorishn metod. Moscow, 1931; Grigoryev, G. Khemye far shul un zelbstbildung (kurtser kurs). Kiev, 1929; Khotinski, Ye. S. Yunger khemiker. Moscow, 1928; Rogodin, A. Y. Khemye. Warsaw, 1920; Verkhovski, V. N. Khemye. Minsk, 1933 (2 vols.). Zachary Baker 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:11:29 -0400 From: hershl@aol.com Subject: Gilgul fun a nign Mendelyaner may be interested in this true tale of the "transmigration of a melody." Knowing of a dear friend's interest in Paul Robeson and in folk music, I dubbed for her all of Robeson's renditions of Yiddish songs as well as of Celtic melodies, in which she, as a "cultural Catholic," is also interested. She was particularly struck by the traditional (and proto-Marxist) "vig lid" (lullaby), which appears, among other places, in Ruth Rubin's "A Treasury of Jewish Folksong," pp. 22-23 "Shlof Mayn Kind, Shlof Keseyder" (transliteration and translation adapted): shlof mayn kind, shlof keseyder; zingen vel ikh dir a lid. az du, mayn kind, vest elter vern vestu visn an untershid. az du, mayn kind, vest elter vern vestu vern mit mentshn glaykh. demolst vestu gevoyer vern vos heyst orim un vos heyst raykh. di tayerste palatsn, di shenste hayzer, dos alts makht der oriman. nor veystu ver es tut in zey voynen? gor nit er, nor der raykher man. der oriman, er ligt in keler, der vilgatsh rint im fun di vent. derfun bakumt er rematn-feler in di fis un in di hent. Sleep, my child, sleep peacefully, I'll sing you a lullaby. When my little baby's grown, You'll know the difference--and why. When my little baby's grown You'll soon see which is which: Like the rest of us, you'll know The difference between poor and rich. The largest mansions, the finest homes, The poor man builds them on the hill. But do you know who'll live in them? Why, of course, the rich man will! The poor man lives in a cellar: The walls are wet with damp That bring pain to his arms and legs And a rheumatic cramp. And so it was, through the artistry of an African-American singer, that Catholic-raised Celeste Lederer, the Music Director of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island, NY, played a Yiddish melody during services last Sunday in recognition of rosheshone. --un a gliklekh, gezunt un fridlekh yor aykh alemen... Hershl Hartman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 16:16:19 -0400 From: cassblum@aol.com Subject: Teaching Yiddish to Children I am teaching Yiddish to my 10-year-old daughter and share the concern voiced by others about the need for good teaching materials. I can recommend several, though, including materials that include both a tape and text: Through the National Yiddish Book Center, I ordered a 3-volume workbook by Frida Cielak, published in Mexico in 1979. It is perfect for teaching the alphabet and sounding out words; it was at just the right level for my daughter, a total beginner. I also ordered from NYBC a tape-text-translation of "Di Dray Bern," by Marcia Gruss Levinsohn. My daughter found the tape a little juvenile, but still useful. From Audio-Forum I ordered "Yiddish 30," a simple Berlitz-type tape with days of the week, etc., in English, then Yiddish. Another great tape/text/translation combination, from Workmen's Circle, is called "Ikh Hob Lib Yidish," by Emmanual Goldsmith. It is a series of short poems, stories, and jokes -- very good for an adult or teenager. My question for other Mendeleyaners is -- what goals are appropriate for a child learning Yiddish? There's no Torah reading at the Bas Mitzvah to aim for.... Ellen Cassedy Bethesda, MD 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 13:38:14 -0400 From: raphael@cs.engr.uky.edu Subject: Rumenye un andere lider bederekh klal, ven men shraybt Mendele verter fun lider, khap ikh zey un zetz af mayn vebs-blat. Ir kent zen, lemoshl, ,,rumenye'', ,,a gezind zalbe akht'', ,,a nay kleyd'', un ,,rebeynu tam'' do: http://www.cs.engr.uky.edu/~raphael/yiddish.html vos vayter, halevay nit erger. a gezuntn un zisn yor af ale yidn! Refoyl Finkel 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 19:08:19 -0400 (EDT) From: ptyaxel@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu Subject: "Rumania, Rumania" Thanks to Milt Eisner (5.124) for providing the words to Aaron Lebedeff's "Rumania, Rumania". Now, if someone can translate the following, this child of _litvakes_ would be additionally grateful. karnatsele kashtaval kastravet (is this supposed to rhyme with _iberal_?) patlozhele (Weinreich has _der patlezhan_ 'eggplant' Harkavy has _patlezhane_ [or _fatlezhane_] 'tomato') dzingma (is this a real word?) Yokum purkon min shemaye (loshn-koydeshdik?) Shleyme Axelrod Buffalo, New York 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 02:31:36 -0400 From: hershl@aol.com Subject: Secular kolnidre in L.A. Secular Yiddishists in the Los Angeles area who are not planning to attend religious kolnidre services next Tuesday evening are welcome to join a secular observance sponsored by the Sholem Community Organization, to be held at 7:30 PM at Kehillat Ma'arav, 1715 21st St., just south of Olympic in Santa Monica. While the program is primarily in English, it includes a great deal of Yiddish poetry and songs, both in Yiddish and in English translation. The cost for guests is $10; $5 for seniors and students. Hershl Hartman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.127