Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.185 December 7, 1995 1) Introductions (Chana and Yosl Mlotek) 2) Spivak/Yehoash dictionary (Zachary Baker) 3) Spivak/Yehoash dictionary (Leybl Goldberg) 4) Spivak/Yehoash dictionary (Ellie Kellman) 5) 'Judeo-German' vs. Western Yiddish (Zachary Baker) 6) 70th yor fun dem L.A. Yidisher Kultur Klub (Miki Safadi) 7) Bawdy Yiddish (David Sherman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Dec 1995 16:50:01 -0800 From: chaniyos@eworld.com Subject: Introductions Tayerer Noyekh Miller, oyf dayn bakoshe mir zoln zikh forshteln far di mendelyaner tuen mir dos do bekitser. Yosl Mlotek is der farvaltungs- redaktor for "Forverts", firt on mit der Forverts radio-program yedn zuntik oyf WEVD, iz der gevezener bildungs-direktor fun arbeter-ring. Er un zayn froy Chana shraybn dem tsvey-vekhntlekhn kolum "Perl fun der yidisher poezye" in Forverts, in velkhn zey drukn poetishe shafungen, biografyes fun dikhter un oykh dem populern rubrik "Lider vos leyeners dermonen zikh", in velkhn zey entfern oyf frages vegn lider,un drukn lider vos zaynen keyn mol frier nit geven gedruk. Zeyer kolum hobn zey ongehoybn shraybn yede vokh in oktober l970 unter zeyer psevdonim "A. Forsher". Bemeshekh di finf un tsvantsik yor hobn zey ongezamlt toyznter lider in briv un kasetn. Zey hobn aroysgegebn etlekh poezye un lider-antologyes, oyfn smakh fun di ongezamlte materyaln. Yosl Mlotek shraybt un redaktirt oykh a tsvey- vekhntlekhn kolumn in Forverts unter dem psevdonim I. Hamer: "In der velt fun yidish." Er iz oykh der redaktor fun dem arbeter-ring zhurnal "Kultur un lebn". un iz oykh in der redaktsye-kolegye vos iz farantvortlekh farn aroysgebn di naye rusishe tsaytung "Forverts" in velkhn, agev, "mendele" vert dermont fun a yivo-mitarbeter Nikolay Borodulin. Chana is der muzik-arkhivar baym yivo. Dortn farnemt zi zikh mit katalogirn di muzik-zamlungen, lemoshl: di zamlungen fun lazar vayner, leo lyov, vladimir kheyfets, shmuel bugatch, di khorale muzik, di drukn fun boygn-muzik, khazones un liturgishe muzik, teater un operetes, fun klasishe yidishe kompozitorn fun der petersburger yidisher folkslider-gezelshaft, u.and. Di letste khadoshim farnemt zi zikh mit klasifitsirn un katalogirn di yivo-zamlungen vos hobn zikh opgefunen in vilne, un vos a teyl hot di litvishe regirung derloybt dem yivo tsu kopirn. Itst dervart men nokh a shikung. Zi iz oykh farnumen mit tsugreytn a biblyografye fun maks vaynraykh, dos heyst di arbetn un artiklen, vos zaynen nit arayngenumen gevorn in zayn Festshrift. Dos vet arayngeyn in dem yivo-band in ondenk fun maks vaynraykh, unter der redaktsye fun dovid fishman. In ir arbet vi muzik-arkhivar helft zi studentn in der forshung fun farsheydene aspektn fun yidisher muzik: letstns vegn moyshe milner, shostakovich, farsheydene khorn uaz.v. Zi helft oys mit forleygn repertuar far konsertn, mit shraybn notitsn far plates, mit informatsye vegn geto-muzik, muzik fun minsk un andere shtet un shtetlekh, klezmer-muzik, muzik fun Goldfadens operetes, Gebirtigs muzik. Zi hot geholfn a grupe in daytshland tsu gefinen mekoyres fun yidishe muzik fun l6tn un l7th yorhundert. Zi iz tsufridn tsu meldn az s'iz faran a lebediker interes bay yunge mentshn in yidisher muzik, vos es iz azoy boylet gekumen tsum oysdruk in dem grandyezn arbeter-ring-festival mit zeks klezmer-grupes un Itskhak Perlman dem zumer in Demrosh-park. Chana and Yosl Mlotek 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Dec 95 11:26:08 PST From: bm.yib@rlg.stanford.edu Subject: Spivak/Yehoash dictionary In response to my colleague Daniel Soyer's inquiry, the Yiddish peot Yehoash was indeed the co-compiler of a dictionary of loshn- koydesh elements of Yiddish. Here is the citation (orthographic peculiarities preserved): Spivak, Khayim; Yehoyesh (Sh. Blumgarten). Idish verterbukh: enthalt ale hebreishe (un khaldeishe) verter, oysdruken un eygennemen, velkhe veren gebroykht in der idisher shprakh, mit zeyer oysshprakh un aktsent un mit bayshpielen fun vertlekh un shprikhverter in velkhe zey komen for, mit a'n aynlaytung fun nethige klolim un bemerkungen, un a baylage fun hebreishe perzonen-nemen, familye-nemen un nemen fun fereynen, khevres, bes-oylem's u.a.v. [English title-page: Yiddish dictionary; containing all the Hebrew and Chaldaic elements of the Yiddish language, illustrated with proverbs and idiomatic expressions, compiled by Dr. C. D. Spivak and Sol Bloomgarden (Yehoash).] Nyu York: Ferlag "Yehoyesh," 1911. xxxi, 340 p. The "Yehoash dictionary" was reprinted once, in 1926. The orthography is antiquated and the glosses are a bit heavy on the daytshmerish, but it remains an indispensable reference book, and quite elusive -- worthy of reprinting. Dr. Charles D. Spivak was also quite prominent in the medical profession; he was a founder and director of the famous Denver sanitorium. Zachary Baker 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Dec 95 23:49:00 -0500 From: lee.goldberg@neteast.com Subject: Dictionaries of Hebrew Words in Yiddish Daniel Soyer mentioned Yehoyesh's dictionary of Hebrew and Aramaic terms used in Yiddish. My edition is dated 1926 (copywright 1911), published by Farlag "Veker" in New York, and entitled "Idish Verterbukh (Hebreishe Elementn)", compiled and annotated by Yehoyesh (or "Yehoash," the pseudonym of Solomon/Shloyme Bloomgarden) and Dr. Khayim Spivak. The work is a gem, still of great value after 80 years. Besides 277 pages of definitions (o.k., 275 pages after the title page and one blank one), with the Yiddish pronunciation indicated by intelligent use of Hebrew vowel marks, there's a 57-page section of "zeltener gebroykhene Hebreishe (un Khaldeishe) oysdruken, zatsen, un shprikhverter". I got my copy from the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass. Leybl Goldberg 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 10:45:45 -0500 From: e.kellman@utoronto.ca Subject: Yehoash-Spivak verterbukh Danny Soyer mentions in Mendele 5.183 that the poet Yehoash (Solomon Bloomgarten) published a dictionary of Hebraisms. It's the most comprehensive work of its kind that I've seen. Glosses are given in Yiddish. Here is the citation: Yidish Verterbukh Yehoash un Doktor Khayim Spivak Farlag "Veker" Nyu York, 1926 The National Yiddish Book Center has copies for sale from time to time. The book should be reprinted! Ellie Kellman Toronto 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Dec 95 11:38:54 PST From: bm.yib@rlg.stanford.edu Subject: 'Judeo-German' vs. Western Yiddish "Judeo-German" vs. Western Yiddish: While there is clearly a linguistic continuum between the two, with somewhat fuzzy boundaries, there are times when Justice Potter Stewart's adage (in that case, referring le-havdil to obscenity) applies: "I know it when I see it" -- i.e., the text is obviously German in Hebrew characters (as with the Mendelssohn Bi'ur). Is it justified in such cases to describe it as "Judeo-German"? That is a somewhat loaded term, used in Days of Yore as a high-class, English equivalent to "zhargon" (about which we've heard a great deal of late). Zachary Baker 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Dec 95 13:59 PST From: ihw1017@mvs.oac.ucla.edu Subject: 70th yor fun dem L.A. Yidisher Kultur Klub Der Yidisher Kultur-Klub in Los Angeles greyt tsu a groyse fayerung gevidmet 70 yor tetikayt, un 50 yor fun literaturishn magazin, "kheshbon." Di fayerung vet farkumen yuni dem 2tn 1996. Kling on in Kultur Klub, (310) 275-8455 oder (213) 655-1341 in mitn vokh. Der address funem klub iz 8339 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Greyt zikh tsum groysn yom-tov. The Los Angeles Yiddish Culture Club is preparing for a grand celebration in honor of its 70 years of activity, and 50 years of its literary magazine, "Kheshbon." The celebration will take place June 2, 1996. Call the Culture Club at (310) 275-8455 or (213) 655-1341 weekdays. The address of the club is 8339 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Prepare yourself for the great holiday. Miki Safadi 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Dec 95 8:14:56 EST From: dave@cai.lsuc.on.ca Subject: Bawdy Yiddish Nussin Kohn writes: "Yiddish profanity and vulgar usage does not appeal to me." That's fine. There are many things of Mendele that don't appeal to me. I don't suggest people shouldn't discuss them. If you don't want to read it, skip the article. David Sherman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.185