Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.284 March 24, 1996 1) Naye gezets letoyves yidish (Leybl Botvinik) 2) Why Mendele has been silent (Noyekh Miller) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 05:43:22 +0200 (IST) From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il Subject: Naye gezets letoyves yidish ikh bin tsufridn aykh ibertsugebn a gute bsure, az dem 3tn merts, 1996 iz ongenumen gevorn in der yisroyl kneset a naye gezets letoyves der yidisher shprakh un kultur. dos iz a gezets farn shafn a melukhishn instants bay dem dertiyungs ministeryum vos vet ofitsyel zikh farnemen mi farsheydene aspektn fun der yidisher shprakh un kultur in yisroyl. di ershte shrit far dem zaynen gemakht gevorn nokh in 1990 ven der hemshekh dor ohavei yidish (libhobers fun yidish), a dank der initsiativ fun dem forzitser daniel galay, hot ongehoybn a min lobi-aktsye tsvishn kneset deputatn tsu helfn shtarkn dem maymed fun der yidisher shprakh un kultur. er hot farshtanen, az kedey yidish zol kenen lebn, farzikhert, in der yidisher medine, muz es ofitsyel onerkent vern durkh melukhe instantsn, un muz deriber geshtitst vern durkh a melukhesher guf un melukhishe fondn. bemeshekh fun di letste 6 yor, iz der doziker mi nit oyfgehert gevorn metsad dem hemshekh dor oyhavei yidish, un der origineler gezets forshlog iz bay unds tsugegreyt un aroysgeshikt gevorn durkh undsere advokatn tsu filtsolike kneset deputatn vos zaynen geven simpatish tsu dem gedank. khaver kneset dov shilanski iz der vos hot tsugeshtelt der gezets forshlog (mit gevise enderungen) un bemeshekh fun etlekhe yor zaynen ongegangen bamiyungen kedey es zoln in rikhtikn moment bahandlt vern inem kneset plenum. andere yidish interes grupes vi der veltrat far yidish un yidisher kultur, unter dem farshtorbenem professor yitskhok varshavsky (o"h) hobn oykh tsushtayer geven dem initsyativ. ikh vel aykh do ibergebn dem tamtsis fun der gezets: dos naye melukhe gezets heyst "khok hareshut haleumit letarbut hayidish" ("gezets far der natsyonaler oytoritet far der yidish kultur"). es vet geshafn vern a komisye fun 21 mentshn (untern minister fun dertsiyung), vos vet zikh farnemen mit yidish shprakh un kultur in yisroyl. tsvishn di 21: forshteyers fun der akademye, fun di lerers un lerer fareyn, fun der yidisher shrayber un zhurnalistn fareyn, regirungs mentshn, fun der hebreisher shprakh akademye, fun dem veltrat far yidish un yidisher kultur, un fun dem hemshekh dor ohavei yidish. di tsiln zaynen, tsvishn andern: 1. fartifn baym folk dos bakenen zikh mit der yidisher kultur in ale ire formen, bazorgn dem oysforshn un lernen ir, un oysnutsn di farsheydene komunikatsye mitlen far dem tsvek; 2. shtitsn dem shafn in yidish; 3. shtitsn di institutsyes vos firn a tetikeyt in yidish; 4. aynzamlen, katalogirn un prezervirn di yidishe folks oytsres, say di geshribene, say di mundlekhe. 5. shtitsn dos farefntlekhn verk in yidish, un yidish verk in der hebreyisher iberzetsung; in dokument vegn der 'oytoritet far yidish' vern ongegebn kolerley administrative un legale hiskhayvesn un onvayzungen, un s'vert oykh dermont dem inyen budzhet un vegn onshteln an ekzekutiv director vos vet oysfirn di arbet. dos gezets vert ofitsyel aktivirt 3 khodoshim nokh dem vi es vert ofitsyel farefntlekht in di regirungs bikher (bemeshekh fun di kumendike tsvey vokhn). di komisye (oytoritet) vet dernokh hobn biz eyn yor tsayt zikh tsu organizirn, oysarbetn vendpunktn un tsushteln dem geherikn arbets plan un budzhet. a yesher koyakh danil galayen un zayn froy, di advokatin khana galay, vos hobn mit azoy fil ibergegebnkeyt zikh farnumen mit dem inyen, un ale andere vos hobn gearbet azoy shver tsu farzikhern a regirungs maymed far der yidisher shprakh un kultur. un a spetsyeln dank dov shilanskin far zayn mi un ibergegebnkeyt far yidish. =========== I am happy to announce the good news, that on the 3rd of March, 1996, the Israeli Parliament (the 'Knesset') passed a new law in favour of the Yiddish language and culture. This law is for establishing a government body under the Ministry of Education, which will be involved with various aspects of Yiddish language and culture in Israel. The first steps toward this were made in 1990, when the 'Hemshekh Dor Ohavei Yidish' (Lovers of Yiddish), -- thanks to the initiative of the chairman Daniel Galay -- began a sort of lobbying action amongst MKs (Members of the Knesset), to help strengthen the position of the Yiddish language and culture. He understood, that in order for Yiddish to live, protected, in the Jewish land, it must be officialy recognized by government departments, and subsequently supported by a government body, and government funds. During the preceding 6 years, this effort did not cease on the part of the Hemshekh Dor Ohavei Yidish, and the original Law proposal was prepared by us and sent out by our lawyers to many MKs who were simpathetic to the idea. Member of the Knesset Dov Shilansky presented the law-proposal (with certain modifications), and during the next few years, ongoing efforts were made in order that at the right moment, it should be presented to the Knesset Plenum. Various other Yiddish interest groups such as the World Council for Yiddish and Jewish Culture under the late Professor Yitskhok Warshavsky also contributed to the initiative. I will present the essence of the law for you: The new law is named: "khok hareshut haleumit letarbut hayidish" ("Law for the National Authority for Yiddish Culture"). A commission of 21 persons will be created (under the Minister of Education), which will be involved with Yiddish language and culture in Israel. Amongst the 21: representatives of the Academia, of teachers and of the Teachers' Union, of the Union of Yiddish Writers and Journalists, government representatives, from the Academy of the Hebrew Language, from the World Council for Yiddish and Jewish Culture, and from the Hemshekh Dor Ohavei Yiddish. The goals are, amongst others: 1. Deepening the people's awareness of Yiddish culture in all its forms, and provide for its research and teaching, utilizing all media of communication to achieve this; 2. Supporting creativity in Yiddish; 3. Supporting those institutions who conduct an activity in Yiddish; 4. Gathering, cataloguing and preserving Yiddish Folks treasures, both in written and oral form; 5. Supporting the publication of works in Yiddish and Yiddish works in Hebrew translation; In the document concerning the 'Authority for Yiddish', there are various administrative and legal obligations and points, and there is also reference to budget considerations and to an executive director who will be employed to carry out the work. The law will officially come into effect 3 months after it is officially published in the governments registers (sometime within the next 2 weeks). The commission will then have until one year's time to organize itself, to work out milestones, and to present a work plan and budget. A 'yesher koyakh' to Daniel Galay and to his wife, Advocate Khana Galay, who undertook to realize this project with so much devotion, and also to all the others who worked so hard to guaranty a governmental status for the Yiddish language and culture. And a special thanks to Dov Shilanski for his efforts and devotion for Yiddish. leybl botvinik netanya 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 From: nmiller@shakti.trincoll.edu Subject: Why Mendele has been silent There appears to be a problem somewhere in the pipeline that connects your shames with the Trinity computer. Enough of it has been resolved to enable me to download incoming posts to Mendele and to send them out again after editing off-line. So we can hope to resume regular transmission of Mendele. Unfortunately I'm still unable to answer mail (someone has dumped a pot of pitsya into the works of some machine somewhere), so I apologize to the many Mendelyaner who've written on a whole host of matters. This note will have to serve as a temporary answer to all. Apologies. Patience. Noyekh Miller ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.284