Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.042
July 26, 1996

1) Konin (David Herskovic)
2) Oprikhten goles (David Herskovic)
3) Shvitser (David Herskovic)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 25 Jul 96 22:00:27 EDT
From: 100114.750@compuserve.com
Subject: Konin

_Konin: A Quest_ was first published in the UK by Vintage in 1996. The
ISBN no is 0 09 940981 X. Vintage is a subsudiary of Random House and I
can only assume that they will be publishing it shortly in the USA.

David Herskovic

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 25 Jul 96 22:00:32 EDT
From: 100114.750@compuserve.com
Subject: Oprikhten goles

Rayshis kol a borikh mekhaye hamaysim far reb Eliyui Yuni. Men hot eym
shoyn do nisht gezeyn oder gehert a shok mit yoren in haysen viazoy er
hayst iz shoyn geveyn azelkhe vos hoben gemaynt az er iz arof in himel
of a fayerdike vogen. Nu, aklal az er iz yo nokh tsvishen ints miz men
es toyle zan val er hot a minkacher opshtam (vi ikh) in a minkacher zolt
ir visen lot zikh nisht azoy lakht.

Es iz do a vertel az lantzet in minkatch hoben zikh os gemisht in
sankheyrev's tzaten. Di ingerishe naronim zenen gegangen nokh lantzet in
di galitsyaner kep zenen gekimen of minkatch.

Shoyn ofen zelben tsat a borikh royfe khoylim far reb Don Leeson. Es iz
shtark merkvirdig az reb Don hot bakimen osterlishe koykhes in shpitol
in hot bavizen an ofener moyfes in mamesh mekhaye maysim geveyn a yidene
mit bloyz a por verter yidish. Nu shtelt akh for ven men zol anfiren
yidish in yisroel volten di rayes in derosen fin di kupat kholim neylem
gevoren mi(reb)don vead beayr sheyva iber nakht.

Ir kimt shoyn tsibislekh op goles mit laynen mane shpasen in ikh hob
nokh derval gornisht gezogt.

Uprekhten goles dos iz di vort. Dos hot gornisht mit farrekhten. Es falt
mir nisht an eynglish vort of dos iber tsi tatchen ober ikh hof men vet
farshtayn finem yidish vos ikh mayn.

Oprekhten dos iz a sort vort vos men nitst ven men vil zogen viazoy
ayner get zikh op mit avoydes hashem. Az men vil zogen of a bal tfile
fin yomim noyroim vos far an erlikhe yid er iz ken men zogen 'gay geb a
kik vi er rekht op a khodesh elil'. Dos tit badayten az er shtayt of
finef sho faren hon, zogt os tehilim yosher vehofikh, lernt op apor blat
gemore, khapt a blik in zoyher hakodesh oder kisvay hoarizal in dos iz
nokh alts faren davenen. Of a tsvayten ken men zogen 'shtel dikh inter
yenems fenster in zayger tsvelef in her vi er tit uprekhten a tiken
khatsos'. Dort ken men ervarten tsi heren klogen in vaynen ofen khorben
bays hamikdesh.

Dos vos reb Eliyui zogt az hant egsistiert shoyn nisht bin ikh nisht
azoy zikher. Zol er kimen mit mir of an elal fliger in ikh mayn ikh vel
eym kenen ontsaygen apor fin die sort tipen. Zay ostsimoshlen darf men a
bazindere artikel.

Far ikh gezeygen mikh miz ikh dermanen vi es hot mir ofgeshodert di
bayner ven ikh hob gelaynt veygen Fergi do of mendele. Gants eyngland
hot gemakht a borikh shepotrani mit shem imalkhis of die tsvay lilisen
in in amerike nisht hant gedakht benkt men zikh nokh ir. Zay hoben zikh
bayde tsi mazel giget, ginemen kesibes hoben zay vi fiftsik besiles in
kekimen iz zikh zay nitamol vi ayns, zay hoben zikh gipakt di peklekh in
geforen kan frankraykh anredendik zikh az meshane mokem meshane mazel.
Di frantsoysen zay velen zay shoyn geyben tsi leken.

Shoyn genik of Shabes Nakhmi!

Dovid Hershkovits

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 25 Jul 96 22:00:42 EDT
From: 100114.750@compuserve.com
Subject: Shvitser

In the current issue of Kind in Kayt there is a story by IL Perets about
two children bragging to each other about their respective rich uncles
who exist merely in their imaginations.

After going on for a few minutes each trying to outdo the other one of
the boys remembers that he is hungry. His friend challenges him to
approach his 'uncle' for some food to which he replies 'er hot ongezogt
deym _shvaytsar_ er zol mikh nisht aranlozen'. From the context I take a
shvaytsar to mean a butler.

Is this possibly the origin of shvitser? A person with a menial job
trying to be moyshe groys. Or as they say a knaker on a nin.

David Herskovic

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End of Mendele Vol. 6.042