Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.047
August 4, 1996

1) Introduction (Joachim Neugroschel)
2) "Az du kenst an mir nit glanzen..." (Rivke Steinig)
3) Benyamin Netanyahu (David Herskovic)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 1996 12:03:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: achim1@cris.com
Subject: Introduction

ikh bin do a naier abonent.  zenen do Yidish-reders in NYC vos volt
gevolt shmuesn af Yidish?  Zait azoi gut und shraibt mir.  ikh bin a
shraiber, kunst kritiker, un literarischer Iberzetser fun etlikhe
shprakhn:  daitsh, yidish, frantsoizish, rusish, un italienish.

ikh zuch an ekzemplar funm ferten bant funm _Groisn Yidishn
Verterbukh_ und oikhet fun Zaretskys _Yidisher Gramatik_.

Joachim Neugroschel

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 1996 13:09:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: rsteinig@suffolk.lib.ny.us
Subject: "Az du kenst an mir nit glanzen..."

My 87-year-old mother repeatedly refers to a Yiddish expression
along the lines of "Az du kenst an mir nit glanzen, meg ikh brider af
dir tanzen."  She says it concludes a parable involving a conversation
between a brush and a mirror.

Since she is suffering from dementia following a massive stroke,
we don't know if she's remembering a story from childhood or inventing one
in old age.  Can anyone shed some light?

Thanks.

Rivke Steinig

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 02 Aug 96 07:45:58 EDT
From: 100114.750@compuserve.com
Subject: Benyamin Netanyahu

Dos ofnemen fin benyamin netanyahu alts premier fin yisroel hot geshafen a
naye sort probleym. Ikh mayn yetst nisht rekht oder link tsi frim tsi fray.
Ikh mayn okhet nisht di alt shtot fin yerisholayim tsi di kayver fin di mame
rokhel in okhet nisht khevroyn in kiryes arba.

Nayn, ikh mayn nisht dos. Di benay hagoyle, di goles yiden iz shver
ontsinemen az der pershoyn fin netanyahu is hant moyshel bekipe. Di
yuropeyisher yiden bikhlal in di eynglishe yiden bifrat iz opgeret. Es shtelt
zikh of an amerikaner ying in ret an eynglish vos es klingt in knakt. Nu, vos
zol of deym a frantsoyzisher yid zogen? 'Er ken nisht reden abisel
frantsoyzish? Es iz a mitsve aros tsi nemen di oygen fin gants frankraykh?'

Der eynglishe yis iz vider a frish pekl. Der eynglisher yid hot dokh lib tsi
zan hayliger vi der poypst in nokh mer eynglish vi eyngland. Tit er tomid
dermanen vi vaytsman hot gedint in di eynglishe armey - er iz gor geveyn an
ofitsir. Of ben-gurion hot er a frishe zak mit mases: er fleygt zikh drayen
in gesheften fin genitste bikhlekh in londen. Hert ir a yikhes. Bald velen
zay akh dertsaylen az zan mame mit churchils babe hoben gehongen vesh ofen
zelben brik.

Atsind shtelt akh for viazoy es shpirt zikh bay di yiden ven zay heren tsi
zeyn deym Netanyahu. Loy day vos er hot shtodirt in amerike in iz shoyn
geveyn in amerike in er makht zikh gornisht tsitin fin londen ret er nokh
lehakhis mit aza amerikaner aksent vos kratst in di oyren. Kharpes in bishes.

Dos iz ober alts bekheysed ven es kimt tsi di amerikaner yiden. Di amerikaner
yiden mist ir farshtayn halten os medines yisroel. On zay volt nisht geveyn
nisht kan negev in nisht kan golan; nisht kan lift-vafe nisht kan shif
militer; nisht kan aktsen in nisht kan benk; nisht kan kimpertoren in nisht
kan bes hakhyims, bekitser gornisht.

Az men get miz men dokh epes nemen okh. Dos az zay kenen foren kan eyrets in
zikh shtipen iberal in shrayen in a tsibrokhener ivrit 'ani ma'amerika' iz a
klayner baloyning of vos zay tin alts val finef in nantsik mol fin hidert
makht zikh kayner nisht tsitin. Ayn zakh iz do vos makht zikh ostsolen zayre
nedoves. Apor mol a yor rikt zikh on der premier finem lant in amerike er tit
zikh on a klaynem kapel in dertsaylt far zane libe brider in shvester vos
es tit zikh inem lant. Er breyngt grisen, er lost treren in aiker er makht of
keshenes.

Az dos zol hoben a virkung miz der premier oszeyn vi a yid az di libe
amerikaner yiden zolen shpiren az vi zay shtayn nor mitn bashefer iz khotch
do a yid in eyrets yisroel vos iz zay moytse. Ozer deym vil dokh der
geyber shpirn az er get far a nebekh, far a kranken shvesterkind vos iz
arimgenimn mit sonim in hot nebekh nish kan parnose.

Tsi deym darf men dokh oszeyn vi a yid. Darf men hoben a tsamgelofen ponim vi
golde mayir, a noz vi shimen peres, gayn brilen vi menakhen baygin, di oygen
darfen zan azoy klayn, genayvish in poylish vi shamir's, der hor vater miz
zan azoy intelektoalish in apikorsish vi ben-gurion's in azoy gayt men ofen
shtreyzel mit di pak ofen playtse. Az men kimt azoy on kan amerike in men ret
in an aksent azoy dik vi a khsidishe matse vi rabin makhen zikh of di hertser
in di tashen veren shiter.

Ober az es kimt on kan amerike a yingatch, hoyekh vi a loshik, shayn vi a
shveyd, a piskel vi bilems ayzil, in der dover akher tropt em ofen
ogeshoyrene bord in di shikses loyfen eym nokh fin inten az aza ayner shtelt
zikh avek leyben klinten'en shvindlen di oygen in men vayst nisht ver iz der
president in ver der premier vos far a ponim hot dos. Avade di tates in di
mames zeyen dos of televizye vert zay nas in di oygen in zay benchen di
ayniklekh yesimkho eloykim k'benyamin netanyahu ober riboynoy shel oylem
nisht faren fartreyter finem haylig lant. 'El hanar haze hispalolti?',
krekhtsen zay, 'vos vet zan mit yidishkayt'?

Tif in harts shtekht okh. Dos iz a shnorer, mit a rikn vi a shtekn? Ir hot
shoyn amol gezeyn an oriman zol zikh shtoltsiren ibern oysher? Ad kan! In
ints darfen nokh far deym batsolen. Ze beloy!

Ober vi men zogt, nit gedayget. Aynems farlost iz a tsvaytens fardinst. Az es
zogt akh a yisroayli az er hot geveylt far peres in er glakht nisht dem nayem
hopt minister zolt ir eym nisht glayben kan ayn vort. Shtelt akh nor for, in
a medine vos of yeyder vinkel fin yeyder stechke iz do riklamen far 'mitbakh
amerikai' in vash poder far vash mashinen kimen 'beshita amerikait' shtelt
akh nor for vi zay kveln in shepn nakhes fin a 'rosh memshala amerikait'. Er
zeyt os vi an amerikaner, ret vi an amerikaner, zindigt vi an amerikaner vos
nokh ken men farlangen. Mamesh moshiekhs tsaten!

David Herskovic

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End of Mendele Vol. 6.047