Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 7.023 June 24, 1997 1) "Too Early To Be Quiet, Too Late To Sing" (Bob and Molly Freedman) 2) a rebishn tish (Perets Mett) 3) a kampanye far forverts-abonentn (Sholem Berger) 4) Weinreich's phrase book (Al Grand) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 21:23:57 -0400 From: Robert Freedman Subject: Chava Alberstein Film - "Too Early To Be Quiet, Too Late To Sing" We have had occasion to view the film produced by Chava Alberstein dealing with Yiddish poets and Yiddish poetry in Israel. It is professionally produced (what less should we expect from one of Israel's top performing artists), and a joy to Yiddish libhobers. Appropriate for vinkln and leynkreyzn at any level (English subtitles are a great help) and a significant resource for any teacher or professor involved in teaching Yiddish or researching contemporary Yiddish literature. We have yet to learn how the video will be distributed or when it will be available for sale. Bob and Molly Freedman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 12:46:14 +0100 From: Percy Mett Subject: a rebishn tish Vera Szabo [Mendele Vol 7.021] asks "How would you translate 'gefirt a tish' into English, by the way?" Good question. How indeed? I can hardly see myself using the expression in English. (The esrog question all over again.) The Jewish Tribune (London) reports on tishn from time to time but I can't remember how they phrase it. Maybe "..held a tish.." The yidish idiom frequently allows the pun, when someone (a chosid in a shtibl perhaps) is carrying a table... az er firt tish! Perets Mett 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 15:38:13 +0000 From: bergez01@mchip00.med.nyu.edu Subject: A kampanye far forverts-abonentn [A campaign for Forverts subscribers] Di redaktsye _forverts_ hot dem 6tn september 1996 un dernokh vider, dem 31stn yanuar 1997, gemoldn, az zi vet aynfirn dem aynheytlekhn yidishn oysleyg (dem yivo-oysleyg) gor in gikhn. Lekoved ot dem historishn gesheenish, hot di yidish-lige, a dank a gresern bayshtayer fun an anonimen, breythartsikn metsenat zikh untergenumen tsu shafn hundert naye abonentn un tsoln far zey dos abonir-gelt. Balonim tsu khapn aza metsie zoln tsushikn zeyer nomen un adres tsu League for Yiddish 200 West 72nd St., Suite 40 New York, NY 10023-2824 oder elektronish tsu bergez01@popmail.med.nyu.edu. Di yidish-lige [A special offer from the Yiddish Forverts] The editors of the Forverts have on two occasions announced their intention to institute in the very near future the YIVO system of standard Yiddish spelling. In honor of this historic event, the Yiddish-League is undertaking a campaign to create 100 new Forverts subscribers and pay for their subscription. The effort is made possible by a generous contribution from an anonymous donor. Those interested should send their name and address to the League for Yiddish, above, or electronically to bergez01@popmail.med.nyu.edu. Sholem Berger 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 18:10:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Savoyid@aol.com Subject: Weinreich's phrase book I should like to alert the readers of this list to a delightfully humorous essay regarding Uriel and Beatrice Weinreich's little paperback phrase book "Say It in Yiddish" in the current (June - July 1997) issue of _Civilization_ [The Magazine of The Library of Congress]. The essay is entitled "Guidebook to a Land of Ghosts" and is subtitled "A Yiddish phrase book is an absurd, poignant artifact of a country that never was." The writer, Michael Chabon, finds, in the pages of the phrase book, detailed directions - buying plane tickets, visiting the dentist, getting a finger wave from a Yiddish-speaking hairdresser or a shoeshine from a Yiddish-speaking shineboy - in a country that never existed. The charming illustrations by Ben Katchor of city life in this imaginary land wherein all street signs, billboards, directional markers and public notices are all in Yiddish _oysyes_ is alone worth the price of the magazine. Al Grand ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 7.023