Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.120 December 15, 1997 1) A Lebedike Velt (sylvia schildt) 2) Comparing two authors (Lee Dembart) 3) WEVD; Socialists in US Congress (Harodl L. Orbach) 4) Nomberg's Tsvishn Berg (Louis Fridhandler) 5) Dictionary advice to students of Yiddish (Louis Fridhandler) 6) Good Yiddish style (Louis Fridhandler) 7) Vi men darf nitzn Mendele --etimologies un andere pilpulim (Mendy Fliegler) 8) kibosh (Ellen Prince) 9) kabash (Dan Gilman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 14:21:50 +0100 From: creativa@charm.net (sylvia schildt) Subject: A Lebedike Velt Zogt nokh nit kin kadish iber mame loshn, mentshn, es iz a lebedike velt af der yidisher gas. me krigt zikh, me shaft nokh naye verk, es kumen tzu yunge mentshn fun meshpokhes vu me hot sheyn yidish fargesn, me hultyet un "klezevet" af yidish, khasidishe sektn bavayzn a nayem derekh eretz far der shprakh als shprakh, der forvertz iz tzugekumen tzum YIVO ortografie un git undz afile a kinder vinkl, eretz yisroyldike shuln firn on yidish klasn reglmesik fun kindergortn biz universitet,organizatzies vi lansky's tziyen tzu iber 30,000 mitglider (un di mitglider kenen eykh vern tetik in andere yidishe grupes,) un azey vayter. afile in mizrakh eyrope, vu mir hobn ale gegleybt, di geshikhte iz sheyn a geshlosene benegeye yidish, kumt for nokh a tkhies hameysim. zikher iz nit genug. zikher iz nokh a sakh arbet tzu ton kdey tzu farzikhern az in hundert, 2 hundert yor arum, vet nokh zayn a mame loshn oyser di arkhivn. di vikhtikste zakh iz az di yidishe organizatzies zoln arbetn tzuzamen, nisht vi konkurentn, nor vi teyln fun eyn guf. tzi frum tzi fray, tzi links tzi rekhts, tzi gelernte tzi poshet folk,fum zol zayn vos far a rikhtung, mir muzn zikh shtitzn eyner dem andern. mir kenen afile zikh lernen fun di andere grupes. ilh shlog for az di yidishe organizatzies in ale shtet un shtetlekh zoln rufn a konferentz kdey oystzuforshn di beste mitlen tzu arbetn tzuzamen af gemeyne gebitn -- l'moshl lozn visn di mitglider vos fara ovntn, konferentzn (u.a.v.) veln forkumen -- l'moshl - vi azey me ken arbetn tzuzamen tzu farinteresirn di yugnt in yidish -- tzu fargresern di yidish klasn far dervaksene -- arayntzunemen yidish limud in di religieze shuln -- zen az bikher af un vegn yidish gefinin zikh in di bukhgesheftn, zen tzu brengen a bisele yidish teater tzu di mentshn, oder brengen di mentshn tzum yidish teater (folksbiene, u.a.v.) - a sakh tzu ton. es vet nemen nit veyniker vi a hundert yor, nokhdem veln mir vayter zen. Don't say kaddish over Yiddish yet, folks, things are hopping in the world of Yiddish. They're arguing, creating new works, young people are emerging from families in which Yiddish was already forgotten, people are carousing and klezing in Yiddish, Chasidic sects are showing new respect fpr the language as a language, the Forward has accepted YIVO orthography and is giving us a Children's Corner, Israeli schools are offering some regular Yiddish classes from K through University, organizations like Lansky's attract over 30,000 members (and some of these become active in other Yiddish groups) etc. Even in Eastern Europe, where we had all come to believe that history was closed relative to Yiddish, another resurrection of the dead is taking place. Of course, it's not enough. Of course there's still a lot of work to do to secure so that in a 100, 200 years from now,there wll be a mame loshn outside of archives. The most important thing is that Yiddish organizations work together, not as competitors, but as parts of one body. Religious or secular, left or right, scholars or just plain folks, from whatever orientation, we need to support one another. we can even learn from other groups. I propose that Yiddish organizations in each city or town call a conference in order to explore the best ways to work together on common areas i.e., let members know what meetings, conferences, etc. are going on, how to work together to interest youth in Yiddish -- to expand Yiddish classes for adults, integrate Yiddish classes into religious schools, see to it that books in and about Yiddish are t be found in bookstores, how to bring a little Yiddish theatre to the people, or bring the people to the Yiddish theatre (Folksbiene, etc.) -- a lot to do. It'll take at least a hundred years. After that, we'll see. Sylvia Schildt Baltimore, Maryland 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 21:34:28 EST From: Dembart Subject: Comparing two authors My mother asks what's the difference between the work of Sholem Aleichem and the work of Isaac Bashevis Singer. Not a bad question. Any suggestions about what I should tell her? (Make believe that you're explaining it to your grandmother.) A sheynem dank for your thoughts and help. Lee Dembart in San Francisco 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 13:38:05 -0600 (CST) From: Harold L Orbach Subject: WEVD; Socialists in US Congress I thank Heyneckh Sapoznik (7.115) for clarifying the origin of Yiddish on WEVD. I had certainly forgotten that WEVD had mostly non-Yiddish programming, indeed my mother had it as one of her favorite sources for music. But the main point, that it was as part of the _socialist_ yiddish movement that it developed yiddish radio remains. And while Ellyet Hersh Gertl (7.117) correctly notes that Bernard Sanders of Vermont is Jewish and a socialist personally, he has been elected to Congress (as he was as Mayor of Burlington earlier) as an independent and not as representing a socialist party as were Victor Berger and Meyer London. Berger who had been mayor of Milwaukee did not streee his Jewish as opposed to his German background, while Meyer London campaigned in Yiddish on the lower East Side with the support of The Forward. For the record, given the maturity of a good deal of our Mendelistn, they were the first to introduce (1912, 1916 respectively) legislation for a national system of old-age pensions (social security) based on social insurance. Harodl L. Orbach Manhattan, Kansas 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 19:23:23 EST From: Lfridhan Subject: Nomberg's Tsvishn Berg Andrey Bredstein (7.116, 9) seems to claim the following: because the original printing of Nomberg's Tsvishn Berg contained typographical errors, it is therefore all right (he uses the word _farshtendlekh_, understandable) for the reprint in Pakn- Treger to repeat them. If that's his proposition, I heartily disagree. My proposition: in the cause of Yiddishism, the needs of today's students of Yiddish (of all ages) should be paramount, and so the text should be as clear and as free of mistakes as possible. Typos only confuse and seriously get in the way of learning. As to the retention of Germanized spelling in Tsvishn Berg: I maintain it is unfortunate. Advanced students must get used to Germanized orthography when studying old originals. However, a reprint affords a golden opportunity to correct typos and bring Yiddish orthography up to date, and so advance the cause of teaching Yiddish to today's students of Yiddish. Studying a new language is tough enough even with a standardized spelling system. Dictionaries that may help with the old spelling, if they exist today, must be rare indeed. Who would reprint them, anyhow? As to the translation of Nomberg's use of viderig: Yes, Weinreich defines _vider_ as ram. I'm not impressed that therefore _repulsive_ is an appropriate translation of _viderig_. In German, Widder means ram. If Nomberg meant viderig to signify ram-like, then he may have meant something like bumptious (and so related in meaning to the German widrig, unfriendly, antagonistic as I suggested). It certainly is not _vi a sheps_ (sheps is Andrey Bredstein's word), sheep-like. These are my humble opinions. No one can claim absolute, Olympian authority. Not even a dictionary that weighs a ton or two. Nomberg was the only authority on what he meant, and so we need to maintain appropriate, scholarly humility. The original Yiddish does, indeed, matter more than any translation. As to Nomberg's style: While acknowledging our debt to Nomberg for his efforts in the cause of Yiddishism, that has nothing to do with any opinion about his style of writing. I do think that in Tsvishn Berg, his style is very stiff and seems as formal as a heel-clicking German officer. I can't help my reaction, and students ought to understand something about style. This piece does not reflect the humor, the warm and chilling ironies, or the rhythmic, touching, sometimes musical lilts that are the wonders of the best Yiddish writing, for both serious and entertainment purposes. Nomberg himself was probably nothing like his writing. But I imagine that a style highly admired by some in those days led him to write like that in Tsvishn Berg, set in and near Munich. Let's hope this discussion doesn't unravel into yet another endless one like the one about davenen. Oy vey! Kholile! Louis Fridhandler 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 17:44:22 EST From: Lfridhan Subject: Dictionary advice to students of Yiddish In advancing the cause of Yiddishism, reading the older literature is quite important and the serious student (beginner or advanced) often requires the aid of a number of dictionaries. Obviously, Weinreich and Harkavy are essential. Stutshkov sometimes saves the day. Hebrew-English is always helpful; German-, Russian-, and Polish-English are useful for Sholem Aleichem's older pieces and Peretz's works. I wish I had a Ukrainian-English one, but haven't found one yet. The latter would, I imagine, be especially helpful in reading the early Sholem Aleichem. He was steeped in the Yiddish that developed among Ukrainian neighbors. Students of various translations have judged translations of Sholem Aleichem into Ukrainian to be the most felicitous. For help in penetrating occasionally difficult Yiddish, I use Weinreich, Harkavy and Stutshkov, plus three Hebrew dictionaries, as well as German, Russian and Polish dictionaries. However, meanings of words borrowed by Yiddish are sometimes different (at least subtly) from meanings in the source language. Since the serious beginner soon becomes a veteran hungry for more, not one of these dictionaries is superfluous (and no one has to be a weightlifter). Louis Fridhandler 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 17:44:20 EST From: Lfridhan Subject: Good Yiddish style I reread some of the fine Yiddish style of I.D. Berkowitz in Undzere Rishoynim, comparing it to Tsvishn Berg. I intended no disparagement of Nomberg personally, but I deplored the stilted, heavily Germanized language, spelling and style of Nomberg's Tsvishn Berg (latest issue of Der Pakn- Treger). Now, it's probably my obligation to indicate what I mean by _good_ Yiddish language, spelling and style. Berkowitz's Undzere Rishoynim (published 1966), among much other Yiddish writing, will do admirably. In the main, Berkowitz records his memoirs of Sholem Aleichem, but includes much more. The work consists of five precious, enlightening Yiddish volumes which can, all five together, be held in one hand. (I've actually tried, and it works!) If these volumes are still available, I recommend them unreservedly to bathe the mind and heart and ear in flowing, flavorful delights of the Yiddish spirit, the rhythmic Yiddish music, and more. I refer especially to Chapters 1 and 2 of Volume 1 (alef), of Undzere Rishoynim (Our Pioneers), by I.D. Berkowitz, Tel Aviv: Hamenora Publishing House, 1966. As a bar-mitsve boy Berkowitz secretly read haskole literature and novels in Hebrew stashed out of sight in his yeshive prayer stand. Then he subscribed to the local library in Slutsk, but soon exhausted the Hebrew collection, and was offered _zhargonishe bikher_. Zhargon was a lofty name, in those days, for ordinary Yiddish then belittled because it was accessible to women and servant-girls. He read Shomer's shund novels, swallowed them greedily one after the other, and soon exhausted them. Feeling desperately lost at the prospect of no more books to read, Berkowitz was led by the librarian to another room. The old man opened a drawer to reveal a treasured book in zhargon which he was guarding as a legacy for his children. It was the first volume (1888) of Sholem Aleichem's Di Yidishe Folksbibliotek. And that was young Berkowitz's introduction to the possibility of a more glorious future for fine Yiddish belles-lettres. At the time, he did not fully appreciate that. Berkowitz writes of his great pleasures in reading the various writers. Certain metaphors sound much, much better in Yiddish. Using a musical metaphor, he calls the writers members of a choir conducted by Sholem Aleichem (p. 29). Then comes a metaphor mixing oral and auditory features: gezupt pamelekh un zikh tsugehert tsu yedn zup - sipped slowly and listened closely to every sip (p. 31). On p. 32, Berkowitz writes of having already read Mendele in Hebrew, but now encountering him for the first time in Yiddish: in hebreyish hot er tsu mir in mayne ershte yorn geredt tif interesant, nor dortn hot er dos geredt durkh a farmakhtn fentster. Do, in dem "vintshfingerl," dos ershte verk zayns, vos ikh hob geleyent af yidish, iz dos fentster geven ofn, di alte shtim hot geklungen klor un daytlekh, un di alte batamte shprakh, khotsh oykh gedikht un klepik, vi guter honik, hot zikh ibergegosn glaykh in hartsn arayn. (Translation) In my earliest years, his Hebrew words spoke to me in a deeply interesting way, but then he seemed to be speaking through a closed window. Here, in "dos vintshfingerl," the first of his works I read in Yiddish, the window was open, and the old voice rang out clear and distinct, and the tangy talk, though dense and thick as good honey, poured right into my heart. Now that is fine Yiddish in my opinion! Louis Fridhandler 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 23:34:45 -0200 From: emenems@juno.com (Mendy Fliegler) Subject: Vi men darf nitzn Mendele --etimologies un andere pilpulim... Veyst dokh, khevre, az mayn Feter Yankl (O.haSh.) fleg mikh strashen ven ikh bin geven a kleyn kind, az er vet mikh 'upshnaydn'... Nu, efsher, take, darf men 'upshnaydn' mit di etimologies... efsher zoln di gute khevre vus viln vayter zikh shpiln mit di verter... efsher zoln zay zikh avekzetsn dortn oyfn 'Mendele' 'nets (Web), un git iberkayen, un efsher shtoysn zikh gezundterheyt, vus zey viln. Dan veln mir kenen araynbrengen _du_ naye, shaferishe temes epes... Un Noyekh, zolst du zayn gezindt un shtark... Mendy Fliegler 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 00:51:00 EST From: "Ellen F. Prince" Subject: kibosh In response to Lance Garmer's query about _kibosh_ [07.118], the word is of course English and is even in the now-venerable Webster's Third both as a noun and as a verb, tho I'd never heard it as a verb before reading his query. (I've heard and used it only in the phrase _put the kibosh on_.) As for where it comes from, both Webster's III and the most recent American Heritage (3rd ed.) list it as 'Origin unknown'. The Hebrew word Garmer cites is interesting but I'd be surprised if it came into English via Yiddish given its stress pattern (not too many two-syllable words in Yiddish with the stress on the second syllable), plus of course the annoying fact that it doesn't seem to exist in Yiddish, and it seems both too recent to have been borrowed directly from Hebrew in the first wave of Hebrew borrowings (e.g. shibboleth, hallelujah) and too old to have been borrowed in the second wave (e.g. kibbutz, pita). 'Tis a puzzlement. Ellen Prince 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 03:13:34 -0500 From: Dan Gilman Subject: kabash In 07.118, Lance Garmer wrote in asking about the word "kabash." I have heard the word used as he or she describes, but written as "kibosh." I always assumed that it was pronounce "kbosh," in a quasi-hebreish way, but a few months back, an episode of "Seinfeld," of all things, featured the word. Throughout the show, everybody pronounced it "kay' bosh" in a strange English-language mutilation of the printed word. Since the show is known for running gags that go on for years, it struck me as odd that no one questioned the pronunciation. Not being familiar with Polish, I just assumed that it was of Yiddish origin somewhere back there, and took on an unfortunate spelling in English. Garmer's usage, though, is just as I know it: to put the kibosh on something or someone. Dan Gilman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.120 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://mendele.commons.yale.edu http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html