Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.145 February 10, 1998 1) World Conference For Yiddish: 8-11 June, 1998, Israel (Leybl Botwinik) 2) Bund Conference Announcement (Michael Steinlauf) 3) "God Hid His Face", a book of poems translated from Yiddish (Marek Kanter) 4) "Bay undz yidn" (Michael Steinlauf) 5) Farvos toygn nisht daytshmerizmen? (Louis Fridhandler) 6) Dos Koshmar-Lid in the Yiddish _Forverts_ (Al Grand) 7) Introduction (Jan Jonk) 8) Introduction and Yiddish braille (Vivian Aldridge) 9) Shayles un Tshuves (Itzik Shtejn) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 08:18:41 +0200 From: Leybl Botwinik Subject: World Conference For Yiddish: 8-11 June, 1998. Israel [English summary follows the Yiddish] a yediye funem veltrat far yidisher kultur: mir zaynen tsufridn tsu meldn, az a velt-konferents far yidisher kultur vet opgehaltn vern tsvishn dem 8tn un dem 11tn yuni, 1998, in ram fun di fayerungen lekoved dem 50-tn yubiley fun medines yisroyl. bay der yomtevdiker tsuzamenkum vet glaykhtsaytik opgemerkt vern in bazundere sesyes di historishe date fun 90 yor tshernovitsher yidisher konferents, un der 85ter geboyrntog fun undser natsyonaln dikhter avrom sutskever. di konferents vet forkumen in der prekhtiker shtot ashkelon, untern patronazh fun der shtot-farvaltung, mit di spetsyele meglekhkeytn fun oysflugn in der sheyner svive. hotel un shpayzn bemeshekh fun di 4 teg far di delegatn veln zayn oyfn kheshbn fun veltrat. far vayterdike informatsye, zikh vendn tsum veltrat loyt dem untn ongegebenem adres. The World Council for Yidish Culture is happy to announce, that a world conference for Yiddish culture will take place from the 8th to the 11th of June, 1998 within the framework of the festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel. In conjunction with this, special sessions will mark the historic 90th anniversary of the Tshernovits Yiddish conference as well as the 80-th birthday of our great National Yiddish poet, Avrom Sutskever. The sessions will take place in the beautiful city of Ashkelon, under the patronage of the Ashkelon city council. Hotel and meals for the delegates during the 4 days, will be paid by the World Council for YIddish Culture. For more information, please contact our offices at: World Council for Yidish Culture, Veltrat far Yidisher kultur, Leivik House, 30 Dov Hoz Street, Tel-Aviv 61116, Israel. tel: 972-3-522-7058 fax: 972-3-523-0520 - Leybl Botvinik, vitse forzitser/vice-chairman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 10:29:52 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Steinlauf Subject: Bund Conference Announcement. Who was Vladimir Medem and what was his sanatorium? Can you name the SKIF (children's Bund group) ten commandments? Why did poet and activist Abraham Liessin get kicked out of the Volozhin yeshiva and join the Bund? What strategies did the Bund develop to counter unjust tenant eviction? What role did the Bund play in the development of secular Jewish culture? How can we move beyond the binarism of "death/dying" and "revival" of socialism and Yiddish into a framework that highlights ongoing engagement and interaction? On March 1, 1998, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the Jewish Labor Bund will present a one-day conference, In Gerangl: Activist Legacies of the Bund, exploring these and other questions regarding the history of the Bund and its meanings for contemporary activists. The Bund was a mass organization most active in tsarist Russia and interwar Poland that sought to transform the lives of the Jewish poor through socialist organizing and secular Jewish culture. The event will take place in the Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street (at Third Avenue) from noon-5pm. Preeminent activists, scholars, and writers on Bundist, Jewish and progressive culture and politics will present at the conference. These speakers include historians Paul Buhle, Gail Malmgreen, Jack Jacobs, and Daniel Soyer; journalists Abraham Brumberg and Alisa Solomon; writers and activists Irena Klepfisz and Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz; and artists Gregg Bordowitz and Jenny Romaine. The program will also include a performance directed by Obie-award winning downtown theater artist Jenny Romaine, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Mitzvah, or What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Show Like This?" This documentary spectacle which includes dance and live music asks what 100 years of revolutionary struggle means to Jewish youth coming of age in the late 20th-century. The piece features performances by members of the KlezKamp/Living Traditions Youth Theater Workshop. A 10am tour of "The Story of the Jewish Labor Bund, 1897-1997," a YIVO Archives-curated exhibition of photographs, documents, and posters on display at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University (7 East 10th Street) will kick off the conference. YIVO Chief Archivist and exhibit curator Marek Web will lead the tour. Admission to both the exhibition,which runs through March 1, 1998 and the conference is free of charge. The conference is the final in a series of local events, fun dor tsu dor/From Generation to Generation: A Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Jewish Labor Bund, which included the exhibition at the Bronfman Center and a concert of Yiddish labor songs. Held on January 25, 1998 before an audience of more than 750 people, the concert, "In Love and in Struggle: the Musical Legacy of the Bund," featured the leading interpreter of Yiddish song Adrienne Cooper, composer Zalmen Mlotek, and 65 members of two Yiddish chorales. Contacts: Lisa Epstein or Aaron Taub (212) 246-6080 Rachel Rosenblum or Cindy Greenberg (212) 647-8966 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Feb 98 14:48:55 PST From: MxK8%CI%BCS@bangate.pge.com Subject: "God Hid His Face", a book of poems translated from Yiddish A new book of poems translated from Yiddish - "God Hid His Face" by Rajzel Zychlinsky, has recently been published. It consists of English translations of this writer's Yiddish poems which appeared in previous books and in Yiddish newspapers such as the Forward. Many of the poems have a Holocaust theme. Other poems concern daily life in a transcendent fashion: "associations and images that take intellectual leaps and lead us from reality to illusion, and from illusion to a higher, more essential reality" - Yitzhok Yanosovitch. The translators are Dr. Barnett Zumoff, Aaron Kramer, and myself, her son. The introductory essay is by Dr. Emanuel Goldsmith, Professor of Yiddish Language and Literature at Queens College in New York. The title poem (in Yiddish and English versions) and a short review can be found in the back page of DER BAY, the February 98 issue. (This is a review of events of interest to the Yiddish community published in San Mateo, California by Philip "Fishl" Kutner, e-mail fishl@well.com.) The celebrated poet Itzik Manger used to think very highly Zychlinsky's work and she received the Itzik Manger prize in Israel in 1975. The book is published by Word&Quill Press (707-538-9259). ISBN 0-96-58640-0-6. Marek Kanter 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 10:22:40 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Steinlauf Subject: "Bay undz yidn" In answer to Shirley Kumove's query, this book, an extraordinary source for Yiddish folklore of all kinds, is available in the YIVO library. For further details contact the YIVO librarian, Zachary Baker, who will return from vacation in a week. Michael Steinlauf 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 19:18:34 EST From: Lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Farvos toygn nisht daytshmerizmen? Az me misht arayn daytshe verter in yidish oder me shraybt daytshmerish yidish toyg es nisht. Se klingt umgelumpert un shvakh. Ober der khisorn iz nisht di daytshe shprakh gufa. A bavayz: Eyner a yidisher shrayber hot geshribn in a bukh (zeyt untn af English) azoy: in daytshland, az daytshland iz gevorn nokhamol fareynikt hobn gelernte mentshn gehaltn tsuzamenforn vegn dem inyen "farvos in daytshland feylt a gefil far humor." Un es hot gedoyert un gedoyert etlekhe teyg biz men iz moyde geven az di hoypte sibe iz azoyns: erev der tsveyter velt milkhome s'rov groyse satirikers un komikers zenen geven yidn. Zikher az yidishe shraybers in daytshland hobn geshribn satires, vitsn un material far komikers af daytsh mit groyser hatslokhe. Af azoyne verk hot di daytshe shprakh getoygt zeyer fayn. Ober far shraybn azoyne zakhn toyg nisht gayve. Aderabe, me darf hobn derekh erets far mentshn un mitgefil far mentshlekhe gefiln. Un gayve shlogt aroys mentshlekhe shpirevdikeyt, un di beste yidishe shraybers hobn geshribn a yidish ayngezapt mit yidishe gefiln. Daytsh ruft aroys far mir zikhroynes fun gayvedike mentshn. Efsher ligt do a sibe farvos daytshmerish yidish toyg nisht. English: Mixing German into Yiddish, or writing Germanized Yiddish won't do. It sounds clumsy and weak. However, the problem is not with the German language itself. Evidence: On page 6, Jonathan Kaufman in his book, A Hole in the Heart of the World (New York: Viking, 1997), writes as follows: In reunited Germany scholars held conferences on "Why Germany Lacks a Sense of Humor," which droned on for days before acknowledging that a main reason was that most of Germany's great satirists and comedians before World War II were Jews. Surely, Jewish writers in Germany wrote their satires, jokes and material for comedians in German with great success. The German language is very well suited for such work. However, for such works arrogance won't do. What are needed are respect for people and sympathy for human feelings. Arrogance drives out humane sensitivity. The best Yiddish writers wrote a Yiddish permeated with Jewish sensitivity. German triggers memories of arrogant people for me. Perhaps, here lies a reason why Germanized Yiddish won't do. I can't resist indulging in a speculation. What a great sketch Mel Brooks could write on the premise of a conference entitled: "Why Germany Lacks a Sense of Humor." In fact, I suspect Gilbert and Sullivan could have had fun with it. Louis Fridhandler 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 16:31:19 EST From: Savoyid@aol.com Subject: Dos Koshmar-Lid in the Yiddish _Forverts_ The current edition of the Yiddish _Forverts_ (Friday, Feb. 6, 1998) has an almost complete text of my Yiddish version of the Nightmare Song from Gilbert & Sullivan's "Iolanthe." Its Yiddish title is _Dos Koshmar-Lid_ and it appears on page 15 under the headline _Gilbert un Solivan oyf yidish_. I say "an almost complete text" because the _Forverts_ didn't have room for my Yiddish rendition of these rapid-fire final lines of W.S.Gilbert's tour de force: You're a regular wreck, with a crick in your neck, and no wonder you snore, for your head's on the floor, and you've needles and pins from your soles to your shins, and your flesh is a-creep, for your left leg's asleep, and you've cramp in your toes, and a fly on your nose, and some fluff in your lung, and a feverish tongue, and a thirst that's intense, and a general sense that you haven't been sleeping in clover; But the darkness has passed, and it's daylight at last, and the night has been long--ditto ditto my song--and thank goodness they're both of them over! These are the missing lines: Oy der kop tut mir vey, un ikh gib a geshrey, di hent zaynen mir kalt, un der kop mayner shpalt! s'iz mir trukn dos moyl, un ikh shray "Shma Yisroyl!" ikh bin nas mit a shveys, un mayn kerper iz heys, in di oygn, oy! brent, un es tsitern di hent, bald a flig flit arum, un di kishn iz krum, un ikh zog "Oy a klog!" vayl s'iz klor vi di tog az ikh hob nit gants ruig geshlofn. - Shoyn di nakht iz farbay, fun mayn shlof bin ikh fray, oy di nakht iz tsu lang -- shoyn genug mayn gezang -- danken Got az di oygn zaynen ofn! But all is not lost - for just last week (Jan. 30) the English edition of the _Forward_ published that very section of the Nightmare Song both in English and in Yiddish in their weekly column called _Der Yiddish-Vinkl_ on page 4. (Incidentally, shouldn't that be _Der yidish-vinkl_ ?) Anyway - putting both columns together brings the Nightmare Song to completion. One final note: The Yiddish _Forverts_ neglected to include a by-line giving credit to Chana Mlotek for the informative introduction which she wrote for _Dos Koshmar-Lid_. Al Grand 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 05 Feb 98 17:18:52 PST From: "Jan Jonk" Subject: a newcomer My name is Jan Jonk. I am a teacher in the german and the french language in Holland. I am interested in the yiddish language and culture. At this moment I follow a course at the University of Amsterdam by Dr. Sh. Berger and since three years I am a member of the layen-kraytz van Willy Brill in the study-center of the synagogue in Leiden. I hope you have a impression of my person and I expect tsu lernen zikh a zakh fun di diskussionen tsvishen di mendelistn. Zayt gezunt! Jan Jonk 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 07 Feb 1998 08:35:45 +0000 From: vivaldi@es-basel.ch (ES-Basel) Subject: Self-introduction and Yiddish braille My name is Vivian Aldridge (one of those instances where Vivian is a boys' name). I am a non-Jew from Britain but I now live in Switzerland. Although I am very interested in Yiddish and read a lot - literature and newspapers - and listen to tapes and CDs I have almost no practice in writing and speaking it as I have no teacher and no conversation partners. I work with visually-impaired people and have a great interest in braille which stretches back into my childhood For me it is natural that I should want to know exactly how Yiddish is written in braille. I have Hebrew alphabets and have managed to find answers to some of my questions regarding them (for instance, that in braille pey and fey are always differentiated even if they aren't in the original print), but I have never seen anything for Yiddish. Does anyone know if there is anywhere that produces Yiddish in braille or can anyone supply me with any other information? Vivian Aldridge 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 21:37:42 EST From: shteyn@juno.com (Isak Shteyn) Subject: Shayles un Tshuves Choshever Mendele, Ich bin ojch ejner fun di"lamentators" (azoj host du unz ungerufen), velche hobn sich dershroken beshas fun dajn vakacie. Danken Got, du host sich frish pojavet. Ich vil do entfern ojf ejnike frages, viazoj ich farshtej zej vi a mentsh ojfgevachsen in a jidischer shtub in Bukovina, velcher redt noch hajnt jidish mit majn zigusi. Hagam ich hob nit gehert"bajoer'in tog-teglechn loshn, mejn ich az dos hejst maskim zajn cu a zach oder an idej un kumt fun dajtschn"bejahen". Mekajem psak zajn is a vort fun ivrit un mejnt ojsfirn an urteil. ojb der urtejl is geven shlogn(malkes is noch dem sanhedrin nit shajech)ken es hejssn"beat up'. Vu der hund ligt bagrobn mejnt di sibe, der grund fun a sach, zutshepn es zu"be or not to be"is mer vi originel. Sveder flegt men bej uns nitzen far"sveater", un kumt minastame fun dajtsh. Baal dovor is an eufemism far dem nitguten, the satan. Koch-lefl is a mentsch vos nisht sich iberal arejn, take azojvi a koch-lefl. Zu suchen Jarmulke in terkish, badarf men take sajn a terk; der pshat is jorej malko, zvej ivrit verter, badejtendig mojre hobn far Got und nit sejn bekalis rosh. Pizje oder patshe is a majchel fun a fisl(meg sajn a shofens oder a kelberns) preparirt vi bashribn fun dem mendelianer. Hagam ich hob nit gehert"fisnoge"far pizie, set ojs as es mejnt zveimul fis, dos zvejte mol fun slavish noga=fis. Tselejger mejnt a takif, vos kon jenem tselejgn. Harkavi tajtsht "to assume airs". Patlezshanes is gicher arajn in yidish fun rumenishn, vi fun terkish. Mechile kumt fun ivrit un mejnt" forgivness". Un etliche shayles: efsher kon ver fun di mendelianer fartajtshn vos mejnt hajtochen, chojtebejgel sajn, hobn a chasen in sin fun nutz mit a hartziken dank, Itzik Shtejn ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.145 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