Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.139 April 19, 1999 1) Yiddish poetry on the radio (Jennifer Dowling) 2) "Kumt tsu geyn" (Irv Young) 3) "Kumt tsu geyn" (Gilles Rozier) 4) indefinite article (Noyekh Miller) 5) Mezinke tants (Ida Selavan-Schwarcz) 6) lezn oder leyenen (Sidney Belman) 7) Leyvik's poem (Mikhl Herzog) 8) Baltaxe (Mikhl Herzog) 9) thank you (Linda Conti) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 16:55:51 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Dowling Subject: Yiddish poetry on the radio While I have not heard any of those radio broadcasts (08.135), I do know that Dr. Leon Berk (z''l) wrote a poem entitled "Di shikh" while hiding in a barn waiting to be taken to join the partisans. It was later performed in Paris in 1946 by Jonas Turkow as part of a performance in the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. Dr. Berk (originally Berkowicz) was from Baranovichi and was the chief medical officer with the "Sovyetskaya Beloruss" partisan unit. He later settled in Sydney, Australia. Jennifer Dowling Sydney, Australia 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 18:41:42 -0500 (EST) From: YOU2IG@aol.com Subject: "Kumt tsu geyn" The use of "Es kummt zu geyn" (08.134) serves in some instances to render the idea of "it came to pass" though some juggling of tense agreement may be required. Irv Young Isles of Capri, FL 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 07:32:08 -0500 (EST) From: "Gilles Rozier" Subject: "Kumt tsu geyn" Response to jacob Nussbaums "Kumt tsu geyn" (08.134) One uses "kumt tsu geyn" to give detail about how one has come : 1. kumen tsu geyn : with the feet 2. kumen tsu forn : with a mean of tranportation 3. kumen tsi flien : for a bird or on a fly Gilles Rozier Paris, France 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 14:45:21 -0500 From: nmiller@trincoll.edu Subject: indefinite article Mikhoyel Basherives (8.135) asks about the word "ayn" as in "du host dokh ayn altn feter". My guess would be that his feter was saying: "look, I'm your _one_ surviving uncle". Similarly, "mir shikh im ale ayn gris/grus" means simply: "all of us send him the same (i.e. one) greeting". In short, "ayn" means "one". Noyekh Miller 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 00:51:15 -0500 (EST) From: Yosef & Ida Schwarcz Subject: Mezinke tants Dear Mendele, We have just returned from the home of friends where we saw the video of their son's wedding. Both he and his bride are the last children of their respective families to be married. The parents were seated in the center of a circle and the families danced around them waving brooms while the band played "Di mezinke oysgegebn." I had heard of this custom but had never seen it at the weddings of members of my family, all from Ukraine. Is this custom from some particular part of Eastern Europe or an American Jewish custom? Ida Selavan-Schwarcz Arad, Israel 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 21:27:05 -0500 (EST) From: Sidney Belman Subject: lezn oder leyenen meine eltern zaynen gekumen fun Rusland und mein mame-loshen zugt arois "lezn" far "to read". Ich hob oft gezeyn "leyenen" und oych "lezn" far dos. "Leyenen" is fremd bei mir. Harkavy hot beyde verter aber Weinreich shraybt az "lezn" iz nisht (oder nit? an andere pilpul) "standard yiddish". Vey iz mir! Ich un meine eltern zaynen geven "unstandard Yidn". NU? Ich veyn un tsiter. Vos zogt men? Mendeleyener macht mir a kosher Yid. Weinreich was trying to force us to adopt a "standard, modern, cultured" yidish, which denies us our familiar, comfortable mame-loshn.I would like to hear Mordkhe Schaechter's opinion. Sidney Belman 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 22:07:10 -0500 (EST) From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: Leyvik's poem I've known the Leivick poem cited by Frayda Teitelbaum since (could it be?) the 40s. I knew it simply as "Di gele late". We sang it to a hauntingly beautiful melody composed by Mr. Rigelhaupt(sp?), the music teacher in the Toronto Yiddish schools. Could it be that I'm the only one around who can still sing it? I think I've actually taught it to two other people over the years. The first two verses are as follows: Unter di gele late** Makh dayne oygn tsu In Dachou iz dayn tate Shlof mayn kind lyu lyu ] x2 In Dachou vos tut er Un vu iz Dachou vu? Dayn tate iz a yid a guter ] To zay a guter yid oykh du.] x2 **Note: I think Leivick actually wrote "Unter DI gele late" and not "Unter DER gele(R) late". As fror the background of this poem, the reference to Dachau suggests it. In the same vein, note the collection of Leivick poems published under the title "In Treblinke bin ikh nit geven" 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 22:07:10 -0500 (EST) From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: Baltaxe Concerning Jennifer Baltaxe's question: The name surely designates a tax collector (although would that have precluded him from serving in the rabbinical court?). And, Jennifer, was your father whom I met while visiting the synagogue in Aix-en-Provence about two years ago? An anthropologist? >From New Zealand? I was startled by the name at the time, and he was surprised to find someone who knew what it meant. Mikhl Herzog 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 03:22:54 -0500 (EST) From: ceg7330@madrona-a.iperbole.bologna.it (Ferdinando Conti) Subject: thank you I'd like to thank the Mendele Review and everyone who so kindly replied to my request about I.Zangwill: I'm collecting all the advices and the addresses that are flowing into my e-mail box! There is really a beautiful world moving around Yiddish culture!! If anyone has other suggestions, please do write to me: I'll be always grateful to You! Thank You a lot Linda Conti ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.139 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html