Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.012 June 14, 1999 1) Lodzher Gonif (Robert Shapiro) 2) Lodzher Gonif (Rick Turkel) 3) Lodzher Gonif (Yankl Moskowitz) 4) Lodzher Gonif (Halina Goldberg) 5) Lodzher Gonif (Felicity Bloch) 6) Lodzher Gonif (Bob Rothstein) 7) Lodzher Gonif (Abraham Melezin) 8) Yiddish theater (Tom Timmons) 9) Nitl (yet again) (perets mett) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 15:33:02 -0400 (EDT) From: "Robert Shapiro" Subject: Lodzher Ganif Al Rasof asks about the phrase Lodzher Ganif or Zlodzhe Ganif [09.005]: In Polish, the word "zlodziej" means thief. To Yiddish speaking Jews, it sounded like the phrase "z Lodzi" meaning from Lodz, thus Lodzher Ganif. But native Polish speakers avoided saying "z Lodzi" because it sounds like the word zlodziej, so that if one said "Jestem z Lodzi", meaning "I'm from Lodz", it sounds like the phrase "Jestem zlodziej", meaning "I'm a thief". So your father was a Lodzher. Robert Shapiro 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 20:16:58 -0400 (EDT) From: rturkel@cas.org Subject: "Lodzer" or "Zlodjeh" Gonniff Al Rasof asked about this phrase, which I find fascinating because of its punning nature. The Polish word "zlo," which is also seen in several other Slavic languages, means "evil," so Al's father was likely punning with Lodz/zlo. zayt gezunt. Rick Turkel 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 11:21:11 -0400 (EDT) From: JakeMos@aol.com Subject: "Zlodjeh" Goniff I like Al Rasof would like some information on Zlodjeh. My wife remembers her father using the phrase "Zlodjeh" Goniff meaning an especially cunning theif. He was not from Lodz but Rubleh in Russia. Thanks, Yankl Moskowitz 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 21:15:56 -0400 (EDT) From: SHPINAT@aol.com Subject: "Lodzer" or "Zlodjeh" Gonniff In a previous posting (Mendele Vol 09.005), Al Rasof requested further information regarding the phrase "Lodzer Gonniff" or "Zlodjeh Gonniff." For a Lodz native, a response in Polish to the question "where are you from?" is "z Lodzi," which in Polish means "from Lodz," which sorry to say sounds like "zlodziej" i.e. "a thief." In fact, "I am from Lodz" sounds like "I am a thief" and that response almost never fails to elicit a wise-crack from someone present. You will still frequently hear people engage in this topical exchange, thus we native Lodzer are adept at introducing subtle verbal strategems to avoid accusations of this kind. Halina Goldberg Bayside, New York 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 22:16:56 -0400 (EDT) From: "Sidney Bloch" Subject: Lodzer or Zlodjeh Goniff A play or pun on the Polish for thief=3D"zlodziej", which sounds identical to "z Lodzi" meaning "from Lodz". For Jews, an irresistible temptation to a bit of fun at the expense of Lodzhers. The pun seems to have affected Polish usage differently. My father tells me that whenever you speak of coming from a place you say "from + town name", i.e."z + town name (in appropriate declension), but Lodz is an exception. If you are from Lodz you say "z miasta Lodzi", ("from the town of Lodz"), presumably to avoid this unsavoury pun which Jews clearly relished. Felicity Bloch 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 08:56:06 -0400 (EDT) From: ROBERT A ROTHSTEIN Subject: "Lodzer gonniff" Al Rosof (9.005) asked about the expression "lodzer goniff" or "zlodjeh gonniff." The Yiddish expression is probably connected with the fact that Polish-speakers native to Lodz say Jestem z miasta Lodz. (I am from the city of Lodz.) rather than Jestem z Lodzi. (I am from Lodz.) because the latter sounds like Jestem zlodziej. (I am a thief.) particulary in those dialects of Polish where an /e/ that was historically a long vowel fell together with /i/. Bob Rothstein 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 12:02:09 -0400 (EDT) From: Amelezin@aol.com Subject: Lodzer Gonif un khrain In Mendele, Vol 09.005 Morris Fish asks about the origin of "khrain". It comes from the Russian "Khren" - horseradish. Al Rasof asks about the Yiddish expression"Lodzer Gonniff" and "Zlodjeh Gonniff". There was (and is) a Polish play of words involving the name of the industrial city Lodz'. If somwebody said in Polish "Yestem z Lodzi" i.e., I am from Lodz' it could sound like "Yestem zlodzei". "Zlodzei" in Polish stands for a thief, and joksters would add to the "Lodz" two letters "ej" to make it the Polish "zlodziej" (read zlodzei), hence the Yiddish "Lodzer Ganev" if you listen to a Litvak or "Lodzer Gonniff" if you speak Centrral-Polish Yiddish. Abraham Melezin 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 16:39:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Tom Timmons Subject: Yiddish theater I have been trying to find an English translation of a popular Yiddish theater variation of the Merchant of Venice, which I believe went by the title of either "The Tragedy of Shylock" or "Shylock and His Daughters." I am trying to get one of our local small Dallas theaters interested in producing it rather than its annual Shakespeare production for the 2000-2001 season, and think that they might do it. Can you tell me where I might get a translation? Thanking you in advance, Tom Timmons 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 13:46:25 -0400 (EDT) From: Percy Mett Subject: Nitl (yet again) A slight correction to Bob Rothstein's very interesting contribution on Nitl (Mendele Vol 09.004) Simen 271: Vorum mir lernen nit in di nakht fun "tkufes- teyves" velkhe mir rufn di nakht "nitl"? Hot Bob fartaytsht: Why we don't study [Torah] on the winter night that we call "nitl" [Christmas]? "tkufes-teyves" is of course the very specific night preceding the winter solstice. (Calculated as 25 December by the Catholics and 6 January by the Orthodox church) perets mett ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.012 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