Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.044 November 16, 1999 1) Yiddish reports of the Yishuv (Yael Chaver) 2) Yiddish Press (Ida Selavan Schwarcz) 3) Yiddish newspapers in Paris (Stan Levine) 4) Books in French about Yiddish (Annabel Abramowicz) 5) a groys landshaft durekh a kleyn fensterl (Noyekh Miller) 6) Yiddish Ulpan in LA (Miki Safadi & Shira Lerner) 7) purimshpil (Przemek Piekarski) 8) translation query (Jason Payne) 9) Searching for Emil Cohen (Ben Serebrin) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 21:29:21 -0500 (EST) From: "Yael Chaver" Subject: Yiddish reports of the Yishuv In response to Bernard Katz's note on two Yiddish books about the Yishuv that were published in New York, the 1931 "Vos arbetorins dertseyln" is a translation of the 1930 Hebrew Divrei po'alot (Tel-Aviv), published by "Mo'etzet Ha-po'alot" -- the counterpart of which was the Pioneer Women's Organization of New York. Both volumes were edited by Rachel Katznelson-Rubashov, a devout Zionist who was nonetheless profoundly connected to Yiddish and had a fine literary sense. She notes in her introduction to the Hebrew volume that 51 out of the 57 participants wrote their contributions in Hebrew; the other 6 wrote in German and Russian. It is very likely that Katznelson-Rubashov herself translated the memoirs into Yiddish (not having the introduction to the Yiddish volume in front of me, I can't be sure). Katznelson-Rubashov was the editor of the Hebrew monthly "Devar Ha-Po'elet" ("The Working Woman Speaks") for decades since its establishment in 1934. "Vos arbetorins dertseyln" contains a Yiddish translation of Katznelson-Rubashov's 1918 Hebrew essay "Nedudei Lashon" (translated by Harshav as "Language Insomnia," in his "Language in Time of Revolution") entitled "Fun Shprakh tsu Shprakh," in which she analyzes the cultural and personal dilemmas of changing language allegiance. The history of the second book Katz mentions, Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi's 1918 "Eretz Yisro'el in Fergangenhayt un Gegenvart," was in fact undertaken and written entirely in Yiddish, as a project suggested by Ben-Gurion for these two Po'alei-Tziyon leaders who had fled the Turkish regime in Palestine and were trying to raise money for the Yishuv. Shabtai Tevet's biography of Ben Gurion "Kin'at David" ("David's Passion"?) (Jerusalem, Schocken 1977) vividly describes the 18-month long writing process, as Ben-Zvi was living in upstate New York and Ben-Gurion in Brooklyn; they divided the work between them, Ben-Gurion writing about two-thirds and Ben-Zvi writing the rest. It was hoped that the book would kindle enthusiasm for the Zionist political program once World War I was over. Another example of a Palestinian book that appeared in Yiddish in the US was the translation of the Hebrew "Sefer Yizkor," which appeared in Jerusalem in 1912 as a memorial to slain workers and "shomrim" (armed guards). The 1916 Yiddish edition, published in the U.S., was a great success and all 3500 copies were bought up within a few weeks; a second, revised edition was published in larger numbers (14,000) and a more elegant format. According to Tevet, the Yiddish press received the book very enthusiastically. Yael Chaver 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 07:55:24 -0500 (EST) From: Ida Selavan Schwarcz Subject: Yiddish Press Dirk Hoerder edited a project called Labor Periodical Preservation Project. As far as i know four volumes were published under the title " The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s." They were published by Greenwood Press from 1987- I participated in volume 2 " Migrants from Eastern and Southeastern Europe." My section, "The Jews," pp 540-706 is the last item in the volume. Most of the periodicals in the bibilography are in Yiddish, although I did include a few Hebrew titles. Ida Selavan Schwarcz Arad, Israel 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 13:10:53 -0500 (EST) From: Stan Levine Subject: Yiddish newspapers in Paris In reply to Shimmy Silverman [09.041]: In the late sixties, there were not two but three Yiddish dailies in Paris: Unzer Vort (which he calls socialist but I remember as being rather conservative and nationalistic if not chauvinistic - those are perhaps not necessarily contradictory?), Di Naye Presse which was close to the Communist Party if not an official organ of it, and Undzer Shtime, published by the Bund, which might have had the weakest circulation (I do not know) but WAS published daily for the entire time I was subscribed to it. I subscribed to it because it had the best Yiddish and was the most literary. I did not at the time know what the Bund was, but was pleasantly surpirsed to find myself agreeing with almost all its editorial positions. At some point after I returned to the US I heard it had become a bi-weekly. I do not know whether it exists at all at this time, but I did see Undzer Vort being sold at a newspaper stand on a trip to France about a decade ago. Stan Levine 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 10:36:50 -0500 (EST) From: "Gilles Rozier" Subject: Books in French about Yiddish Books published in French in 1998 and 1999 : 1. Translations from Yiddish into French available at the Medem library SHNEOUR Zalman, Oncle Uri et les siens, Paris : Liana Levi, 1998. 331 p. Series: Domaine yiddish; ISBN: 2867461871 Transl of Shklover Yidn by Danile Rozenszpir-Peylet price : 130 FF STRIGLER Mordekhai, Maidanek, lumieres consumes, Paris : Honore Champion, 1999. 197 p. Series: Bibliotheque d'etudes juives, no. 3. ISBN: 2852038692 Transl of Maydanek by Maurice Pfeffer price : 240 FF MEDEM Vladimir, Ma vie, Paris : Honore Champion, 1999. 401 p. Series: Bibliotheque d'etudes juives, no. 6. ISBN: 2745300091 Transl of Fun mayn lebn price : 380 FF 2. About Yiddish culture ROZIER Gilles, Moyshe Broderzon, un ecrivain yiddish d'avant-garde, Saint-Denis : Presses Universitaires de Vincennes, 1999. 280 p. Series: Culture et societe. ISBN: 2842920619 price : 150 FF You can send you order though e.mail (or fax: 01 42 02 17 04) to the Medem Library, with the number of your credit card (mastercard/Eurocard or Visacard), mentionning your card number, expiration date and adress. Mailing costs : European union : 20 FF for the first book, 15 FF for each next one USA : 30 FF for the first book, 15 FF for each next one Annabel Abramowicz Paris (France) 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 10:20:18 -0500 From: Norman Miller Subject: a groys landshaft durekh a kleyn fensterl I recently ran across this in the July 13, 1928 _literarishe bleter_ (Warsaw) and give it over as it appears. I wonder how many other Mendelistn might be grabbed by this as I was. Maybe someone who knows what those prices meant to readers might comment. Noyekh Miller kooperative "bikher" varshe nalevki 2a n a y e b i k h e r m. nadir -- fun mentsh tsu mentsh 6.40 (naye fargreserte oysgabe) k. hamsun -- di vogler (roman) 14.80 m. gorki -- mayne universitetn 9.20 " " -- malva 6.50 f. shneyurson -- karahad 3.20 (di blonzhenishn fun avrom itse der kirzhner) a. frank -- apikoyres gartn 5.20 " " -- der hiltserner maneken 6.00 d"r. a koralnik -- vidershprukh un viderklangn, 2 bender 13.00 m. spektor -- mayn lebn, 3 bender 16.60 sh. frug -- oysgeveylte shriftn, 1.b. 2.00 l. foykhtvanger -- (yud zis) nelm un makht 2.00 e. zola -- zherminal, 2ter band 7.00 blasko ibanes -- der froyen faynt, 2 band 4.00 farlag b. kletskin maksim gorki m a y n k i n d h a y t prayz -- 6 gildn 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 03:47:15 -0500 (EST) From: Susan Lerner Subject: Yiddish Ulpan in LA Yidish iz balibt un lebt in los andzheles. Zuntik, 11/7/99, hobn zikh farzamlt 78 libhober fun yidish in dem universitet fun yidentum (University of Judaism) oyf a fuln tog mit yidish klasn, a referat vegn der geshikhte fun yidish gehaltn fun profesor Eli Katz fun Berkeley, yidishe lider ongefirt fun Cindy Paley un Shire Lerner, un yidishe tents ongefirt fun Miriam Gerberg fun UCLA. Di onteylnemer zaynen tseteylt geven in 6 klasn ongefirt fun di beste yidish lerer in los andzheles. A voyl fardintn yasher-koyakh di lerer Yakov Basner, Miriam Koral, Kay Goodman, Sheyndl Lieberman-Reich, Fima Chesnin, un Marvin Zuckerman. S'iz far yedn eynem geven a tog fun bagaysterung un oyfklerung. Der tog iz geven an unternemung fun Yiddishkayt L.A. un hot gehat an oysergeveyntlekhe hatslokhe. Mir hofn az ir vet aynteyl nemen mit undz bay undzere tsukunftike gesheyenishn. Yiddish is loved and lives in Los Angeles. Sunday, 11/7/99, 78 Yiddish lovers convened at the University of Judaism for a full day of Yiddish classes, a lecture by Professor Emeritus Eli Katz on the history of Yiddish, Yiddish songs led by Cindy Paley and Susan Lerner, Yiddish dancing taught by Miriam Gerberg of UCLA. Congratulations to the instructors: Yakov Basner, Miriam Koral, Kay Goodman, Sheyndl Lieberman-Reich, Fima Chesnin, and Marvin Zuckerman. The participants were divided into six classes taught by Los Angeles' premier Yiddish teachers. The event was organized by Yiddishkayt L.A. and was an outstanding success. Everyone had an exciting and enlightening day. Hope you join us for our upcoming events. Miki Safadi & Shira Lerner 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 04:48:37 -0500 (EST) From: Przemyslaw Piekarski Subject: purimshpil Haveirim, Ikh bin itzt a Yiddish lerer bai Lauders Fundatzie in Kroke. Mir hobn arum tzvantzig studentn un "dervaksene' redendik Yiddish. Ikh traht wegn a Purim shpil. Kent ir epes, nisht tzu lang un nisht tzu shver far undz? Ikh weis zei zainen geven Yomtev Bleter oikh on Puirm. Zait gezunt Przemek fun Kroke I am a Yiddish teacher, now at Lauder Foundation in Cracow. We have about twenty students and some 'adults" speking Yiddish. I would like to stage a Purim shpil. Is there anybody knowing something suitable, not too long and hard for us? I know there were special issues of Holiday Magazines, also for Purim. Przemek Piekarski 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 11:47:25 -0500 (EST) From: payne.9@osu.edu Subject: translation query Khevre-- First, thanks for the previous help; it was much appreciated. I turn to you again for something which puzzles me. In Sholem Aleichem's "Sender Blank," a character (the manservant Froyke) refers to another character (an unknown man at a telegraph station) as "a royter Yid." As far as I know, this is not a hair color reference (I was taught a Jewish redhead was a "geler Yid"). Any thoughts out there? My own circle is coming up blank. Thanks, Jason Payne 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 13:42:39 -0500 (EST) From: Benjamin Charles Serebrin Subject: Searching for Emil Cohen Hello! I am new to the Mendele list. I am a student at Stanford University taking a course in Yiddish, and was reminded of an old record I would like to find. My grandmother owned an LP record of a Yiddish comedian named Emil Cohen. I listened to the record several times, but it was broken. I would like to find a new recording, but I have not been able to find anything about Emil Cohen. I am not sure if I am spelling his name correctly. The record is mostly in English, with plenty of Yiddish mixed in. I remember one sketch from the record about an old Jewish man who was taken to court for stealing a chicken. He speaks only Yiddish, so they have a translator for him, but there is a large amount of confusion because the translator renders the old man's Yiddish idioms literally in English. The man's sarcastic "I needed the chicken?" becomes "I needed the chicken" and so on. Does anyone know of where to find recordings or of any starting places for a search? Thanks very much! Ben Serebrin ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.044 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