Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.055 January 18, 2000 1) Levi-yitskhok Caplan (Itsik Goldenberg) [Moderator's note] 2) A shayle vegn responsibility to a title (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 3) Translation needed from Forverts (Diane Rabson) 4) Yiddish word lists (Lucas Bruyn) 5) suggestions for Folksbiene (Eleanor Reissa and Zalmen Mlotek) 6) Yidishe Shprikhverter (Mechl Asheri) 7) Hebrew/Yiddish in Israel (Miriam Weinstein) 8) arkhivn (Keyle Goodman) [Moderator's note] 9) Yiddish version of My Fair Lady? (David Kaetz) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 11:31:28 -0500 (EST) From: Robert Goldenberg Subject: Levi-yitskhok Caplan In the 1950's, Levi-Yitskhok ("Tanbo") Kaplan fun Rogotshov, an artist in Russia, did several series of beautiful prints based on different works of Yiddish literature. One series, done in 1957, was based on Sholem-Aleykhem's Der Farkishefter Shnayder. Each print depicts a scene from a different chapter of the story, and contains part of the text, in yidishe oysyes. Can any Mendelyaner tell me something about this artist and his work, or give a source of information about him? A dank af foroys. Itsik Goldenberg [Moderator's note: Tanhum (Anatoli L'vovich) Kaplan (1902-1980) was one of the great "Yiddish artists" of this century. Some of his lithographs for _Der farkishefter shnayder_, as well as the illustrations to other works by Sholem Aleichem, Perets, and Mendele Moykher-Sforim can be seen in the Shtetl's gallery (http://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/Kaplan). The page also has a detailed bibliography. -i.v.] 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 11:59:34 -0500 (EST) From: Marjorie Hirshan Subject: A shayle vegn responsibility to a title A picture of Ruth Wisse putting on a happy face, smiles tightly at us from the center of page 63 of Harvard Magazine (Sept-Oct,1999). Beneath the picture, the caption states, "Ruth Wisse, Peretz professor of Yiddish literature, sees feminism as contributing inevitably to domestic violence, the decline in education, and, worst of all, the collapse of American family." My shayle is: Does personal integrity to voice what you believe take preference over your responsibility to a title like Peretz professor of Yiddish Literature when the title is inextricably bound to your name? Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan Boynton Beach, Florida 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 17:52:12 -0500 (EST) From: "Diane Rabson" Subject: Translation needed from Forverts One of our Yiddish Vinkl mitglider was the subject of an article in the Forverts, early summer of 1933. Bronia Gallon, then Brayndele Galmitz, was a student in Grodno who decided to challenge a local shopkeeper about the anti-semitic "proclamation" he posted in his store windows. She was successful in her challenge, becoming a local heroine. Later, she found that her exploit had been written up in the Forverts. We are looking for someone to find the article, xerox or copy it from microfilm, and translate it for us. Please respond privately to rabson@ucar.edu. A sheynem dank! Diane Rabson Boulder, Colorado 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 09:37:32 -0500 (EST) From: Lucas Bruyn Subject: A proposal. Some time ago I asked the readers of the Mendele List whether they knew of any ready made word lists, listing those words that a reader of Yiddish literature should be familiar with in order to follow a text. I did not receive any response and I would like to rephrase my question in the form of a proposal. Most translations of Yiddish books have a list in the back, explaining the meaning of words, not translated in the text. These list show a lot of overlap. The translator will usually include well known words as 'Sabbath', 'Torah' and 'kosher', alongside words less familiar to the general reader but common in a Yiddish context and words that are seldom used but characteristic of a specific writer. I think it would be useful for students of Yiddish, both Jews and non-Jews, to have a kind of compendium of basic Yiddish-Jewish terminology. Most translators of Yiddish use the type of Romanised Hebrew spelling for Yiddish terms found in English and Yiddish-English dictionaries, like: Torah, Shabuoth, Sukkoth (Succoth), Seder, Sabbath, Hannuka (Hanukah), Halakah, Hasid, Mithnaged, Minhah, Purim, Lag b'Omer; Rosh Ha-shanah, Simhath Torah, Tu Bishvat etc. Many of the Romanised words mentioned above cannot be pronounced by English readers, just looking at the words. Even if pronounced correctly, they are not pronounced in the Ashkenazic way. The spelling used does not represent a correct transcription of the Hebrew alef-beys. Other words have acquired a standard translation, such as: peysekh = Passover; khumesh = Pentateuch; khazn = cantor, tishebov = the Ninth day of Ab, ksuvim - Hagiographa. These translations are often as obscure to the general reader as the words they translate. Many common terms cannot be found in an English dictionary at all and have to be translated without giving their full meaning or require an explanation in footnotes or word lists. A word like 'mitsve' implies more than 'a good deed' or 'a commandment'. Any Yiddish text will abound in Ashkenazic words as 'shtetl', 'mentsh' etc. A translation or different spelling will not do. Also, typical Yiddish names can not be rendered in an Anglicized form. In translations we might find 'Moses' or 'Moshe' next to 'Moyshele'; 'Jacob' or 'Yaakov' but Yankele. Most Yiddish literature is in the first place a treasure of information on the many aspects of 'yidishkeyt', or, if that is an overstatement, at least many readers are attracted to Yiddish literature in the hope of finding such information. It does not make sense to present the reader who depends on translations with a mixture of spellings and pronunciations of original idioms supplemented by inadequately translated terminology. I think it would be a good thing to get rid of this Babylonian confusion, by creating a standard word list, mentioning the most common words of this type found in Yiddish texts, giving: 1. their Hebrew spelling, either in Hebrew script or in a phonetic transliteration 2. the Ashkenazic pronounced form in YIVO transcription, 3. the standard English spelling, found in dictionaries, 4. a short explanation in Yiddish and/or in English. It should be a basic list of Yidishkeyt and its paraphernalia (klaper-getsayg), not a dictionary of Yiddish. The list could be used by students of Yiddish, by translators and by people reading Yiddish in translation. In order to compose such a list a group of people might collect words belonging to special categories, such as: a. The Jewish calendar: names of the months, holidays. b. Terminology related to shabes and holidays. c. Names of the different parts of the 'toyre' and 'talmud'; common terminology used to indicate chapters, verses etc. d. Names of the main prayers used in the daily liturgy and during holidays. e. Objects found/used in the synagogue; personnel. f. Attire and atrributes of people visiting a synagogue. g. Terminology used in connection with circumcision ceremonies, barmitsves, marriages, funerals etc. h. Names of buildings, institutions, organisations and officials found in a typical 'shtetl'. i. Titles of religious works and names of authors often cited; titles of prayer books etc. j. Other categories, such as: Words that are part of the standard idiom but have no equivalent in English, or a misleading one, such as 'mitsve', 'broche' etc. Words/expressions that are hard to translate without explaining their usage. For instance: 'keyn eynhore' is often rendered as 'knock on wood'. No English writer would say 'knock on wood' after stating that a girl is very beautiful, though he might say, "all is well, knock on wood". (A list of Yiddish personal/Biblical names with their diminutives would be useful too, but should probably fill a separate volume.). Going through the existing dictionaries, Weinreich and Niborski, would be one way of compiling such a list, but it might be more practical to get compilations made by experts in the field. Unless one knows the terminology it is very hard to extract the dictionaries and get a complete picture. It is, for instance, quite easy to find that the 'mishne' is divided in 6 'sdorim', but to find the names of these sedorim is a hard job, unless one knows them. The parts of the morning prayer are mentioned in Niborski, but not the order of the different parts. I would like readers of the Mendele list to comment on my proposal. Possibly such a list does already exist, may be some categories mentioned have already been worked out in detail. The list of categories might have to be expanded.Would anyone be interested in contributing to the enterprise of putting together such a list? Would it eventually be possible to publish the list somewhere on the Web? Lucas Bruyn 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 15:44:09 -0500 (EST) From: zm Subject: suggestions for Folksbiene To all who are interested in Yiddish Theater The Folksbiene, soon, in January 16, finishing up its 84th season, with a groundbreaking new childrens show Kids and Yiddish, and the mainstage Yoshke Muzikant, A Klezmers Tale, is now actively looking and considering new plays or musicals for its 85th season. If anyone has scripts or suggestions for us, we would be very interested to hear from the subscribers of Mendele ... Sincerely, Eleanor Reissa and Zalmen Mlotek co-artistic directors of the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 09:22:11 -0500 (EST) From: donnom Subject: Yidishe Shprikhverter Far a por teg hob ikh Abraham Brumberg's sheyne (un virklekhe) yidishe shprikhverter (17 Merz, 1997) getrofn zvishn etleche alte papirn. Gut gepoylt, Reb Abraham! A por andere hob ikh getrofn, a teyl in Sefer Pranik (Snipishok, 5703), un `khob gemeynt az s'volt gekent interesant zeyn di vos zey zeynen arois gezunterheyt fun GN(goyim nakhes)2K. 1. Tsu toyber oign, a hiltzener lefl. Opshtam, Novy-Popilynitska (Ukraine). Taytsh: nor der rebe's eydem krigt a kile fun geyn hagbe. 2. Git lekakh a vorone, vestu krign bitere trern. Opshtam, Kovne-Gubernye. Taytsh: an umbavaybeter yid tor nit araynkumen in a fremdn shtot mit a pustn tshemadon. 3. A deyzhe iz keyn metsie nit. Opshtam, Shtshyshyner gegnt, Poyln. Taytsh: A deyzhe iz keyn metsie nit. 4. Fun ale shister iz der bester shnayder reb Yankl der stolyer; makht er a lietnik, ligt es oifn kop vi a hentshke. Opshtam: gants tkhum-hamoyshev. Taytsh: azoi vi a meshumad in der mispokhe, kumt a shtikl katoves oikh tsunits. Faran asakh mer, un s'dakht mir a gute zamlung volt men gekent tsuzamentrotzken dermit. Atomer volt imitsn gehat nokh mesholim? Mechl Asheri 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 09:41:29 -0500 From: "Miriam Weinstein" Subject: Hebrew/Yiddish in Israel For a journalistic project, I wonder if anyone can point me in the direction of facts and anecdotes about how the Hebrew/ Yiddish issue played out in Israel over the years. My first choice would be material written in English, but if there is anything especially appropriate in Yiddish or Hebrew, I would like to know about that as well. I can also do phone interviews. Many thanks, Miriam Weinstein 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 19:36:38 -0500 (EST) From: kay goodman Subject: arkhivn viazoy ken men tsutritn tsu di arkhivn baym kategorye? L'moshl ikh zukh "ayngleybenish". Ikh veys az di arkhivn zenen ongezamlt baym yor ober s'iz geferlekh shver tsu gefunen a spesifishe inyen. A dank foroys far ayer hilf. how can the archives be accessed by subject? I know that the archives are collected by year but this becomes arduous to look through each issue for a specific subject. Thanks so much for help. Keyle Goodman [Moderator's note: Searchable archives of Mendele and TMR are available in Shtetl (http://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendeles.html). There are two search interfaces: simple for search using keywords or phrases, and advanced, which allows complex logical queries, sorting and formatting the results. Online help is available. -i.v.] 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 16:18:08 -0500 (EST) From: davka@pobox.com (dk) Subject: Yiddish version of My Fair Lady? Dear Mendelyaner: Does anyone out there have access to lyrics from a Yiddish version of My Fair Lady? I believe there was a Yiddish production in Israel, as I have found a mention of an LP entitled "Mein Sheine Lady" (Makolit 12050). If you have the lyrics, or know where to find them, and/or have this album, or know where to find it, please let me know (off-list). Many thanks, David Kaetz ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.055 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