Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.060 February 2, 2000 1) 3rd Paris Summer University Seminar (Gilles Rozier) 2) Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies (Marie Wright) 3) An-ski's expedition (Yaacov Dovid Shulman) 4) Academic position and freedom of speech (Seth L.Wolitz) 5) Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan's Shayle (Louis Fridhandler) 6) Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan's question (Ben Fogel) 7) Stencl and Manger in London (Ross Bradshaw) 8) Noah Goldberg (Perry Goldberg) 9) "oser" (Velvl Golman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 09:10:22 -0500 (EST) From: Gilles Rozier Subject: 3rd Paris Summer University Seminar Do you want to learn Yiddish in Paris next summer ? The 3rd Paris Summer University Seminar will take place at the Vladimir Medem Center 52, rue Rene-Boulanger three weeks from July 17 to August 4, 2000 Classes every morning, on three levels, taught by : 1st level : beginners 2nd level : intermediate Beginners and intermediate classes shared by Sonia Pincusowicz (Brussels) and Helen-Khayele Beer (London/Oxford) 3rd level : advanced class ; an intensive writing workshop specially designed for the improvement of writing skills) : teacher Yitskhok Niborski. Details about afternoon activities will be detailed in a few weeks. If you want to receive full information, please contact Bibliotheque Medem (address below) Quelques details concernant l'Universite d'ete de langue et de culture yiddish coorganisee a Paris (France) par l'AEDCY et la Bibliotheque Medem dans les locaux du Centre Vladimir Medem 52, rue Rene-Boulanger, Paris Du lundi 17 juillet au vendredi 4 aout 2000 (soit 3 semaines completes) Le matin : trois heures de cours, avec trois niveaux de cours : - Niveau 1 - debutants. Enseignants : Sonia Pincusowicz (Bruxelles) et Helen-Khayele Beer (Londres/Oxford) - Niveau 2 - Pour des etudiants ayant deja etudie un an. Enseignants : Sonia Pincusowicz (Bruxelles) et Helen-Khayele Beer (Londres/Oxford) - Niveau 3 - Consacre exclusivement a l'amelioration de l'expression ecrite, pour des etudiants possedant une bonne connaissance du yiddish. Enseignant: Yitskhok Niborski. Le programme detaille des autres animations sera transmis dans quelques semaines. Pour plus d'information, regardez l'adresse plus bas. Ir vilt zikh oyslernen yidish in Pariz kumendikn zumer ? Etlekhe protim vegn dem 3tn parizer intensiver zumerkurs fun yidisher shprakh un literatur: Organizirt fun der Medem-bibliotek un der gefi"l (gezelshaft farn yidish-limed) Fun montik dem 17tn yuli 2000 biz fraytik dem 4tn oygust 2000-01-27 In der fri : dray nivoen lektsyes 1ter nivo mit Sonia Pincusowicz (Brisl) un Helen-Khayele Beer (London/Oxford) 2ter nivo: Sonia Pincusowicz (Brussels) and Helen-Khayele Beer (London/Oxford) 3ter nivo (mit a tsil tsu farbesern dos shraybn): Yitskhok Niborski. Di fule program vet me ibergebn in a por vokhn arum. Far mer protim, zikh vendn tsu : Universite d'ete de Langue et de Litterature yiddish 52, rue Rene-Boulanger 75010 Paris tel : (00 33) 1 42 02 17 08 fax : (00 33) 1 42 02 17 04 e.mail : medem@club-internet.fr Gilles Rozier 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 07:41:50 -0500 (EST) From: yiddishstudies Subject: Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies The annual Summer Course at the Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies will take place from 10July to 4 August 2000, and all participants will be invited to our annual Mendel Friedman International Conference on July 4, 5 and 6 2000. This year the subject will be on 'Yiddish and The Left'. For full details of the Oxford Institute's courses, events, publications and general news please contact our Website on: www.oxf-inst.demon.co.uk Best regards, Marie Wright 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 00:53:42 -0500 (EST) From: Yacovdavid@aol.com Subject: An-ski's expedition I recently came upon a book entitled Yiddishe Etnografiye un falklor. It is a record of the ethnographic expedition led by Sh. Anski in 1913, and is written by Avraham Rechtman, who was one of the members of that expedition. Apparently, this expedition collected recordings and artifacts of extraordinary value. I've only glanced at parts of the book. But for instance he recorded on phonograph a descendant of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov playing Rabbi Nachman's tunes on the violin, noted hundreds of stories from the Breslov oral tradition, collected artifacts such as the chandelier that hung in Rabbi Nachman's private chamber, etc. Does anyone know what happened to this wealth of material? Does it still exist? Is access to it possible? Can any of it be recovered? Yaacov Dovid Shulman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 11:22:03 -0500 (EST) From: slwolitz@mail.utexas.edu (seth l. wolitz) Subject: Academic position and freedom of speech In response to Majorie S. Hirshan's concern about the statements of Ruth Wisse, Peretz Professor of Yiddish literature at Harvard University, permit me to express as the Gale Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Texas at Austin my scorn at the inquiry raising questions of fitness and appropriateness of the occupant of the Harvard position of Yiddish literature to express her thoughts. A Professor has every right and intellectual freedom to raise questions and give opinions on any topic. The competence of the individual in his or her specialty does not mean that one is restricted to the one field of endeavor or must voice but one "politically correct" position. Ruth Wisse is one of the most articulate members of the Jewish diasporic community and her positions may be accepted, debated, or rejected but no one has a right to question her ability and absolute right and freedom to raise issues and to choose positions whether in cathedra or ex cathedra. This misplaced questioning of appropriateness of the Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature to give her opinions on feminism or any other topic just because she bears a title of her speciality reveals either naivete or some personal animus. I am astonished that such a posting questioning the appropriateness of a Professor of Yiddish Literature at Harvard to her opinions could appear on Mendele. Seth L.Wolitz 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 13:46:01 -0500 (EST) From: Lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan's Shayle Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan fregt a shalyle, gants ernst (9.005, 2), un fun der shayle kumt aroys a sakh shayles. First, the caption she quotes (under Ruth Wisse's picture in the Harvard Magazine) relays opinions reportedly held by Ruth Wisse. The statement would surely warm the hearts of Phyllis Schlafly, Pat Buchanan and other such right-wingers, a congregation overloaded with those who disparage women, are dangerous to women (and to Jews, too, for that matter). [A shayle, nisht gants ernst: can hearts at absolute zero Kelvin be warmed at all?] Second, as Peretz Professor of Yiddish literature, I agree she has a responsibility to the name of Peretz as well as to the cause of Yiddish literature. Disparagement of feminism probably has nothing to do with Peretz or with Yiddish literature. Of course, Sholem Aleichem's Tevye (maybe Peretz's characters as well) made disparaging remarks about women to Golde (a vayb iz nayn moz reyd, zol ikh trakhtn mit dayn vaybershe seykhl?), but Sholem Aleichem only reflected the injurious prejudices prevalent in Tevye's time (which probably reflected the times a generation or two older than Sholem Aleichem). Even in Sholem Aleichem's time, married Russian women could not own property. Nu, kumt aroys andere shayles, "Is Ruth Wisse reflecting something in Yiddish literature she correctly understands or does she misunderstand? Do those opinions have anything at all to do with her professional work? Do those printed words, those off-the-wall statements, accurately depict her state of mind?" Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt. A puzzlement! Louis Fridhandler 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 15:05:34 -0500 (EST) From: Benjamin Fogel Subject: Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan's question Marjorie Hirshan asks in re Ruth Wisse's comments on feminism, "Does personal integrity to voice what you believe take preference over your responsibility to a title like Peretz professor of Yiddish Literature when your title is inextricably bound to your name?" I believe that there may be three answers to this shayle. First is if you are in accord with her statements then clearly integrity requires her to state them. Second if you disagree with her statements then she blackens her position and title. Clearly I believe the third choice is the best. She has not renounced her right, and perhaps even her duty in some cases, to express her opinion by accepting her position and title. At the same time she has a duty to protect the good name of her title and position and not employ it in ways never contemplated . To create hostility to her POSITION by a very large number of people does damage to the purpose for which she has been employed. When making statements outside of Yiddish Literature that will be offensive to a large number of people she has the responsibility to insure that her comments are personal an not in any way related to her position of professor of Yiddish Literature. Ben Fogel Delray Beach, Florida 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 17:45:06 -0500 (EST) From: "rossbradshaw" Subject: Stencl and Manger in London Firstly, does anyone know of any English translations of AN Stencl's poetry? Stencl was editor of Loshn un Lebn, a literary magazine published in London for many years from 1946. Secondly, does anyone know of any material, again in English, about I Manger's spell in London and whether any of his poetry was written when in London. Mit grusn. Ross Bradshaw 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 14:34:49 -0500 (EST) From: "Goldberg, Perry" Subject: Noah Goldberg I am interested in opinions regarding the novels of Noah Goldberg. Also, is anyone aware of any English translations of his novels, or how I could have them made inexpensively? Thanks very much. Perry Goldberg 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 00:11:38 -0500 (EST) From: Velvele@aol.com Subject: "oser" Geoff Nathan, in his message (Vol. 09.053), defines the word, "oser," as a rough equivalent to "Yeah, sure." I'm grateful to him for the information regarding a word that I, for one, have seen only once before, in a plaintive song in which the singer declares his preference for a decent life now, rather than something better in the sweet bye-and-bye: "ikh ken dos veltl, got, dokh oser nit farshteyn, far yenem kleyder neyen un naket geyn aleyn. yene velt far dir, got, far mir a bisl mazl shik. khbin dir moykhl zibn himlen far abisl glik. . ." >From the context I had thought the word meant something like "entirely" or "altogether." -Velvl Golman Silver Spring, Maryland ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.060 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