Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 10.028 July 5, 2000 1) Yosl Mlotek (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 2) Yosl Mlotek (Sylvio and Ayala Band) 3) Yosl Mlotek (Lynda Aronin Cohen) 4) Yosl Mlotek (Sholem Berger) 5) The IWO Library in Buenos Aires (Saul Drajer) 6) opkirtzungs-leksikon (Hershl Hartman) 7) yidishe tzaytungen in Brazil (Scott Slapin) 8) purimshpil (Moyshe-Shaye Steinlauf) 9) Searching for Glikl (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: July 5, 2000 From: mhirshan@att.net Subject: Yosl Mlotek Our world of Yiddish was largely of his making - the Forverts, Kultur un Lebn, the music series (with his beloved Chana) of Yiddish folksong books and tapes, the Yiddish concerts in the Park... but mostly, our work for Yiddish education flourished and grew under his leadership, and thousands of students in New York were immersed in the glories of secular Yiddishkayt. It was his glorious persona that touched us so deeply. He brought a new mildness and gentleness to the office of National Director of the Arbeter Ring Education Department. This sensitivity belied the lion's strength that was his as he guided us in the shules. He refreshed us, and motivated us to continue the hard work of volunteerism that created new, large and active Yiddish schools. We caught his deep idealism, and extended it to newcomers to join in our work. It will be difficult and sorrowful to absorb the gigantic loss of Yosl Mlotek, so dearly loved a leader, friend, and torchbearer for our unique world of Yiddish. Yosl willingly and graciously shared his depth of accumulated knowledge of the wonder, the pearls of Yiddish poetry, literature and music. Add his innovative, meaningful strides in educational curricula and texts, his literary writings, his sharp editing abilities, the glow that warmed us when he chaired a third seder or a lecture or a concert or, glat azoy, a meeting. Immaculately, permanently bound to his distinguished name and illuminating memory there emanates his never- ending precious cultural legacy of Yiddishkayt; may we, especially we Mendelists, guard it long and passionately. Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan Jackson, New Hampshire 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 22:42:59 -0400 (EDT) From: "Sylvio Band" Subject: yosl mlotek z'l We were deeply saddened by the news of Yosl Mlotek passing away. We were lucky to meet him personaly a few years ago and will remember him always as an outstanding man, one of the most brilliant pilars of Yiddish culture and profound values whose legacy will be charished by all of us . Please do convey our heartfeld condolences and warm affection to his dear wife Chana, to his son Zalman and to their families. Most sincerely, Sylvio and Ayala Band São Paulo, Brazil 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 23:14:35 -0400 (EDT) From: Buby8@aol.com Subject: Yosl Mlotek I guess I read it correctly. Yosl Mlotek was my teacher in mitlshul and I will always have fond memories of him. Lynda Aronin Cohen Dayton, Ohio 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 15:26:40 -0400 (EDT) From: "Sholem Berger" Subject: Yosl Mlotek z"l Baym frishn keyver fun Yosl Mlotek z"l Ikh hob Yosl Mlotek z"l perzenlekh nisht gekent. Nor af zayn levaye hob ikh a sakh geshept fun di tif rirndike hespeydim, un ikh vil dem mendele-oylem lozn visn a bisl vegn dem yokhed-bemino vos di yidish-velt hot eybik farloyrn. Kimat yeder eyner fun di vikhtikste hayntike yidish-organizatyses trogt dem sheferish filfarbikn khoysem fun Mlotek z"l, vos hot zikh gefelt dem 2tn yuli in elter fun 82 yor. Me ken aynteyln zayn fuln lebn af tsvey. Er iz geboyrn gevorn in 1918 in Keltse-gubernye, Poyln; tsu 7 yor hot er mit zayn mishpokhe zikh ibergeklibn in Varshe. Nokh in zayne kinderyorn hot er zikh oysgeteylt mit zayn farkhapndikn talant; di ershte lider zayne zaynen aroys tsu 10 yor; tsu 13 yor hot men im oysderveylt vi der sekretar (dakht zikh a firndiker postn) fun der sotyalistisher yugnt-organizatsye Skif. Akademish hot er zikh oysgeshult in Poylns Tsish"o-shuln; er hot gedrukt lider un, mit der tsayt, ongehoybn shraybn far der Folkstsaytung, tsvishn andere publikatsyes. Zayn kharizme hot af im geleygt a shtralndikn tseykhn vos yeder hot gezen. Bloyz eyn bayshpil: der yunger Mlotek iz amol krank gevorn af a lungen-ontsindung, un arayn in der azoy gerufener Medem-sanatorye nisht vayt fun Varshe. Dort hot er ufgelebt dem kultur-arum un tsugetsoygn di energye fun di dortike yugntlekhe mit a radyo-program, firleynungen, literatur, teater-forshtelungen... Azoy shtark matsliekh iz er geven az me hot im nisht avekgelozt fun der sanatorye afile nokh zayn gezunt vern, un er hot dort farbrakht a sakh tsayt in zayne kinderyorn. Ven di milkhome iz oysgebrokhn in september 1939 iz er avek in Vilne, vu er hot gelernt mit andere studentn af a besodikn oyfn baym YIVO. Ven me hot ongehoybn arestirn (an aktiver Bundist iz er dokh geven), un der matsev hot zikh farergert, iz er avek in Kovno, vu er (tsvishn adere) hot bakumen a vize baym yapanezer konsul Sugihara. Bemesh fun di yorn 1941-1945 hot er gevoynt in Shankhay mit andere yidishe shrayber un tuer. Dort hot er vayter geshribn far der Folkstsaytung. In 1947 hot der Arbeter-Ring farbetn im tsu lernen in Kanade, un dort iz er geven a kurtse tsayt bizn iberklaybn zikh in Nyu-york. Do heybt zikh der "tsveyter teyl" fun Mlotek z"ls lebn. S'iz ummeglekh in a bagrenetstn plats ontsugebn a fule reshime fun zayne uftuen in di nokh-milkhomedike yorn. Ruft on baym nomen a bavegung tsi a kultur-organizatsye un der seykhel iz mekhayev az Yosl Mlotek hot geshpilt dortn a mashpiedike role. Baym Arbeter-ring iz er geven der dertsiung-direktor kimat draysik yor; gelernt un ongefirt hot er in di yidish-shuln in Nyu-york; er iz oykh geven mitredaktor in Forverts in zayne shpetere yorn. Af yedn ort hot er mekhadesh geven: in 1968 hot er oysgetrakht di ershte yidishe parkkontsert (in Central Park), vos 25,000 mentshn zaynen baygeven -- mistome ken men dos haynt haltn far a firgeyer fun di ale hayntike zumer-programen, yidish-festivaln, ukhdoyme. Baym Arbeter-ring hot er gefirt mit a vekhntlekher radio-program, un baym Forverts oykh gefirt mit der vekhntlekher "Forverts-[radio]-sho." Nor efsher vet zayn greste yerushe zayn di rizike arbet vos er mit zayn froy, der muzikologin Khane Gordon Mlotek, tsu lengere yor, hobn arayngeleygt in der Forverts-rubrik "Perl fun der yidisher poezye" un in zeks gezangbikher vos vern oysgenutst un mamesh gelernt mit hislayves fun ale klezmorim un yidishe muziker. Mit zayne artiklen, bikher far kinder un groyse, lider, programen, un biklal rizike uftuen hot er undz, di yingere, geholfn ibergebn di yidishe shprakh un kultur. Nokh bay zayn lebn hot er hanoe gehat fun an alveltlekher barimtkayt vos er hot kosher fardint. Af yedn ort vuhin er iz geforn af a lektsye tsi a kontsert hobn makhnes mentshn gevart af tsu zen zikh mit "Mlotek", abi af a por minut. Es zogt zikh in a lid az yidish shtelt tsu a heym af yedn ort -- Yosl Mloteks arbet letoyves yidish un der yidisher kultur vet hobn an eybik heym vu nor es lebt a yidishe kehile, vu nor es tsit zikh tsu der mizrekh-eyropeisher kultur-yerushe. Koved zayn likhtikn ondenk. Sholem Berger 5)---------------------------------------------------- From drajer@cardioweb.net.ar Wed Jul 05 07:44:40 2000 Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 21:27:57 -0300 Subject: The IWO Library in Buenos Aires On Vol.10.026 Marcos Levin wrote about the ill fate of the IWO library in Buenos Aires. The Argentine IWO is alive and kicking. Seventy percent of their books have been rescued thanks to the devoted work of a group of volunteers. I am glad to tell our friends home and abroad, that next July 17, one day before the sixth anniversary of the criminal blast off, the IWO will began to install the first books in the rebuilt premises of Pasteur street. Fraynd Levin will have the chance to ask about a Spanish translation of Peretz there. Sincerely Saul Drajer 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 23:29:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Hershl@aol.com Subject: opkirtzungs-leksikon Re David Braun's reference to his article on Yiddish abbreviations: any possibility of having it made available via Mendele? And does it include the abbreviations found on Eastern European tombstones? (BTW: shouldn't the transcription be "opkirtSungs" ("s" rather than "z")? Hershl Hartman 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 09:51:40 -0400 (EDT) From: "scott slapin" Subject: yidishe tzaytungen in Brazil In a por vochn arum, vel ich tzum ershten mol voynen in Sao Paulo, Brazil (tsulib arbet). In a nay-dershinenem buch vegn yidishe gemeyndes arum der velt, hob ich geleyent az es vern gedruckt noch haynt in Brazil itlache yidish-shprachige tzaitungen. Leider hot dos buch nisht gehat kein nemen. Ich hob gezucht and gezucht af'n internets un gornisht gefunen fun dermit. Ich hob gemeynt dos vet zayn a guter oyfn af tsum krign dorige nayes--- vi mayn Portugeyish iz noch nisht tzu gut.... Oyb s'iz do imitser vos ken mir helfen mit dem, volt ich zeyer dankbar geven. A sheynem dank in faroys, Scott Slapin 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 14:16:09 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael Steinlauf" Subject: purimshpil In answer to Yankev Berger's request, I'm supplying some context for the purimshpil lines I posted previously. What I'm concerned with, of course, is interpreting them. They appear, as I mentioned, in an akeydes-yitshok-shpil. The source is "Noykeh prilutskis zamlbikher far yidishn folklor, filologye un kulturgeshikhte," v. 2 (Warsaw, 1917), pp. 70-75. First the Loyfer (traditional emcee), who introduces himself as the Angel Michael come to test Avrom, introduces Avrom with the traditional "Arayn, arayn, arayn/Tsadik, Reb Avrom, du mayn." Then there's an exchange between Avrom and the Angel concerning Avrom's need to sacrifice Yitshok. Then Yitshok worries about how this will affect his mother. Then Sotn appears and trades words with Avrom. The following is the text (in standard Yiddish transliteration) previous to the lines I've already cited. Avrom: Reb Korev Keylev, vos ligt ir do? Sotn: Ikh lig un lig un lig mikh aleyn in drerd. Avrom: Reb Korev Keylev, vos ligt ir fort do? Sotn: Ikh lig shoyn do dray teg un dray nekht, S'iz nisht gekumen keyn bisn broyt, un mayne oygn s'shlofert zeyer mikh. Avrom: Reb Korev Keylev, vos ligt ir fort do? Sotn: Ikh lig shoyn dray teg un dray nekht, Siz nisht gekumen keyn bisn shlof in mayn moyl, S'hingert mikh zeyer. Avrom: Ha! ha! ha! Gey aheym tsu mayn vayb Sore, Zi iz a gants gute un vet ir gebn a krenk tsu esn Korev Keylev, vos zent ir? Sotn: Ikh bin a shlayfer [pun with shlofer, since actually pronounced shlafa]. Avrom: A shlayfer [shlofer] ligt in hekdesh oder in bod. Sotn: In bod arayn! Avrom: In beyde zent ir, to zogt mir ven di tkufe falt? This is followed by the lines I previously cited, which I'll repeat here: Sotn: Di tkufe falt dray teg in rosh-hoydesh tamuz. Demolt iz groyse hitsn un groyse blitsn un groyse glitshn. Es zenen aroysgegangen tsvey yunge meydlekh, eyns fun zibetsik yor, un eyns fun akhtsik yor, un gefaln un zikh tsebrokhn a beyn in marz [sic]. Sotn then sings zmires and concludes: Di zun iz shoyn lang untergegangen. The shpil concludes in the traditional way with the angel restraining Avrom, and Avrom "geyn Got loybn." Tkufe in the passage in question probably refers to menses. Is that it? Or is there more? Al dos guts Moyshe-Shaye Steinlauf 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 13:20:10 -0400 (EDT) From: mhirshan@att.net Subject: Searching for Glikl Ruth Barlas, a masterful Yiddish teacher and a lecturer extraordinaire has asked my help in seeking a Yiddish copy of Glikl of Hameln for a lecture in August. We've already received 'non available' responses from the National Yiddish Book Center and the Arbeter Ring bookstore. I've searched some used book dealers on the INternet to no avail. I've been told the last printing was in Argentina. To, vi azoykumt di katz ibern vaser? Mirl Schonhaut Hirshan ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 10.028 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