Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 10.036 October 16, 2000 1) Zellig Bach (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 2) Yiddish Dictionary (Gershon Winer) 3) Literary Prize to Chava Rosenfarb (Goldie Morgentaler) 4) Yiddish words/calques in English (Jim Rader) 5) New magazine: Grine Medine (Lucas Bruyn) 6) New book: The Shtetl: Image and Reality (David Brown) 7) New book: Oyf Fremder Erd (Martin Green) 8) New book: Memoir of Jewish Lodz (Andrew Firestone) 9) Yehuda Amichai in Yiddish (Eve Perkal) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 15:41:27 -0400 (EDT) From: Marjorie Hirshan Subject: Zellig Bach It is with a deep sense of loss that I report I have received a note from Zellig Bach's step-daughter stating that "Zellig passed away peacefully during the summer, and my mother chose to take no more food or drink two and a half weeks after his death. She, too, passed away peacefully with no pain or discomfort." She has asked that I extend her thanks in his name to those Mendelists that continued to write to him until the end of his days. Zellig was one of Mendele's brightest stars, sharing his bottomless knowledgeability in Yiddish language, culture, and literature. His added degrees in psychology deepened the broad insights he offered us so freely. His generosity extended beyond the printed words he bestowed upon us; he frequently telephoned many Mendelists that he befriended, and sent them books and articles and cards and gifts. May we honor him with remembrances of his knowledge, charm, and generosity. Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan Boynton Beach, Florida [Moderator's note: Zellig Bach's memoir "A Child's Longing for Home" is available at the Shtetl's library (http://ibiblio.org/yiddish/Book/Bach)] 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 15:42:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Winer Subject: Yiddish Dictionary As former board chairman of the Great Dictionary of the Yiddish Language, I regard it as an obligation to respond to the inquiry on the fate of the dictionary which appeared recently on Mendele. Since publication of the first volume in 1961, three more were produced, the last in 1980. The four folio volumes include some 80,000 entries, all of them beginning with the letter Aleph, representing a third of the projected publication. The disproportion can be explained by the unique characteristic of Yiddish where nearly all prefixes begin with the letter Aleph, in contrast to other languages. In a Yiddish article which appeared in 1980, I expressed a pessimistic view on the possibility of further volumes , hoping at the same time that I turn out to be a false prophet. 20 years later, I regret to report, that there is little on the horizon to indicate that I was wrong. The official reason is lack of funds. This is hardly plausible since the Hebrew University, copyright holder for the last two decades, has succeeded in financing other Yiddish projects of lesser significance. The real reason is with respect to the very character of subsequent volumes, of which volume five, has been just about ready for publication for over a decade. Assistant editor Hebrew University Professor Wolf Moskovitz is in possession of all the material accumulated during the life and after the demise of the editor in chief, the late Yudel Mark. The major issue is orthography. The facts are as follows: Early in 1959 the editorial board conducted a survey among Yiddish writers, linguists, teachers, publishers, editors, printers and leaders of Yiddish cultural agencies on the question of adopting the changes in Yiddish orthography introduced by YIVO in 1936. Of 177 responses, over 90% responded in the negative and sanctioned the right of the editors to follow the standard spelling of contemporary Yiddish writers, the daily Yiddish press (that still existed at that time) and the Yiddish school system. In compliance with the request of YIVO, the first volume printed a statement by YIVO disclaimed any responsibility or sponsorship. After the Trustees of the Yiddish Dictionary transferred the project to the Hebrew University, the new Board decided to make major changes in subsequent volumes, chief among them being the adoption of YIVO spelling. Many identified with Yiddish, regard such a radical operation on the life work of its editor, Yudl Mark, as immoral, which in addition, would also reflect negatively on his scholarship and academic stature.. This position has been clearly stated on a number of occasions in print as well as in a communication directed to the present acting editor. Fearing that plastic surgery on the existing dictionary will evoke a wave of criticism in Israel and abroad, the present solution appears to be -- keeping the project in deep freeze. .Nevertheless, no one will question the right of the Trustees to produce a new dictionary disconnected from Mark's work. The full story is available in articles that appeared in the Yiddish press. There is also a chapter on the subject in English in a book presently being prepared for publication. Gershon Winer, Jerusalem 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 20:06:30 -0400 (EDT) From: "Goldie Morgentaler" Subject: John Glassco Prize for translation I would like to inform all Mendelyaner that Chava Rosenfarb has just won the John Glassco Prize for Literary Translation for her two novels Bociany and Of Lodz and Love (Syracuse University Press, 2000.) This is the first time this award has been given for a translation from Yiddish. The John Glassco Prize is awarded annually by the Literary Translators Association of Canada for a book-length translation from any language into either French or English. Bociany and Of Lodz and Love are Rosenfarb's first published translations of her own work. Goldie Morgentaler 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 14:00:31 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jim Rader" Subject: Yiddish words/calques in English I am addressing the list as a dictionary etymologist whose knowledge of Yiddish barely extends beyond rudimentary acquaintance with the writing system and phonetics, and I have no easy access to Yiddish references beyond Weinreich's dictionary. I have hopes that the Mengele readership, particularly those with linguistic training, can help with some etymologies, to wit: English , , "the least amount" (as a negative polarity item, e.g., "they won't win bubkes this year"), or "nothing" (she received bubkes at nomination time"). Is the word used in the same type of constructions in Yiddish? I assume that / is one of the many possible diminutives of , "bean" in Yiddish, but should the word be taken as a simple diminutive in this usage, or does it have other meanings that might be relevant? I note that Polish is used for sheep or goat droppings. Does the Yiddish word also have this sense? Lastly, note, for whatever it's worth, that the American English idiom "he doesn't know beans" = "he doesn't know anything" is attested continuously from the 1830's and is unlikely to have any immediate connection with Yiddish. English , "a dish containing buckwheat groats and rectangular or bow-tie-shaped noodles." The word and its various possible Slavic sources are transparent, but leaves me at a loss. I presume , if really a Yiddish word, has some relation to , "cheese or jam filled dumpling" in Weinreich (again, obviously of Slavic origin), or is this simply a red herring? The definition given fits my recollection of the dish in 1980's Manhattan delis, but were "varnishke" originally noodles? And lastly, what is the relation of the two words? Is this simply a conjunctionless dvandva compound, or does one word modify the other in some way? English , "to have knowledge/some discernment of" (very approximately), usually though not invariably in negatives and questions ("Yes, and the Persians [in 1961] made carpets. They stuck, I mean, to their knitting and didn't go hitting on hostages. Who knew from Iran? Who knew from Iraq?" "A baby who is breastfed for a year gets all those fabulous enzymes and antibodies whether his mother is doing it for him or because it allows her to boast...The kid doesn't know form motive; he just drinks the milk."). I have certainly heard this from adults who grew up in bilingual, i.e., Yiddish-English speaking households, and I have long assumed it is a calque of a corresponding Yiddish expression? Is that true? Exactly what is the counterpart in Yiddish? Any and all help on these matters would be greatly appreciated. Jim Rader 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 06:24:18 -0400 (EDT) From: "Marion Troia & Lucas Bruyn." Subject: Grine Medine Yiddish in the Netherlands. The first issue of a new Yiddish quarterly magazine appeared last September. Holland is a country with a extremely high number of periodicals, but the "Grine Medine, magazine for "lovers of the Yiddish language" is the first of its kind. It is an initiative of the "Stichting Yiddish", a foundation recently established to stimulate and develop activities in the field of Yiddish language and culture. Donors of the foundation receive the magazine after donating a minimum of Fl. 50 per year. Single issues sell for fl. 12.50. According to the introduction the magazine expects a readership of fifty to one hundred readers, including people who know Yiddish, people who are learning Yiddish and people interested in Yiddish The contents: The first issue has 20 pages in all, of which six are in Yiddish and one in transcription, the rest are in Dutch. Two of the articles have the Mendele list as their subject. Hanna Luden explains what the list is and how to find it on the Internet, Fred Borensztajn quotes letters of introduction by Mendele subscribers from before 1995. The Mendele Review, however is, strangely enough, not mentioned at all. The first item in transcribed Yiddish is a fragment from I.J. Singer's "fun a velt vos iz nishto mer", called "A froeme kats, wos hot liber tsoe hern toire wi chapn maiz...". Unfortunately the transcription is made in an unknown 'Dutch system'for which the editors fail to provide a key and not in SYR. Next there is a fragment from Melekh Ravitsh' "dos mayse-bukh fun mayn lebn", called "di varshever yidishe ganeyvim z"l". This fragment is given both in Yiddish and in the Dutch translation of Fred Borenztajn. Further we are presented with a short article by the Dutch translator Willy Brill on Sholem Aleykhem, with the writers impressions of his visit to the 8th Zionist congress in The Hague in 1907, in Dutch andYiddish. Next an article by Ariane Zwiers on the poet Lev Berinski, with two of his poems in Yiddish and in Dutch translation. Finally several items by Willy Brill, in Yiddish and in transcription, notably a poem by E. Shteynbarg "vu iz yoysher", in Yiddish and in Dutch translation. Interesting is an article in Dutch by Riety van Luit, announcing a project of the University of Amsterdam in cooperation with the Menasse ben Israel Institute. An inventarisation will be made of all Yiddish materials of Dutch origin. Since all Dutch Yiddishist can be expected to have a good knowledge of the English language, one might wonder whether a Dutch publication for 50-100 subscribers is useful. Why not join an existing magazine? The introduction of yet another system for romanization is most regrettable. Lucas Bruyn. 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 20:03:18 -0400 (EDT) From: David Brown Book Co Subject: New Publication: The Shtetl: Image and Reality TITLE: The Shtetl: Image and Reality: Papers of the Second Mendel Friedman International Conference on Yiddish EDITORS: Gennady Estraikh and Mikhail Krutikov DESCRIPTION: It is not possible to conduct studies of Yiddish culture and society, without a firm understanding of the concept of 'Shtetl'. A Yiddish word meaning small town or village, the 'Shtetl' has housed the development of the Jewish Diaspora in Eastern Europe throughout the past several hundred years. This book fully explores the concept of the 'Shtetl' from the false images constructed in popular works such as Fiddler on the Roof to the adoration it invoked in young Americans searching for an identity after World War II. Contents: The Shtetl as imagined community (David G Roskies); What exactly was a Shtetl? (John D Klier); The Podolian Shtetl as architectural phenomenon (Alla Sokolova); Jewish art between yidishkayt and civilization (Hillel Kazovsky); Berdichev in Russian Jewish literary imagination: From Israel Aksenfeld to Friedrich Gorenshtein (Mikhail Krutikov); Shtetl Kuzmir: The reality of the image (Dafna Clifford); Soviet and Kosher in the Ukrainian Shtetl (Anna Shternshis); The Shtetl theme in Sovetish heymland (Gennady Estraikh); Immigrants mourning for a world lost (Moises Kijak). PUBLISHER: Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies and the European Humanities Research Centre, 2000. 184pp, ISBN: 1900755416, $49.50 US DISTRIBUTOR: The David Brown Book Company, PO Box 511, Oakville, CT 06779 Phone: 860-945-9329; Fax: 860-945-9468 David Brown 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 11:39:17 -0400 (EDT) From: "Martin Green" Subject: New book: "Oyf Fremder Erd" Some of you know that I have been working on a translation of "Oyf Fremder Erd", the memoirs of Falk Zolf. Well, I'm happy to announce that the book is now in the hands of the printers. It's an unusual translation because it starts in English and gradually incorporates more and more Yiddish, until at the end it's almost all Yiddish. I think it's a really good way to teach yourself Yiddish. I hope you will go to my website (http://www.onforeignsoil.com), where you can see a complete English translation. It's a fascinating story that takes you from Zolf's childhood in turn-of-the-century Russian, through the First World War up to the eve of the Revolution. Volume II, which I hope to publish next year, covers the time period from the revolution until Zolf's arrival in Canada in the year 1926. Naturally, I'm very excited about making this book available to the public. I can use all the help I can get. Right now, for example, I am having a very hard time getting my site to show up in search engines. If anyone has a website where they would be willing to put a link to mine, it would be very much appreciated. I am also looking for help in getting reviews published in the Jewish press. Regards, Martin Green 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 07:09:11 -0400 (EDT) From: "Andrew Firestone" Subject: Memoir of Jewish Lodz, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Polish Uprising Dear fellow Mendelyaner, Some of you may be interested in this 180p book by a retired lawyer (my uncle) who was a youth leader in Herzliya in Lodz in the thirties. It was well reviewed upon publication in Warsaw in Polish 6 years ago and is now available in English ($US 15) from its editor (me). A personal account of the Warsaw Ghetto poet Wladyslaw Szlengel is of unique interest, and there is a detailed personal account of the barriers to Jews' becoming lawyers in pre-War Poland. "My Fortunate Life" by Szymon Rogozinski (Moje Szczesliwe Zycie). Please email firefly@webrider.net.au if you would like a copy. And if you know what other groups on the Net might be interested please do let me know. A Hartsikn Dank, Andrew Firestone, Melbourne, Australia. 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 23:47:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Eve Perkal Subject: Yehuda Amichai in Yiddish Would appreciate knowing whether any of Yehuda Amichai's poetry has been translated into yiddish and if so, what is the title of the book? A sheynem dank und a gezunt yor. Eve Perkal ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 10.036 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://ibiblio.org/yiddish/mendele.html