Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 11.022 November 26, 2001 1) Czerniachowskis lid in hebreish (Mitja "Motl" Farber) 2) Af tsu gedenken in Nyu York (Mendy Fliegler) 3) Leo Rosten daughter's interview (Ernst Sittig) 4) Vayzoso's seykhl (Perets Mett) 5) vayzoso (Solon Beinfeld) 6) vayzoso (Martin Jacobs) 7) Song "Neyn Neyn Neyn" (A. Joseph Ross) 8) farlirt nisht ayer shtime - Official advice (Dovid Herskovic) 9) vider vegn "undzer velt" (Moyshe Kijak) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 16:11:18 -0500 (EST) From: "Mitja A. Farber" Subject: Czerniachowskis lid in hebreish tayere mendelyaner! ikh hob derzen S. Czerniachowskis nomen in eyner fun di reshimes un dermont, az ikh hob a tashme mit "Lodz getto" lider un dortn emetser Tova Ben-Tsvi zingt epes a poeme fun dem mekhaber. (ikh shrayb do fonetish, vayl hebreish iz nit mayn bester zayt) s'heyb zikh on mit di verter sakh haki sakh haki al ha-khalomot zu ani ha holekh sakh sakhhaki ki baadama min ki odeni ma'amin bakh mistome veyst emetser fun der lid? kh'volt aykh geven zeyer dankbar eyb ir volt mir ongeshribm verter/iberzetsung (alts eyns af vos fara shprakh - eynglish, frantseyzish, yidish ua"v) mit a grus fun Moskve, Mitja "Motl" Farber 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 08:34:23 -0500 (EST) From: mendy fliegler Subject: Af tsu gedenken in Nyu York... Af tsu gedenken in Nyu York, hob ikh far ale Mendlyaner: (about the Statue of Liberty): Dortn Shteyt a Froy Dortn shteyt a froy, Oyf er linker zayt fun der Velt, Un oyf der rekhter zayt fun Amerike... Lebn a shtot mit a sakh mentshn, shteyt zi... Un halt a bikhl in eyn handt- Un a groyse likht in der anderer. Voszhe shteyts zi dortn?? Mit a lang kleydl a dine? In vinter iz zi nisht kalt, Un in zumer iz zi nisht heys? Nu, shteyt zi dortn, Un lozt take arayn mentshn: Pleytim... (fun der gantzer velt, zog ikh aykh,) Alerley mentshn... Aderabe, in di hayntige teyg Iz zi nor an eyntsige dortn... Un a sakh mer mentshn Khapn zikh arayn aher... Nu, vet m'stame geven kday Avektsushteln fil mer azelkhe froyen--? In andere pletzer in Amerike?? Yo oder nisht?? Freg zhe farvos? Vayl aza froy fartaydikt Fridn! Un mentshn darfn hobn a simen, Mit vos tsu derkenen Amerike... Mendy Fliegler 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 02:22:57 -0500 (EST) From: "Ernst Sittig" Subject: Leo Rosten daughter's interview Although you may have heard this, the interview with Madeleine Rosten Lee about the updated version of her father Leo Rosten's original book, The New Joys of Yiddish on http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/watc/20011111.watc.05.ram might be interesting. I don't know how long it will be on line. Sei gesund! Groeten/Regards, Ernst Sittig 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 07:17:20 -0500 (EST) From: Perets Mett Subject: Vayzoso's seykhl Adam Levitin hot gefregt vegn Vayzosos seykhl: Without knowing who first used the name "Vayzoso" in this context, I can say that this usage is fairly common currency in Yiddish. It refers to someone who is unable to take advantage of his situation and makes no attempt to avoid impending disaster (although the usage can be broader than just this). The explanation for this usage seems to be that Vayzoso saw his nine elder brothers being strung up on the gallows. Instedd of making his escape he just waited for his turn. Perets Mett London 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 23:13:28 -0500 (EST) From: "Solon Beinfeld" Subject: vayzoso With regard to Adam Levitin's inquiry regarding "Vayzoso's seykhl": Vayzoso (or Vayzose), Haman's youngest son, is traditionally synonymous with a fool, so someone with Vayzoso's seykhl is someone with no seykhl at all. Solon Beinfeld 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 00:24:59 -0500 (EST) From: Martin Jacobs Subject: vayzoso In reply to Adam Levitin's inquiry concerning Vaysoso's seykhl, this may be of some help: In the notes to the recording "A bissl sun, a bissl regn, Jiddische lieder" (made in Germany, 1996, sung by Sara Bloom) there is the following explanation. Von Daniel Kempin stammt folgende Erklaerung: Wajsusus war der juengste Sohn Hamans im Buch Esther. Er sah zu, wie seine Brueder hingerichtet wurden, vom Aeltesten angefangen absteigend bis zum Juengsten, und er hatte nicht genuegend Verstand, sich noch rechtzeitig zu retten. Daher ist ein Mensch mit "Wajsusus sejchl" der Allerduemmste, den es gibt." "The following explanation comes from Daniel Kempin: Vaysusus was Haman's youngest son in the book of Esther. He looked on as his brothers were executed, from the oldest to the youngest, and he did not have sufficient understanding to save himself in time. Therefore a person with "Vaysusu's seykhl" is the stupidest person there is." I will just add that I myself do not know who Daniel Kempin is. Martin Jacobs 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 01:46:10 -0500 (EST) From: "A. Joseph Ross" Subject: Song "Neyn Neyn Neyn" Libbe Gritz asks about a song called "Neyn Neyn Neyn." -- "Who wrote it? Where? When?" I found the song in "The Yiddish Songbook" by Jerry Silverman, which I bought in 1983. There is no indication of authorship, but it is in the section containing songs from the Holocaust. A. Joseph Ross, Boston, MA 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 19:10:52 -0500 (EST) From: "David Herskovic" Subject: farlirt nisht ayer shtime - Official advice in Yiddish So you thought Yiddish is dead or at best dying. Well, think again. Last week my local authority sent me a form to renew my entry on the electoral register. With it came a leaflet explaining why it is necessary to fill out the form. Since my area is home to many ethnic minorities the leaflet had the explanation reprinted in a number of languages. And, believe it or not, one of the many languages is Yiddish. Yes it has some typos, the punctuation is wrong in places and the translation is a stiff word for word translation but what the heck? It is actually in Yiddish. Do I live in Israel? You bet, you'd sooner see a document there in Farsi than in Yiddish. No, this is Hackney in London, UK. A borough on the verge of bankruptcy but still finds some funding for Yiddish. The languages included in the order of their appearance are: English, Turkish, Bengali, Yiddish, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Greek and French. If only the Florida authorities were so concerned for their Yiddish speakers perhaps they and their compatriots wouldn't have a president who hides in a bunker during a national emergency and a vice president who still hasn't found his way out. ven der babe volt gehat reyder... But to the Yiddish waverers out there I can only repeat the advice of the leaflet: farlirt nisht ayer shtime. Dovid Herskovic 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2001 17:59:24 -0500 (EST) From: moises kijak Subject: vider vegn "undzer velt" Ikh bet aykh zeyer ir zolt vider drukn mayn anons vayl ikh hob fargesn ontsugebn dem internets-adres. Hartsike danken. Tayere fraynt, Ikh vil aykh ibergebn a gute bsure: es dershaynt shoyn fun haynt on a nayer internetz-zurnal: UNDZER VELT (http:// www.rishon.com.ar). In im iz faran an opkloyb fun artiklen iber farshidene temes, vos hobn a shaykhes tsu ydn un ydishkayt. Di artiklen zenen of shpanish un es iz faran an opteyl:UNDZERE LESHOYNES, mit eksponentn fun der ydisher, hebreysher un ladino-literatur. Ikh bin zikher az ale mendelyaner vos leyenen shpanish, vet es interesirn. Di vos viln az texstn geshribn of ydish vos gefinen zikh in internets, zoln dershaynen in di kumendike numern, bet ikh zey zoln zayn azoy gut un tsushikn mir dem nomen un dem internets-adres. Zayt ale bagrist, Moyshe Kijak ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 11.022 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net http://ibiblio.org/yiddish/mendele.html