Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 13.003 June 12, 2003 1) Shmuel Gordon's book (Gershon Winer) 2) Yiddish translation of Babi Yar (Jenny Bell) 3) Help with translation (Faygel Lynn) 4) Forum for Yiddish Culture and Ot Azoy! in London (Geraldine Auerbach) 5) Lid vegn Petrograd - help with lyrics (Eugene Kulikov) 6) Jerzy Ohr (Anna Sorokina) 7) Di Royte Yidelakh (Aliza Shevrin) 8) Yiddish-Yinglish? - Greenhorn (Marvin Engel) 9) [CORRECTION] Solon Beinfeld Interview The Yiddish Voice (Mark David) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 06:11:51 -0400 (EDT) From: Winer Subject: new Yiddish book The Foundation for the Advancement of Yiddish Studies announces the publication of "YIZKOR -- dee farmishpete shreiber", a 640 page novel by the late Shmuel Gordon of Moscow. The book is an absorbing tale of tragedy and heroism, drama and suspense, brutality and nobility, depicting the martyrdom of Russian Yiddish authors, poets and artists, in the course of the infamous trials which culminated in the executions in 1952. When I met Shmuel Gordon in Moscow in the early 1990's, he conveyed to me his two fervent wishes. The first was, "Before I close my eyes forever, I would like to see the Cave of Machpelah in Hevron" -- a revealing confession by a communist Yiddish writer. The other was to have his novel published in Israel. He passed away at age 89 in 1998, without seeing either of his dreams fulfilled. The publication of the book by the World Council for Yiddish Culture represents a Hessed shel Emet in fulfilling the final testament of the last Yiddish writer to survive the Bolshevik Inquisition. The book is available by request (to the undersigned) without cost, except for air mail postage and handling, in the amount of $13, to be forwarded to Albert E. Marks Charitable Trust, 118 York Terrace, Brookline, MA 02146. Gershon Winer Jerusalem 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 03:20:43 -0400 (EDT) From: "Bell Jennifer" Subject: Yiddish translation of babi yar My pc at work won't let me search the Mendele archive. I am looking for a Yiddish translation of Yevtushenko's poem 'Babi Yar'. Can you help? With thanks and best wishes ( I am a Mendele subscriber), Jenny Bell 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 12:20:57 -0400 (EDT) From: Florette Lynn Subject: Help with translation Tayereh Mendelyair, I have been trying to translate the following words to no avail: Navozes, hoifikn vald, pikkars. Ven ich dermon zich shpatsirn oif di navozes un in hoiofikn vokd. Forshaydeneh shpiln, "pikars". Mit Bogrusn, Faygel Lynn 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 19:05:15 -0400 (EDT) From: "Geraldine Auerbach" Subject: International Forum for Yiddish Culture and Ot Azoy! in London International Forum for Yiddish Culture will be launched at the House of Commons on July 9, 2003 (http://www.jmi.org.uk/ifyc) Yiddish language, music, song and dance will be part of the University of London SOAS's Summer of World Culture. JMI presents its special one-week Yiddish language course, Ot Azoy! followed by KlezFest with klezmer luminaries. And a new feature this year a Jewish Choral Festival from 16 - 26 June. Details in the JMI Website www.jmi.org.uk and see below for a short introduction to Jewish music and culture in London for Summer 2003: Sunday 29 June-Friday 4 July 2003 Ot Azoy! This is the way to speak, read and write Yiddish in a week! A Brilliant Crash Course in Yiddish language and culture for beginners to intermediate level and above. Language tuition, literature, folklore and song. Sunday afternoon in Regents Park and then from 9.30 - 6.00pm Monday to Friday with evening Yiddish entertainment including Tangele, films, Yiddish Caf‚ and Yiddish Road Show. Full Rate: œ295, Student Rate: œ195 (Scholarships are available for those unable to afford the full fee). Tel 020 8909 2445 Fax 020 8909 1030 or e-mail jewishmusic@jmi.org.uk for details and booking Evening entertainment open to the public Geraldine Auerbach 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 11:14:47 -0400 (EDT) From: "Eugene E.Kulikov" Subject: Lid vegn Petrograd - anyone can help with lyrics? Tayrer Mendelyaner, Once in my childhood I have discovered on the attic of our dacha house a pack of old 78 rpm recordings - indeed, Jewish ones. It apparently belonged to my old Yiddish-speaking Moldovan relatives - probably those plates were saved by my grandgrandmother from Balti before Nazis took the town... some of the recordings are scratched badly, but we still love them and keep as a family treasure. One of these carries the label in yiddish "Petrograd" - the music is charming, but the record is too bad to understand the lyrics... the refrain is "Nokh majne Petrograd, majn sheyner Petrograd...". Other side is "Lamtsa-deritsa". Could anyone help me with the lyrics? The Petrograd song also contains a piece of Petr Leschshenko's amazing "Chubchik". Zay gezunt - Eugene Kulikov 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 04:24:38 -0400 (EDT) From: "Anna Sorokina" Subject: Jerzy Ohr (Ohrenstein) Tayere khaveirim, Ikh zukh informatsie vegn lebm un verk fun Jerzy Ohr (Ohrenstein). Ikh hob nor eyn artikl fun im | Polszczyzna w argonie zydowskiem , Warszawa, 1905 Entfert mir, zayt azoy gut, oyb ir hot khotsh a shtikl informatsie vegn im. A groysn dank in foroys, Anna Sorokina, yidish lerer, Ruslendisher melukhisher humanitarer univesitet, Moskve Dear friends, Mendele readers, I am searching any biography and bibliography data of Jerzy Ohr (Ohrenstein). I have only one article by him in Polish, | Polszczyzna w argonie zydowskiem , Warszawa, 1905 It is about Polish impact in Yiddish. Any information you can provide will be appreciated. Thank you in advance. Anna Sorokina [Moderator's note: On Sept 7, 2001 Forward reprinted the following from the 1926 Forverts: Polish Jews finally eradicate a plague from which they have suffered for many years. Jerzy Or -- the convert to Christianity who long held the position of overseer of the Jewish press and Jewish affairs in the Polish Ministry of the Interior, a man who has caused the Jews much grief -- has been removed from his post. Or, whose real name is Jerzy Orenstein, is a staff member of the anti-Semitic Polish newspaper Dwa Grosze and has supplied it with provocative material that slanders Jews. He translates items from the Jewish press and then uses them as a point of departure for his anti-Semitic articles. = i.v.] 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 10:26:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Howard Shevrin Subject: Di Royte Yidelakh Dear Yiddishe Literati, Does anyone know what Sholem Aleichem was referring to when he wrote of DI ROYTE YIDELAKH? The dictionary defines it as the Ten Lost Tribes across the Sambatyon but what does that have to do with SA? Any information would be greatly apprreciated. Aliza Shevrin 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 13:02:57 -0400 (EDT) From: "Marvin Engel" Subject: Yiddish-Yinglish? Greenhorn "Greenhorn" shows up in the OED in 1460 (greyn horne). The earliest usage apparently referred to young cattle or oxen: green horns. But over the years it developed related meanings: naif, newcomer, immigrant and others. Does anyone have a clue as to why/how the particularly strong affinity with Ashkenazi immigrants? We have the songs-"di grine kuzine" et. al and the, by now, well worn Yinglish usages. Perhaps my premise is false, but I don't recall its use among Italian immigrants for example. Any ideas? Marvin Engel P.S.: This came up at a lecture audience of roughly 75 fairly well informed, mostly elderly Jews and no one had a clue- unprecedented for this opinionated group. 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 08:40:19 -0400 (EDT) From: "Mark H. David" Subject: [CORRECTION] Solon Beinfeld Interview The Yiddish Voice Correction: the previous announcement [13.002] of the upcoming broadcast featuring Solon Beinfeld on The Yiddish Voice gave an incorrect date. The correct date of the broadcast is Wednesday, June 18, 2003. The Yiddish Voice, a weekly Yiddish-language radio show, will feature an interview with Solon Beinfeld on its Wednesday, June 18, 2003 broadcast starting at 7:30 p.m. on WUNR 1600 AM in Brookline, Mass. Mark David ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 13.003 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