Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 14.050
April 29 , 2005

1) Jacob Kalish (David Harris)
2) Julius Adler (Moyshe-Shaye Steinlauf)
3) prezhenitse (Ruth Gay)
4) prezhenitse (Jack Berger)
5) borker, noyer (Khane-Faygl Turteltaub)
6) pisn boymelekh (Alex Jacobowitz)
7) yashtsherkes (Bernard Brasen)

Visit Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Subject: Re: Kalish

Jacob Kalish, Molly Picon's husband, Jacob died on March 16, 1975. The
cause of death in his Lake Mahopac, NY home was reported as cancer. His
obituary appeared in the NY Times of March 17.

For readers interested in people associated with the Yiddish Theatre and
Vaudeville, (YT&V) I mention the YT&V Research Group, a special interest
group associated with the JewishGen organization.  The focus is to help its
readers find out more information about friends, relatives and
acquaintances that were associated with the Yiddish performing arts.
Information can be found at http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/ytheatre.txt

David Harris

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Subject: Julius Adler

Does anyone know the year that the Yiddish actor Julius Adler (b. 1880)
died?

A sheynem dank foroys,

Moyshe-Shaye Steinlauf

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Subject: prezhenitse

Only Gitl Dubrovsky (14.046) said that her family used the word
"faynkukhen" for two fried beaten eggs. That was the word used in my
family, too.  My mother was from Galizia where the German of the
Austro-Hungarian empire must have had an influence.  "Faynkukhen"  is only
a little bit different from the German "pfannkuchen" for exactly the same
dish.

I was glad to see the "faynkukhen" and learn that we were not alone.

Ruth Gay
New York

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Re: prezhenitse

In my Belarussian Litvak Yiddish home we ate the following:

1. a fankukhn -- for an omelette
2. tseshlogene eyer -- for scrambled eggs

A 'pletzl' to us was a bread item. Sometimes it was referred to as an 'onion
board.' Usually rectangular, mostly crust, with little dough inside, but
covered generously with fried onion and some spices, whose exact identity I
cannot recall.

Jack Berger

[The moderators note that Sarah Jarrow's query which began this string in
Mendele 14.045 (also raised by Al Grand in Mendele 11.005) has not yet been
answered.]

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Subject: borker, noyer

Ikh hob tsvey sprakh-kashes.  Efsher kenen di Mendelistn helfn. Vos meynen
'borker' un 'noyer'?  Zey zaynen fakhn. A dank in foroys,

Khane-Faygl Turteltaub

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Subject: pisn boymelekh

I've heard this expression used twice recently by Jews of different
generations in Augsburg - where does it come from? Does it really translate
as urinating on little trees? I've heard that it means "holier than thou".
Any and all help appreciated.

A gutn shabbes,

Alex Jacobowitz
Munich

7)----------------------------------------------------
Date: April 29, 2005
Subject: yashtsherkes

A question about the meaning of yashtsherkes.  Nakhum Stuchkoff in his
list of curses writes "lakhn mit yashtsherkes" means, "may you laugh with
lizards."  However, I think it is in Nahma Sandroff's book about Yiddish
theartre, _Vagabond Stars_, the mentions that Jews used comedy
sentimentally, in the same way as Mark Twain, using "lakhn mit
yashtsherkes," meaning mixinglaughter with tears.

Do the lizards make one cry?

Bernard Brasen

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End of Mendele Vol. 14.050

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