Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 23.002
June 15, 2013

1) bafufket (Ellen Cassedy)
2) folg mir a gang (Dina Lévias)
3) folg mir a gang (Stanley F. Levine)
4) folg mir a gang (Noyekh Miller)
5) Lomir ale in eynem (Martin Davis)
6) “The Exile Book of Yiddish Women Writers” (Freydl Forman)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: May 24
Subject: bafufket

“Bafufket” was used in our family to mean “agitated, upset, wigged out.”
Where does this word come from? Is there a verb “fufken” or “bafufken”?

Ellen Cassedy

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: May 15
Subject: folg mir a gang

Folg mir a derikhgang, or, shorter, “folg mir a gang !”

If I may add my two-cents' worth : I heard my mother using this expression, (my childish
ear captured it as “fal mir a gang”) when she meant exactly what Morrie Feller cites, i.e.
“that's a long way to go !” -or, more colloquially,” - what? all the way over there ? that's
in the back of beyond !”

As for “derikh gang,” here we have “derekh”, i.e. Hebrew for road - that would fit with
the meaning, and might have been quite plausibly used by some.

Matys Velvel Steinbuch's valiant attempt at an explanation is, I fear, a bit “off” !
(“As for “derikh,” this is merely “durkh” - (German and Yiddish) for “through” - and it's
just tacked on to the front of “gang.”) However, Velvel is right when he notes that the
literal translation (“follow my path”) does not come anywhere near to the ironic tone in 
the usage of the phrase ! 

A classic pitfall for translators: translating words and not what is meant!!

Dina Lévias

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: May 16
Subject: folg mir a gang

Di mame hot genitst di oysdruk “folg mir a gang” in shaykhes mit an ort vos iz vayt un
shver tsu dergreykhn, un bilderish tsu meynen epes is zeyer komplitsirt, (oder) bli sofek,
ummeglekh tsu dergreykhn, tsu realizirn.

'kh'ken zikh ober nisht dermonen oyb zi hot gezogt folg mikh oder folg mir a gang.

Stanley F Levine

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: May 13
Subject: folg mir a gang

Matys Velvel Steinbuch (Mendele 23.001) suggests that the Yiddish "durkh" is the
source of "derekh". Maybe.  A far more likely source is the Hebrew "derekh" which
means precisely the same as "gang."  In short, a play on words by a
Yiddishist who was proud of his Hebrew.

Noyekh Miller

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: June 12
Subject: Lomir ale in eynem

Subject: Lomir ale in eynem ...
With respect to the song:
"Lomir ale in eynem
... ... ... ... ... ...
Nemen a bisele vayn"

I'd love to know something of its provenance.

Also information would be gratefully received about this performance of the song
available on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUt9N1mLjdw&list=PL555DA2A251620A76

It is to a huge appreciative sing-along audience, with an orchestra, attractive female
dancers singing on stage and a master of ceremonies addressing the crowd in a Slavic
language (Russian I believe). Anyone know where and when? What is the MC saying?
So many people who apparently knew the song?

Thanks,
Martin Davis

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: May 27
Subject: “The Exile Book of Yiddish Women Writers”

Dear friends,

Thank you for including the announcement of our new book, “The Exile Book of Yiddish
Women Writers.” Please not that the book was a collective labor of love involving many
meetings, much soul searching and countless edits. The collective consists of: Sam Blatt,
Sarah Faerman, Vivian Felsen, Frieda J Forman, Shirley Kumove, Sylvia Lustgarten,
Goldie Morgentaler, Alisa Poskanzer and Ida Wynberg.

Thank you,

Zayt gezunt un shtark,

Freydl Forman

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End of Mendele Vol. 23.002

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