Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.150 February 16, 1998 1) pro-am matters (David Herskovic) 2) The spirit of Yiddish needs protection (Louis Fridhandler) 3) Swiss Yiddish (Vivian Aldridge) 4) A frage vegn Lemberg (Miriam Isaacs) 5) William Safire - Sunday Feb. 15 (Mikhl Herzog) 6) New York Klezmer Ensemble (Ari Davidow) 7) Carmel and Yiddish newspaper (Leonard Prager) 8) Introduction (Jerry Benjamin) 9) Oystrakhter (Mendy Fliegler) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 14:08:56 +0000 From: David Herskovic Subject: pro-am matters Fred Sherman need not be so apologetic regarding so called amateurism (vol. 07.148) despite being told very condescendingly in that same volume that mendele "is primarily a scholarly list but there are Yiddish "newbies" also." Said who? And since when? While the various -ists are welcome to their pompous opinions it would do a lot for the sholem bayis of this list if their views of amateurs "promulgating all kinds of fantasies" were kept to themselves. This is not a scholar's list; this is a yiddish list and is open equally to anybody with any interest in Yiddish. Neither does anybody need any patronising heteyrim to ask questions "if we don't know the literature". If the scholars wish to bore themselves endlessly with the roots of davenen and cholent then that is their prerogative. As for the rest of us who don't give a shma-koyleynu for diphthongs and gutturals and who couldn't tell an MHG from an AEG let's make a quickie minyen -the minion's minyen- in the polish (etym. ?) and start the kidesh forthwith.˙ And the scholars had better not attribute chulent to shul's end because by the time they finish davenen there's not going to be anything left bar a few beans (bundlekh? bebelekh? arbes?) which they can then dissect to infinite particles (or should it be participles?) and sit and munch over them until long past rabeynu tam's zman. But then they shouldn't promulgate fantasies about it being anything to do with hot either because I'm afraid it's going to be very cold. Ignorance isn't only bliss it's tasty too! David Herskovic 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 13:46:32 EST From: Lfridhan@aol.com Subject: The spirit of Yiddish needs protection I thought it might be better to ignore the whole distasteful matter, but... Along with Fred Sherman (7.148, 7), I too have been unimpressed by a so-called "professional" with unspecified credentials berating others for offering Mendele material with which he disagrees and won't digest.˙ The mark of true professionalism is care, accuracy, eagerness to share well-founded knowledge, providing sources and nature of evidence, and eagerness to learn from others. Take a look at some of the self-styled professional's communiques (not even in Yiddish!).˙ Note the carelessness in spelling, etc. and the apparent reluctance to learn from others.˙ Among the 1500 Mendele subscribers there is an abundance of people who have taught us much. It is not attempted humiliation of others, it is not self-promotion, but it _is_ humility in the face of the huge task which is at the heart of true professionalism.˙ In any case, self-aggrandizement approaching arrogance is inimical to the spirit of Yiddish, as well as the whole spirit, purpose and basis of any kind of professional scholarship. Besides, who passed the law that Mendele was only for those who claim to be professors in this field?˙ I have not been informed of that!˙ Besides, Yiddish is hardly one field!˙ Besides, let's get on with Yiddish literature and language and culture! Nu, abi gezunt!˙ Mir zaynen do! Louis Fridhandler 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 21:53:46 +0000 From: vivaldi@es-basel.ch (ES-Basel) Subject: Swiss Yiddish I would like to thank A. M. Ramer for the correction on my comment on Swiss Yiddish. However, I am very pleased that I shared my first impressions - however misled - because Swiss Yiddish is a new subject for me and I am sure that I would otherwise never have been given the concise, clear and wonderfully pertinent information that my impressions provoked. Please don't be too saddened by such having to point out how misleading first impressions may be, particularly for the untutored. There is a great deal of literature on Yiddish which for a great many reasons most of us will never read. As long as misleading impressions are nipped in the bud so that they can't become "received popular wisdom", they provide a wonderful platform for the better informed to disseminate their knowledge in an extremely efficient way. For my part, thanks to Mendele in general and A. M. Ramer in particular I shall be looking at Swiss Yiddish in a new light and probably with more interest. With thanks Vivian Aldridge 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 11:53:02 -0500 (EST) From: Miriam Isaacs Subject: A frage vegn Lemberg Mayn tate, a Galitsianer fin Isterik (Ushchike Dolne) fleg zogn, ven s'iz geven an oysgetrakhte maynse, "Na'n (9) tug inter Lemberik". Hayst, nisht geshtoygn, nisht gefloygn. Ober var vos take 9 teg, un fin vanen shtamt aza vertl. S'miz zayn a maynse datsi. Efsher veyst emetser? Miriam Isaacs 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 15:42:48 -0500 From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: William Safire-Sunday Feb. 15 William Safire: GOTCHA! German _Schmuck_ rhymes with English _look_ and means 'jewel'.˙ Yiddish _shmok_ rhymes with Yiddish _zok_ 'sock', and means 'penis'. It DOES NOT rhyme with the German word and there is no known way in which it can be derived therefrom. The two words are decidedly NOT RELATED, and appeals to a presumed reference to "the family jewels" in Yiddish are misplaced. In other words, Mr. Saphire's reference to "penile and ornamental origins of German-Yiddish _schmuck_" are completely off the mark. There IS NO "German-Yiddish _schmuck_". English _shmuck_ rhymes with English _luck_ and means 'fool'.˙ It IS derived from the Yiddish word. Our best evidence points to the Slavic origin of Yiddish _shmok_. See, for example, Polish _smok_ 'serpent', 'tail'. Marvin (Mikhl) Herzog 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 07:51:17 -0500 From: Ari Davidow Subject: New York Klezmer Ensemble Re: New York Klezmer Ensemble [07.147] My LP is in storage, but I do seem to remember that the ensemble was formed around Ray Musiker (clarinet) and his son. Ari Davidow 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 10:11:29 +0200 From: Leonard Prager Subject: Carmel and˙ Yiddish newspaper Re: Yiddish newspaper in England Naroditski, Yisroel (1874-1942) [Israel Narodiczky]. Naroditski {Narod Press}. In 1937 the press was located at 129-131 Bedford Street. Shimen Ravidovitsh and others appreciated Y. N.'s contribution as publisher, printer and friend of Hebrew writers.˙ His home at 48 Mile End Road was a meeting place for Brenner, Gnesis and numerous others.˙ Needless to say, his milieu was largely a Yiddish-speaking one and he never saw any conflict between his Hebrew and Yiddish interests.˙ N.˙ gave his children Hebrew names: Zerubavel, Shoshana, Bar-Kochba, Carmel.˙ _Jewish Books in Whitechapel; a bibliography of Narodiczky's Press, compiled by Moshe Saunders and edited by Marion Aptroot, London:˙ Duckworth, 1991.˙ Ref:˙ A yidisher farleger.˙ {Loshn un lebn (December 15, 1943)}; Yitschak Bakon, Brener hatsair (1975), passim; Kalmen Marmor, Mayn lebns-geshikhte II, p. 506-507 and passim; NL 6:172-174. Leonard Prager 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 21:37:47 -0500 From: "Jerry Benjamin" Subject: Introduction Shalom, My wife and I are friends of Noyekh and Jo Miller.˙ After many discussions of Yiddish literature and the state of the world, Noyekh has finally convinced us to sign on to the E-mail list for Mendele.˙ We look forward to reviewing the comments and perhaps sending in our own thoughts. I am in Medicine and my wife is a Psychiatric Social Worker.˙ We have three young children.˙ Our current energies are focused on our children and making a weak effort at keeping up with the world around us. Thanks for letting us join you. Jerry and Karen Benjamin 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 22:31:13 -0200 From: emenems@juno.com (Mendy Fliegler) Subject: Oystrakhter Nu, der khevreman (oder khevrete) vus darf take_ oysklern_, take, vus far a ideye oder gedank dus darf zayn, muz zayn an 'oystrakhter'. Der vus nitst di hendt mitn kop, un gefindt oys....iz an 'oysgefiner', un makht epes tsu nitsn. Hot dus take tsu tin mit vus men makht epes tsu nitsn, o-d-e-r, (men git zikh a zingele...) epes a nay oysderklerung funm moyekh...es hot an untershidt.... Mendy Fliegler ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.150 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html