Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.033 July 27, 1998 1) Less than gracious criticism (Itsik Goldenberg) 2) Sholem Aleichem Short Story, "A Yom Kippur Scandal" (Shari Haber) 3) "frenk" (Yosef Gilboa) 4) Neutral Yiddish words turn pejorative in English (Yankel Kurtzman) 5) goyte (goye) (David Sherman) 6) "Der argentiner tate" (Simkhe Drayer) 7) Nokhamol "farplastern" (Jozsef Attila Balazsi) 8) Der Bavebter Yid 2:2 (Refoyl Finkel, Sholem Berger) 9) Kiftaln (Hardy Mayer) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 17:35:59 -0400 (EDT) From: "Robert Goldenberg" Subject: Less than gracious criticism Goldie Morgentaler's sharp criticism (Mendele 08.027) of a proofreading slip in the most recent issue of THE MENDELE REVIEW compels a response. If she were aware of the amount of work and the time devoted to produce each issue of TMR, she would have realized that it is almost impossible for the editor to catch each oversight or to correct every error. After all, TMR, issued almost weekly, consists of a dozen or so pages of original work - translations, biographies, romanization, historical background, criticism, etc. This work is done by precious few volunteers, inspired and guided by the gentle hand of the hard-working editor, Leonard Prager. Letters of appreciation and encouragement like the one from Moyshe Moskowitz, in the same issue of Mendele as Ms. Morgentaler's rebuke, would be more welcome than those consisting merely of nit-picking and expressions of indignation. "To err is human; to forgive, divine." Those of you who do read and enjoy TMR, please respond more often, so that those who produce TMR know that someone out there is "listening." Hopefully, your reactions will be positive, but criticism is OK too. Itsik Goldenberg 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 19:04:30 -0400 (EDT) From: ppp09582 Subject: Sholem Aleichem Short Story, "A Yom Kippur Scandal" I am a reference librarian in California. I am desperately searching for a Yiddish-language version of a short, short story by Sholem Aleichem that goes under the English title of "A Yom Kippur Scandal". It does not appear to be in "Ale Verk fun Sholem-Aleykhem", and I am beginning to think that, perhaps, the title of the story was changed when it was published in English. (The English version can be found in "The Best of Sholem Aleichem", Sholem Aleichem's "The Old Country" (1946), and "Short Stories".) Does anybody out there know of where I can find a Yiddish version of "A Yom Kippur Scandal" for my patron. I can be reached by e-mail at mclsref@mclsys.org, or by fax at (213) 228-7579. Thanks, Shari Haber 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 03:57:24 -0400 (EDT) From: AJ Gilboa Subject: "frenk" David Herskovic mentioned the use of word _frenk_ for a sphardi. The term "frenk" for a sephardic Jew is indeed regarded as insulting. Strange as it may seem, in its original meaning, the word Frenk meant Ashkenazi, and is derived, of course, from the word for France (Frankreich, in German, is clearly related). Apparently, Jews from Western Europe who, because of the frequent expulsions and other disasters, left Western Europe and joined predominantly Sephardic communities in the Turkish Empire (including Eretz Yisrael), were called Ashkenazi or Frank by the Sepharadim. Hence the common surname Ashkenazi among Sepharadim to this day. Even after the Ashkenazic families were thoroughly integrated into the Sephardic community, the surname remained. Speaking of pejoratives, have you heard the term "vuzvuz" applied to Ashkenazim? Apparently derived from the frequent use of "vus? vus?" in Yiddish. I am not sure that there is any real insult attached to this, though. I often say to people who ask about my origins: Ani? Ani vuzvuz. For that matter, some of my Sephardic friends and colleagues often refer to themselves as frenkim. Perhaps the insult has worn off and all that is left is the wry humour? Yosef Gilboa 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 14:25:07 -0400 (EDT) From: "Gilda and Bob Kurtzman" Subject: Neutral Yiddish words turn pejorative in English Ich shtim mit Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan in alles chitz mit der vort shikse. Shikse and shaygetz are pejorative to begin with. She is right goy means simply a non-Jew. The root of the words shikse and shaygetz are from the Hebrew word shaketz. In The Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary by REUBEN ALCALAY on page 2712 defines the word -- unclean creature; abomination and adds (colloquial and jocular) a young devil (demon) (colloquial) shiksseh, forbidden (non-Jewish) girl. In the Even-Shoshan Hebrew dictionary we find in vol. 4 ,page`1753 and I translate 3.a popular derogatory term for an impetuous bad boy,casts off the yoke of Torah and commandments and especially a lad from the non-Jewish youth then follows the entry shiktza a popular name for a non-Jewish lass. Language experts say that in general words in the course of time deteriate or take on negative conotations. In Yiddish I can think of two exceptions. for example the word mamzer from the Hebrew bastard. In the course of time it has acquired a positive conotation -- someone off beat not like the run of the mill. Also someone exceedingly clever,or bright has "a mamzersche kop" ( a sharp mind) The second example is shaygetz. Originally a very negative bad even despicible goy (non-Jew)In Yiddish there is the positive popular phrase a gute goy In the course of time shaygetz became an almost endearing name for a Jewish youth with a mind of his own An independent soul. Yankel Kurtzman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 01:34:56 -0400 From: "David M. Sherman" Subject: goyte (goye) Regarding David Hershkovic's comments on "goyte" being used for cleaning ladies in England: The term is used here in Toronto too, in the same way (in the Orthodox community, not specifically among Yiddish speakers), but the word used here is "goye". I've never heard "goyte". Question for the linguists (Manaster Ramer? Mikhl Herzog?): Do different communities often develop different suffixed versions in this way? Are -te and -e both productive feminine suffixes that can legitimately be used for ? What do other communities use? David Sherman Toronto 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 21:00:03 -0400 (EDT) From: "Drajer" Subject: "Der argentiner tate" Tayere fraynd fun di Mendele nets: Ikh bin farinteresirt in a teater pyese geshribn fun Nokhem Stutshkov in di tsvontsikste yorn. Di piese heist "Der argentiner tate oder far a tatns a zind". Mayn fraynd Zekharye Baker (funem nyu-yorker YIVO) hot mir geentfert az zey hobn es nit, un az efsher Stutshkov's a tochter ken farmogn zayne arkhyvn, un es kon zayn az tvishn zayne verk gefint zikh oikh di oyvn-dermonte pyese. Mistame emitser fun aykh ken Stutchkov's tokhter adress oder (un beser) farmogt an exemplyar. A dank foroys. Simkhe Drayer. 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 05:11:19 -0400 (EDT) From: "Balazsi Jozsef Attila" Subject: Nokhamol "farplastern" "Farplastern" indeed means "to put on a plaster". The verb may be of Slavonic origin in Yiddish, cf. Russian "plastyr'". The noun "plaster" can be found in Rokkhind and Shklyar's Jewish [Yiddish]-Russian Dictionary (p. 424) published by the Institute of Literature and Language of the Belorussian Academy of Sciences in Minsk, 1940. Jozsef Attila Balazsi Budapest 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 17:46:55 -0400 (EDT) From: "Sholem Berger" Subject: Der Bavebter Yid 2:2 Der Bavebter Yid 2:2 Literarisher vebzhurnal http://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/bavebter In hayntikn numer: * Alis un ire vayterdike avantures * Mehumes in Brooklyn * Lider * A por verter fun redaktsye Kumt tsu gast! Refoyl Finkel, raphael@cs.uky.edu Sholem Berger, bergez01@popmail.med.nyu.edu 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 09:44:26 -0400 (EDT) From: "Hardy (Meinhard E.) MAYER" Subject: Kiftaln Kiftaln -- correctly in Romanian chiftele -- are essentailly "Hamburgers," i.e., chopped beef fried in fat, sometimes served with a sauce. The word can be found throughout the old Ottoman empire in Turkish, Arabic, Greek, etc (kofta, kefta, etc -- I don't know all te spellings and pronunciations). In the Austro-Hungarian sphere (Bukowina) they used to be kalled "Schnitzel" (not Wiener-Schnitzel -- which are made from whole slices of beef or veal, breaded with eggs). This note almost made me hungry, although it is close to midnight in San Francisco ... Hardy Mayer ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.033 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