Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.112 January 23, 1999 1) Saul (Shoyel) Gutman Z"L (Sheva Zucker) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 13:59:57 -0500 (EST) From: SCZUCKER@aol.com Subject: Saul (Shoyel) Gutman Z"L Shoyel Gutman, Z"L (English follows) S'iz letstns tsu 97 yor geshtorbn Shoyel Gutman. Gutman iz yorn lang gevn der direktor fun Sholem-Aleykhem-Folk-Institut in Nyu-York. Er iz geven der mekhaber fun a tsol bikher, tsvishn zey Traditsie un Banayung, 1967, Der Derekh fun Sholem-Aleykhem-Folk-Institut, 1972, Di Andershkayt fun Amerikaner Yidntum, 1980, un af English, The Faith of Secular Jews, 1976. Er iz gekumen kin Amerike in 1921 un iz gevorn a lerer in di Arbeter-Ring shuln in 1929. Er hot gearbet vi a lerer un profesor kimat 50 yor. Ikh hob gehat dos mazl zikh tsu lernen Dertsiung bay im etlekhe yor in Yidisher Lerer Seminar/Herzlia. Khoch Gutman iz geven a befeyresher produkt fun zayn tsayt iz er oykh geven a yokhid-bimino. Ikh hob zeltn in mayn lebn zikh ongetrofn af aza kharifesdikn moyekh. Er hot gehat a sharfn, afile baysikn humor vos hot im zikher farshaft mer vi eyn soyne un mistome gekost mer vi eyn fraynd. Ober afile do iz er geven mesugl tsu dergeyn glaykh tsum tamtses fun dem inyen mit a vort oder a zats. Zayn gelerntkayt un intelektuele naygerikayt zaynen geven oysergeveyntlekh. Er flegt zogn az er heyst "Shoyel" (fregn) un nit "Shol oder Shaul," vayl er fregt shtendik di eybike kashes. S'iz geven emes. Beshas Ikh hob oft mol khoyshed geven teyl fun di eltere kultur-tuers az zeyer visn un ideologie zaynen bazirt af dem vos zey hobn geleyent in zeyer yugnt un zaynen dort geblibn shtekn, iz dos nit geven der fal mit Gutmanen. Er hot keseyder zikh gelernt un geleyent, iz geven farton in der velt, un der iker in der velt fun gedanken. Zayne gedanken zaynen keyn mol nit farglivert gevorn, nor hobn zikh keseyder antviklt. Er iz geven dos beste vos veltlekhe Yidishkayt hot tsu shtayer gegebn der velt, eyner fun ire tifste denkers un filosofn. Ikh gleyb az Shoyel Gutman vet mit der tsayt tsurik arayn in der mode vayl er hot a sakh tsu zogn a dor vos zukht a pozitive definitsie fun veltlekhe Yidishkayt. Tsu a velt vos meynt az tsu zayn a "veltlekher Yid" meynt az m'iz nit kin mitglid in a shul un az dos heyst az me muz zayn asimilirt, brengt Gutman an ander vizie. Vi a lerer un vi a shrayber, say af Yidish say af English, hot er gelernt az tsu zayn a "veltlekher" Yid meynt nit nor az me iz NIT frum, nor az es trokt mit zikh a raykhe un filteylike ideologie un traditsie. Shoyel Gutman hot mikh (un etlekhe doyres students) gelernt az veltlekhe Yidishkayt iz a shaferisher un raykher shteyger lebn. Er hot gevizn a velt vos hot gemeynt az zayn a Yid meynt zikh tsu farshlisn in an enger fizisher un ideyisher geto az zayn a Yid darf zayn punkt der heypekh. Es darf nit shtern nor baraykern un farshenern undzer kontakt mit der droysndiker velt. Er hot kinder gelernt az yidishkayt iz an oytser vos zey hobn bakumen biyirushe. (Dos iz geven zayn metafor. Ikh gedenk vi er flekt zogn az ven er iz geven a lerer fun kinder un zey flegn im fregn far vos zey darfn zikh fardreyen a kop mit Yidish un Yidishkayt flekt er zey zogn, "Shtelt aykh for az emetser hot aykh gegebn a kastn mit an oytser, volt ir khoch nit gevolt efenen tsu zen vos se ligt dort ineveynik?") Ikh meyn az di veltlekhe Yidishe velt hot, tsum badoyern, nit mekayim geven zayne hofnungen un idealn, ober dos farklenert nit di tifkayt un sheynkayt fun zayn vizie. Er hot nit nor gekent redn, er hot zikh oykh gekent tsuhern. Er hot gevolt hern vos zayne tsudentn hobn gehat tsu zogn, s'iz im geven vikhtik. Zayn libe far zayn froy Sorke (vos iz oykh nit lang tsurik avek in der eybikayt) hot af mir gemakht a tifn royshm. Mer vi a yortsendling hot zi gelitn fun Altsheymers krankayt, nor er iz ir geven in gantsn ibergegebn. Zayn getrayshaft bemeshekh aza langer krankayt iz a simen fun zayn tifer menshlekhkayt. Er iz geven a mensh fun printsipn un er hot gelept mit un loyt di printsipn. Ikh fil zikh gliklekh vos ikh hob gehat di skhie tsu zayn Shoyel Gutmans a talmide. Koved zayn ondenk! Saul (Shoyel) Goodman died last week at the age of 97. Goodman was for many years the director of the Sholem Aleichem Folk Institute. He was the author of a number of books, among them Traditisie un Banayung, (Tradition and Renewal) 1967, Der Derekh fun Sholem-Aleykhem-Institut (The Path of the SA Folk Institute), 1972, Di Andershkayt fun Amerikaner Yidntum (The Differentness of American Jewry), 1980, and in English, The Faith of Secular Jews, 1976. He came to America in 1921 and began teaching in the Workmen's Circle schools in 1929. He continued teaching until sometime in the 1970's and it was in that capacity that I came to know him. I was fortunate to be one of his students in a number of courses in Education at the Jewish Teachers' Seminary Herzliah. Goodman was his own special person, and even though he was very much a member of his generation, he was unique. He was one of the keenest minds and sharpest wits I have ever had the privilege to study with. I am sure that his wit probably cost him more than one friend and made him some enemies, but even here, he could with one word or phrase cut right to the heart of the matter. His intellectual curiosity and erudition was amazing. He would often say that his name was "Shoyel" (which means "to ask") not "Shaul" because he was always asking the eternal questions. It was true. While I often had the sense about some of the older "Yidishe kultur-tuers" that they let their knowledge and ideology rest on books that they had read in their youth, this was not the case with Goodman. He was constantly reading and learning, engaging with the world, and particularly with the world of ideas. His ideas never got fossilized but were constantly evolving. He was really the best that secular Judaism has to offer, one of its profoundest thinkers and philosophers. I feel that maybe he will come back into vogue some day soon because Saul Goodman has a lot to say to a generation that is looking for a positive defintion of what it means to be secular. To a world that generally thinks that being a "secular Jew" means not belonging to a synagogue and therefore being assimilated, Goodman offers a different vision. In his teaching and in his writing in both Yiddish and English, he argues that being a "veltlekher" secular Jew does not mean simply "NOT being religious" but that it carries with it a rich and complex ideology and tradition. Saul Goodman taught me (and several generations of students) that secular Judaism was a highly creative and rich way of life. To a world that saw being Jewish as narrowing, he showed that being Jewish should be just the opposite. It should not prohibit us from engaging with the world, but rather, should inform and enhance our interaction with the outside world. To children he taught that Jewishness was a treasure that had been passed down to them. (That was his metaphor. I remember he said, that when children asked why they should bother to learn about being Jewish, he would tell them, "Let's say somebody gave you a box with a treasure, wouldn't you, at least like to open it up and see what is inside?"). I think, unfortunately, the secular Jewish world has not lived up to his hopes and ideals, but this in no way minimizes the depth and beauty of his vision. He was not just a talker but a listener. He cared about what his students had to say. I was also always struck by his love of his wife Sorke (who passed away just a short while ago). For well over a decade she suffered from Alzheimer's but he remained utterly devoted to her, and the fact that he could maintain this devotion during her long illness is a tribute to his menshlekhkayt. He was a man of principle and he lived by those principles. I feel fortunate that I had a chance to be a student of Saul Goodman. Sheva Zucker ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.112 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html