Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.113 January 23, 1999 1) Yiddish in Israel (Ida Selavan-Schwarcz) 2) tumbalalaika (Itsik Goldenberg) 3) Jesus in yidish (David Herskovic) 4) buttering someone up (Sarah Faerman) 5) Yiddish idiom (Shirley Kumove) 6) snorkeling (Shira (Susan) Lerner) 7) farvarfn gendz (Mendy Fliegler) 8) farvarfn gendz (Khayem Bochner) 9) Ver iz a Yid (Herman Taube) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 02:50:54 -0500 (EST) From: Yosef & Ida Schwarcz Subject: Yiddish in Israel There have recently been a number of communications about Yiddish, living or dead. There is an interesting phenomenon I have observed here in Israel. Yiddish has become the lingua franca between "Anglos" [English speakers] and immigrants from the FSU. Indeed, many Anglos who came as adults and have had great difficulty learning Hebrew, use Yiddish to communicate with Israelis of Ashkenazic background or with immigrants from South America who often know a bit of Yiddish. A great deal depends upon the age of the speaker, of course. Since most of my friends are over 60 they usually heard and often spoke Yiddish as children. There are some lively Yiddish events here in the Negev. Dimona has frequent lectures and concerts in Yiddish. In Arad we have occasional Yiddish programs. The other night Yitshak Weinstock of Beersheva (formerly of Argentina) very active in Yiddish culture on a national level, brought us the video of Mikhoels in Yidishe Glikn. Weinstock gave an overview of the happenings in USSR in 1925 and then we saw the video. He comes to Arad about once every two months, on a completely voluntary basis, to bring us Yiddish culture. He also singlehandedly publishes a Yiddish periodical in Beersheva. I have participated in a number of programs in the past and will continue to do so. Ida Selavan-Schwarcz 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 22:23:35 -0500 (EST) From: "Robert Goldenberg" Subject: tumbalalaika In Primo Levi's book IF NOT NOW, WHEN? (English translation from Italian by William Weaver), unfamiliar lines are given in the familiar song Tumbalalaika (referred to as "Song of the Foolish Boy" (narishe bokher) in the book. Here, the questions in the riddle are (1) who is the king who has no country? (2) what water doesn't wash away sand? (3) what is faster than a mouse and higher than a house? The other two questions are familiar: "What can burn without a flame," and "What can weep without tears?" Do any mendelyaners know these words in Yiddish, or was the author possibly "winging it?" (I expect to be chastised for suggesting sloppiness on Levi's part! I really hope that someone will know of the lines mentioned above. Chana Mlotek, are you there? Itsik Goldenberg 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 12:44:24 -0500 (EST) From: David Herskovic Subject: Jesus in yidish There is a yidish nickname for the Christian saviour of yosele pondrik. What I want to know is: wasn't it Jesus's father whose name was Joseph and what does pondrik mean? David Herskovic 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 18:34:42 -0500 (EST) From: Sarah Faerman Subject: buttering someone up M.Feller requested a yiddish idiom for buttering someone up. I believe that the word "chanifenik" expresses that. Sarah Faerman Toronto 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 14:59:56 -0500 (EST) From: Leon Kumove Subject: Yiddish idiom I'm just getting caught up on recent correspondence and I see Morrie Feller's request for a Yiddish idiom which would correspond to the English, to butter him up. In response, I offer up, men darf im pitsn dem hoyker. Literally it says, you have to polish his hump. I note Morrie's mention of Yosef Guri's 1,000 Yiddish Idioms. I am not familiar with this volume and would appreciate receiving publication data about it so that I can access the material. A sheynem dank un hot mir a gutn shabes. Shirley Kumove 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 02:50:18 -0500 (EST) From: Meydele@ix.netcom.com Subject: snorkeling In a recent shmuesn session, we found ourselves stumped when it came to the Yiddish for snorkeling and scuba-diving. Any suggestions? Shira (Susan) Lerner 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 23:48:56 -0500 (EST) From: Mendy Fliegler Subject: Noyekh un di genz.. Ikh denk az Noyekh iz take gerekht veygn Shulem Aleykhem. Es kimt oys az men 'farvarft' take oyfes, efsher katshkes, un take Kanadishe genz. Mir hobn fil genz, du, vi mir voynen, leybn a park, un men darf zey take farvarfn-- ver veyst vi.!.. zey esn ibern kop, un farshmutzn dus 'ganze' land... Ikh bin amul geven a farmer mer vi fiftsik yur tsurik, un ikh ken aykh zugn az men farvarft hiner (oyfes) oykhet... Demolts, ven ikh hob gehodevet dray toyznt hiner, iz tvishn zey take etlekhe 'blyadyes' geven, vus men hot bedarft 'farvarfn'. Di khevre kenen nor tin 'zbitkes', tsubrekhn eyer, makhn lekher in zek fun esnvarg, fli-en in kop arayn, u.a.v... Mir hobn zey gekhapt un arayn-'farvorfn' in a bazinderer tsimer...dortn... 'farvorfn' ,avek fun di gite vus hobn geleygt eyer. Mendy Fliegler 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 14:11:59 -0500 (EST) From: Harry Bochner Subject: vayter farvarfn gendz Ikh hob bamerkt dos vos reb Noyekh shraybt vegn "farvarfn" in 8.111, un, tsufelik hob ikh bald dernokh gefunen a zats bay Sholem Aleykhemen vu er bashraybt "farvarfn" mer protimdik: Er vet ir aroysgebn gelt in mark arayn, zi vet aynkoyfn oyfes, farvarfn zey in shtayg arayn, hodeven, zey zoln vern "fet kapital", un kokhn a yoykh fun zaynetvegn. (Yosele Solovey, zaytl 203) Mir dakht zikh az dos shtits unter Reb Noyekhs oystaytsh. Summary: I happened to come across this passage in Sholem Aleykhem with a more detail description of "farvarfn": he describes throwing the birds in a cage, and feeding them so they'll become "fat capital". This seems to support Noyekh Miller's interpretation. Khayem Bochner 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 08:16:36 -0500 (EST) From: HTaube218@aol.com Subject: Ver iz a Yid David Herkovic need a better definition to "Ver iz a Yid". Allow me to quote Rabbi Abraham Klausner in this subject: "What is a Jew? A jew is a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, dipped in a puzzle, shaped as a question mark leaning on an exclamation point and surrounded by a hedge of parentheses. A Jew is an answer, clear as a bell, wise as a sage deep as the sky. A Jew is one of the chosen people. A Jew is a victim, furtive as fear, shy with tension, nervous with destiny, on edge with uneasy awareness, the scapegoat of history. A Jew is a victor, rich in knowledge, wealthy with insight, proud with s u r v i v a l across the milennia." Es vendt zich vie einer zikht yiddishkeit, einer gefint fargenign in baigel un lax, kreplekh, oder gefilte fish a tweiter gefinfargenign in leinen Chaim Grade, Kocherginski un Leivick, a driter hut fagenign fun hern gute klezmer music.... Far einem iz yiddishkeit kapdonish, shver un shtreng, far a tveitn iz es full mit inspiratzie.... Herman Taube ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.113 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