Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
______________________________________________________
Contents of Vol. 3.309
April 4, 1994

1) Amerika gonif (Cal Pryluck)
2) Amerika ganif (Golda Werman)
3) Jacinta (Odem Vaytman)
4) Introduction (Ayelet Margalioth)
5) Learning Yiddish (Ayelet Margalioth)
6) Ver zogt az yidn kenen nor handlen? (Meyshe Alpert)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun Apr  3 16:01:36 1994
From: <PRYLUCK@VM.TEMPLE.EDU>
Subject: Amerika gonif

"Amerika gonif" is one of the exclamations I remember as a regular part
of my family lexicon as I drifted further and further from what had been
my first language.  My father used it as an ironic comment about
individuals and society.  My interpretation is something like: "some
people sure know how to take advantage of opportunities."  The phrase
seemed to imply both admiration and vague criticism.

Cal Pryluck

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon Apr  4 06:29:33 1994
From: <RWERMAN@vms.huji.ac.il>
Subject:  Amerika ganif

The best description I know of "Amerika ganif" is in the following joke:

A recent Polish immigrant to New York uses an escalator for the first
time in his life.  He is amazed.

"Amerika ganif," he says, "me shtayt un me gayt."

__Golda Werman

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun Apr  3 19:48:47 1994
From: <74031.775@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Jacinta?

Ikh hob nor vos gekeyft a nayem CD fun Jacinta vos heyst Autres Chansons
Yiddish un es iz gemakht in Frankraykh fun Radio France.  Loytn tekst
Jacinta shtamt fun Argentina.  Ir stil iz nit kin traditsioneler khotsh
merstn fun di lider zenen folkslider.  Efsher tsvishn undzere Parizer
Mendelnikes fran emetser vos veyst epes veygn ir.

Odem Vaytman

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun Apr  3 22:53:40 1994
From: <akmargal@husc.harvard.edu>
Subject: Introduction

This is by way of a very short introduction (my apologies to those
Harvard or Canadian people who already know me).

My name is Ayelet Kuper Margalioth and I'm a Senior at Harvard. I'm from
Montreal, and when I'm there I'm involved in the Montreal Yiddish Theatre
(I also learned some of my Yiddish at Bialik High School, but mostly from
my family).

Next year I'll be going to England to get an M.Litt. in Yiddish
Literature at Oxford. At the moment I'm actually majoring in Biology, but
I'm taking a class in Yiddish novels with Prof. Ruth Wisse here at
Harvard and took another last semester on Yiddish short stories (if
anyone knows where to find out of print English translations of Yiddish
book, besides at the National Yiddish Book Center, please let me know). I
think that's about it -  I have to get back to work on my thesis, which
is due next week. Zeyer gut tsu eich bakenen (I think that makes sense;
I've forgotten a lot here at school),

Ayelet Margalioth

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun Apr  3 22:55:43 1994
From: <akmargal@husc.harvard.edu>
Subject: Learning Yiddish

In reply to Seth Golub:

I know that there are Yiddish-instructional audiotapes available, I'm
just not sure where one would find them in the USA. The Jewish Public
Library in Montreal has a set, though, and might be able to help you find
them closer to home (they're at 5151 Cote-Ste-Catherine St in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada, but I don't know the Postal Code or Phone Number).
Widener Library Judaica, Room M, Harvard College, Cambridge MA 02138
might also have a copy or know where to find one.

Ayelet Kuper Margalioth

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon Apr  4 00:17:58 1994
From: meyshke@aol.com
Subject: Ver zogt az yidn kenen nor handlen?

Thot you cyber-shraybers would like to see more of what's happening to
Yiddish music out on the information superhighway. The following comes to
me via Henry Goldberg of Boston, a gezunt em in pupikl. I take no
responsibility for orthography. Az me fort kayn Sevastopol, iz nit vayt
fun Cyberopol. . .

           Zayt mir ale hi-res un shtark

           Meyshe Alpert

PRINT : PRINT "HEY! ZHANKOYE"
PRINT
'      Em
PRINT "Az men fort kine Se-vas-to-pol"
PLAY " e  e   e    g    b  b   b  g"
'      A      Am       Em
PRINT "Iz nit veit fon Sim-fere-o-pol"
PLAY " a  a   a    e   g   g    f+e"
'        Am          B7             Em
PRINT "  Dor-tn iz a stan-tzi-ye fa-ran. "
PLAY "   e   g  f+ g a    a   f+ f+ e2. p4"
PRINT ""
PRINT "Ver darf zu-chen ni-ye glik-ken"
PLAY " e   e    e  g    b  b  b    g"
'      A      Am         Em
PRINT "S'iz a stan-tziye an an-ti-kel "
PLAY " a    a a    e     g  g  f+ e"
'        Am             B7            Em
PRINT "  In Zhan-ko-ye, dzhan, dzhan, dzhan..."
PLAY "   e  g    f+ g   a2     f+2     e2. p4"
PRINT ""
PRINT ""
PRINT "Chorus:"
'         Am        D7
PRINT "   Hey Zhan, hey Zhan-ko-ye, "
PLAY "T205a2  a2    >d  d    d  c <"
'         G               D7       B7
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-vi-li, hey Zhan-ko-ye,"
PLAY "    b   g    g  b   >d  c    <b a"
'         Em              Am     B7     Em    AmE7
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-ko-ye, dzhan, dzhan, dzhan."
PLAY "    g   g    f+ g   a2     f+2    mle2g2a2b2 mn"
PRINT ""
PRINT "   Hey Zhan, hey Zhan-ko-ye, "
PLAY "    a2  a2    >d  d    d  c <"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-vi-li, hey Zhan-ko-ye,"
PLAY "    b   g    g  b   >d  c    <b a"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-ko-ye, dzhan, dzhan, dzhan."
PLAY "    g   g    f+ g   a2     f+2    e1. p2"

PRINT "En-fert Yid-den af mine ka-she"
PLAY " e  e    e   g   b  b    b  g"
PRINT "Vi'z mine bri-der, vi'z A-bra-she"
PLAY " a    a    a   e    g    g f+  e"
PRINT "  S'gayt ba im der trak-tor vi a bahn."
PLAY "   e      g  f+ g   a    a   f+ f+e2. p4"
PRINT ""

PRINT "Di mi-me Lay-e ba der ko-sil-ke"
PLAY " e  e8 e8 e   g b  b   b8 b8  g"
PRINT "S'iz a stan-tziye an an-ti-kel "
PLAY " a    a a    e     g  g  f+ e"
PRINT "  In Zhan-ko-ye, dzhan, dzhan, dzhan..."
PLAY "   e  g    f+ g   a2     f+2     e2. p4"
PRINT ""
PRINT ""
PRINT "Chorus:"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan, hey Zhan-ko-ye, "
PLAY "T205a2  a2    >d  d    d  c <"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-vi-li, hey Zhan-ko-ye,"
PLAY "    b   g    g  b   >d  c    <b a"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-ko-ye, dzhan, dzhan, dzhan."
PLAY "    g   g    f+ g   a2     f+2    mle2g2a2b2 mn"
PRINT ""
PRINT "   Hey Zhan, hey Zhan-ko-ye, "
PLAY "    a2  a2    >d  d    d  c <"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-vi-li, hey Zhan-ko-ye,"
PLAY "    b   g    g  b   >d  c    <b a"
PRINT "   Hey Zhan-ko-ye, dzhan, dzhan, dzhan."
PLAY "    g   g    f+ g   a2     f+2    e1. p2"

PRINT "Ver zog az Yidden kenen nor handlen,"
PRINT "Essen fette yoich mit mandlen"
PRINT "  Nor nit zine kine arbetsman?"
PRINT
PRINT "Doss kenen zogen nor di sonim"
PRINT "Yidden, shpite zay on in ponim!"
PRINT "  Tit a kik of dzhan, dzhan, dzhan..."

PRINT "English rendering by Jerry Silverman:"
PRINT
PRINT "       When you go to Sevastopol,"
PRINT "       That's not far from Simferopol,"
PRINT "         There you'll find a pretty little town,"
PRINT "       Who would need to seek new pleasure"
PRINT "       It's the best by any measure,"
PRINT "         Called Zhankoye, zhan, zhan, zhan."
PRINT
PRINT "       If you ask a Jewish farmer"
PRINT "       Where's my brother, where's Abram,"
PRINT "         He's driving on his tractor like a train"
PRINT "       The women operate machines,"
PRINT "       It's all beyond your wildest dreams,"
PRINT "         In Zhankoye, zhan, zhan, zhan."
PRINT
PRINT "       Who says that Jews know business only?"
PRINT "       We've all heard that old baloney;"
PRINT "         And not be a working man."
PRINT "       Our enemies are in disgrace,"
PRINT "       Jews will spit right in their faces,"
PRINT "         Take a look at zhan, zhan, zhan."

______________________________________________________
End of Mendele Vol. 3.309

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