Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.095 August 26, 1994 1) Yiddish clubs, teachers, & Klezmer groups (Fishl Kutner) 2) Oyneg Yiddish'n (Dvorah Halperin Biasca) 3) More about translations' importance (Louis Fridhandler) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 14:42:32 -0700 From: fishl@well.sf.ca.us Subject: Yiddish clubs, teachers, & Klezmer groups Zellig Bach in M 4.092 made an excellent case for naming all Yiddish clubs "oyneg Yiddish". His recommendation is well-taken. The status of "Yiddish groups" in the States is quite varied. In size they run the gamut from a half dozen (this appears to be the critical mass) to over 500 in retirement communities in NJ and FL. At the present there are 269 Yiddish groups in the States. This includes those which call themselves by CLUB, VINKL, LEYENKRAYZ, SOCIETY, GROUP, etc. Any change requires majority consensus and, of course, each group is autonomous. They run the gamut from those meeting weekly to once a month. Some use only transliteration (transcription) for no one can read Yiddish with the Hebrew letters. Some are sing-a-longs with a pot-luck supper on a Sunday afternoon. Many Yiddish groups are led by a Yiddish teacher, and a few are a cross between a class and a club. Many are strongly social and get together to be entertained and reminded of their childhood. This leads to the number of Yiddish teachers available in the States. There are 341 listed in the "der bay's" database. This does not include those in the Chassidic communities. While there are obviously some unlisted, a projection shows well under 500. and closer to 400. A definition of who is a Yiddish teacher proves controversial. The definition used here is anyone who has verifiably ever taught a Yiddish class--some do not even know the Hebrew Alphabet. Yiddish teachers are truly an endangered species! Klezmer groups number 134 in the States. One problem arose when 5 musicians playing together said they have 5 different groups--each with a different name. The name of the band was that of the musician who booked the gig. :-)) Fishl Kutner 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 19:59:33 EDT From: biasca@horton.colorado.edu Subject: Oyneg Yiddish'n To: Zellig Bach I guess you would have to count my vote as a "no." We are a Yiddish vinkl here in Boulder, and Oyneg doesn't capture the spirit of our group at all. Many of our mitglider have no connection to a Shul/Temple and it is the Vinkl that has livened up their connection to Yidishkeit. My guess (perhaps wrong) is that you'll hear from other groups who all prefer their own names. A name is such a personal thing, after all! I would hesitate to call the leyenkreyzn "vinklen" for similar reasons. Here is some information about our vinkl: We have 20-30 members, and meet once a month. We do not conduct our meetings all in Yiddish. Our activities are a mixture of Yiddish reading (it has to be transliterated for many mitglider), we sing a little, and shmooz a bisl. The format varies. We have also shown Yiddish films. Our second year has just begun. Dvorah Halperin Biasca 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 25 Aug 94 14:16:47 EDT From: 74064.1661@compuserve.com Subject: More about translations' importance Eventually, this is going to be a plea for more English translations and for translations mit tam (flavorful), mit gefil (no English equivalent, feelingful, to coin a word). Most Jews don't believe in miracles, but all Jews rely on them. I'm now taking advantage of a modern miracle. This internet connection among the sparse population of Yiddishists qualifies as miraculous. Ask anyone over sixty, maybe younger. Most young Jews are losing whatever tenuous connection they still have with Yiddish language and literature and, therefore, with the culture. A major side effect is loss of American Jews' connection with Jewish history. This loss is especially conspicuous in Southern California where if you mention 1648 or Khmielnistki or the cantonment system of military recruitment or Simon Dubnov or Jacob Brafman, a definitive illustration of a blank stare will confront you. Most American Jews know little or nothing about 1) their genetic and cultural roots, 2) the epic saga of Eastern European Jewish survival against odds, 3) the great migration to America which made so much else possible, and 4) the many decisive contributions of these Ashkenazic, Yiddish- speaking Jews (including settling Palestine, fighting with mind and muscle to establish the state of Israel, reviving Hebrew as a living language, and the like). The yawning mind-gap produces a heart-gap. They often feel no connection. Loss of the past causes loss of the present. All this begs a question that I assume is important to everyone on Mendele: "Would better knowledge of Yiddish language, literature and history maintain into the next centuries an emotional connection with those values identified with Jews and Jewishness?" Maybe. In any case, we need to bridge the gap. How? There are problems. Among those who claim to be interested in Yiddish, few will tolerate even a little of the considerable effort it takes for initial penetration into Yiddish. This is my experience with a small sample. Engish translations may provide a bridge, but they must be mit tam, and mit gefil. Translation may be a necessary but not sufficient tool to mine our rightful legacy of treasures contained in Askenazic culture. Nobody owns a culture so I would include non-Jews as entitled to claim that legacy. Still, the original Yiddish is the key that opens the way to the soul of the culture. Not only has there been an uphill struggle in the non-Jewish diaspora, but even in Israel, Yiddish has suffered for years, and so the gap has widened. The Israelis' destructive opposition to Yiddish was justified as necessary to force a Hebrew revival. Stuff and nonsense! It was obviously misguided seeing that Yiddish-speakers were among leaders who revived Hebrew. Sholem Aleichem once said, "Hebrew and Yiddish co-exist within me in perfect peace and harmony; they don't tear at each other." For thousands of years, Jews have handled at least two, often three languages. The assumption that Israelis could not handle both Yiddish and Hebrew underestimated human capabilities. In recent times there are signs of an Israeli Yiddish revival. Perhaps our Israeli subscribers can bring us up to date. The upshot of this communication is obviously an encouragement to us translators. To the younger subscribers: read the history, learn Yiddish, read Yiddish, speak Yiddish, get the feeling, and translate, too. As an ancient rabbi said, "You are under no obligation to complete the task, but you have no right to abstain from it." Join the task! Abi gezunt! Louis Fridhandler ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.095 A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line. 2. Sign your article. Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu