Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
______________________________________________________
Contents of Vol. 4.160
October 31, 1994

1) "Hefker," and a Newly Coined Phrase (Zellig Bach)
2) Call for a Mendele Convention (Zellig Bach)
3) Information on Yiddish chairs departments (Kayle Goodman)
4) Klezerama concert (Gerald Wallick)
5) More on yekes (Naomi Cohen)
6) Yiddish scrabble (Naomi Cohen)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 17:45:55 -0500
From: zellig@aol.com
Subject: "Hefker," and a Newly Coined Phrase

"Hefker" has no equivalent word in English.  It means  any man's
property, outside the protection of law.

An interesting story, defining the meaning of "hefker" from a religious
viewpoint, tells about a rabbi who was studying the Talmud in the early
morning light near the window, and saw a thief in the yard stealing some
of his firewood.  He quickly opened the window, and said aloud "hefker."
In doing so he declared the firewood no one's property, and thus no sin
was attached to the man taking it.

I believe the expression "hafker petrishke" originated a long time ago
when petrishke (parsley) was considered of no commercial value and
therefore not harvested as a food crop.

It was before its herbal nutritional and culinary properties were
established and accepted by the wide public.  Thus it was available to
anyone and considered without any legal ownership and protection.

There is a Yiddish proverb "a velt Iz nit hefker" (the world is not
hefker), said when an unspeakable injustice occurs.  It conveys the
notion that eventually justice will prevail.

May I coin the phrase "yidish iz nit hefker" (Yiddish is not hefker).
While it is no one's and everyone's property, there are laws of grammar,
syntax, and usage that protect it.

Zellig Bach

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 17:46:23 -0500
From: zellig@aol.com
Subject: Call for a Mendele Convention

In a personal E-mail exchange Noyekh Miller wrote, in passing: "The best
reward of this job is the wonderful people I meet and talk with. Maybe we
should have a convention."

Yes, indeed, I think we should have a Mendele Convention.

The overall _purpose_of such a Convention:  To meet members of the
Mendele mishpokhe, friends and acqaintances made through postings in the
Mendele volumes.  It would also serve to announce to the public, through
the media, of our existence, purpose, and activities, resulting in an
increase of our membership.

Since such a Convention would take months to organize, the planning for
it should start immediately, without delay.

A Committee should be appointed to lay out the general Convention plan:
Its overall theme, speakers and panelists for the plenary sessions,
workshop topics and leaders, etc.

Another Committee should be in charge of location (city), hotels, special
rate arrangements for rooms, airplane tickets, and car rentals;
arrangements for the press, etc.  Also visits to the new quarters of
YIVO, the Yiddish FORWARD, the Lower East Side of Manhattan (site and
life center  of  the Yiddish-speaking immigrants at the end of the last
and the beginning of this century), Boro Park (Brooklyn, site and center
of the Yiddish-speaking khasidim), and other places.

There is much work to do.  Let's roll up our sleeves.

Zellig Bach

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 15:32:05 -0800
From: ac939@lafn.org
To: mendele@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu
Subject: Information on Yiddish chairs departments

Ikh veys az s'iz do etlikhe "chairs" oder "departments" in universitetn
in Yiddish in unzere fareynigte shtatn.  Ikh zukh yedie vegn dos (1) in
the U.S.  (2) in all other countries. Ikh volt zeyer dos opegshatst.  A
daynk.

Kayle Goodman

[This request coincides with a suggestion made by Bob Rothstein to create
a FAQ file on the subject.  If you don't have such a comprehensive list, at
least send what you have to the shames who will concatenate the data.
nm]

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 23:56:32 -0500
From: wallickG@aol.com
Subject: Klezerama concert

Today we had the honor to attend fellow Mendeleik Henry Sapoznik's
'Klezerama'. I'm not a critic and won't be arrogant  to provide a review
but can state the that the large audience was enthralled. It was a
beautiful afternoon. He should be blessed with continued strength.

Gerald Wallick

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 19:04:21
From: ncohen@sjuphil.sju.edu
Subject: More on Yekes

To the query on the possible origins of the term yeke (4.146), I would
like to add an additional explanation I learned in Israel.  The director
of our kibbutz ulpan told us that yeke comes from the Hebrew meduyak
(exact, punctual).  He was a self-described yeke from Austria who made
aliya about 1938.

Naomi Cohen

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 19:15:05
From: ncohen@sjuphil.sju.edu
Subject: Yiddish Scrabble

Mir zaynen farinteresirt in makhn (oder koyfn) a yidish Scrabble shpil.
Oyb me darf es aleyn makhn, darf men visn vifl fun yedn os tsu makhn, un
vifl punktn iz vert yeder os.  Oyb emetser veyst di deytaln, zayt azoy
gut un shikt mir di informatsiye.  A sheynem dank.

Naomi Cohen

______________________________________________________
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