Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.109 September 12, 1995 1) Introduction and query (Miriam Scheraga) 2) "Cool" af yidish? (Zellig Bach) 3) Keynehore vs. biz 120 (Leybl Botvinik) 4) Tsoym Gedalya (Rick Turkel) 5) Job listing (Suzanne Kessler) 6) Lekoved Yerushalayim (Leybl Botvinik) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 14:45:31 -0400 From: mks7@cornell.edu Subject: Introduction and query I was introduced to Mendele by my brother Prof. Ernest Kurnow of New York University. We were raised in a family of Yiddishists and always spoke Yiddish at home to our parents. I graduated from the "Arbeter Ring Mitlshule" in New York in the year 1937. Since that time I have always been interested in things Yiddish, both culturally, linguistically and emotionally. At present I am a librarian at Cornell University and specialize in the cataloging of Hebrew and Yiddish materials. It is wonderful to see the great interest in Yiddish by the people subscribing to Mendele! Miriam Kurnow Scheraga P.S. I have a question that was presented to me about a poem. Does anyone know the author and the exact wording of the poem which begins as follows: A gezintl bay (fun?) akht Un betn nor tsvey Es kumt on di nakht Shlofn den zey Thanks! 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 9 Sep 1995 20:45:18 -0400 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: "Cool" af yidish? Kive Weidenbaum hot gefregt (5.098,1) vi darf men zogn af yidish "cool" ven a meydl "glaykht" (likes) a bokher. Af yidish far "cool" volt men gekent zogn: khEynevdik, zeyer khEynevdik, mOle kheyn [attractive, very attractive, especially attractive, of a particular appeal]. Ober dos iz nor di idEe. In der emesn iz es mer complitsirt. Mit etlekhe yor tsurik hob ikh farefntlekht an article in zhurnal _Verbatim_ mitn titl "The Imperative of Opposites," un kh'vel do tsitirn tsvey gekirtste paragrafn: "Opposites co-exist in our mental life inseparably, like inoperable Siamese twins. They permanently stand side by side, or like the obverse or reverse of a coin, back to back, which more accurately describes their constant position vis-a-vis each other, as well as the fact that they are forever bonded together. "Each half of a pair of opposites always has the power to evoke immediately the other half, an evocative power often used to great effect in poetry, rhetoric, and religious prayers or hymns. A good illustration is the hymn by St. Francis of Assisi: "Praised be my Lord for our brother fire, and Praised be my Lord for our sister water.' " Dos eynglish sleng wort "cool" gehert tsu ot-der kategorye. In dem akegndikn [opposite] zin meynt es "hot" (heys), un iz a shifer [a cipher or code word] vos yunge mentshn nutsn es tsvishn zikh, un meynen az nor zey aleyn veysn dem frshteltn taytsh derfun. Dos git zey a gefil fun an opgeshlosenem krayz [exclusive circle]. (Kh'gloyb az far a kurtse tsayt hot men oykh prubirt nutsn dos vort "bad" (shlekht) in an akegndikn meyn far good (gut), ober dos hot zikh nit ongenumen). Khaver Weidenbaum iz avade gerekht ven er shraybt as aza idiomatishn oysdruk vi "cool," in zayn bazundern meyn, lozt zikh nit iberzetsn af yidish. Zellig Bach Lakehurst, NJ 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 06:54:03 +0300 (IDT) From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il Subject: Keynehore vs. biz 120 dan Leeson's vitz (V.5100) iz a klasisher, un eyne fun mayne balibste. derfar ober, hob ikh dos gehert bay mayn yidish lerer a bisl andersh. dort hot lerer leib tentser (z"l) zikh banutst mit dem yidishn oysdruk "biz hundert un tsvantsik", un nit "keynehore". mit ayer derloybenish, vel ikh zikh banutsn mitn ram fun Dan Leesons dertseylung, un iberzetsn oyf yidish (oyf vi vayt es lost zikh) genoy vi in Leesons tekst: an elterer yid vos is opgeven in gerikht far epes a sibe, vert gefregt baym rikhter (shoyfet) vos iz nit keyn yid: "vi alt zayt ir?". der elterer yid entfert, "ikh bin tzvey un nayntsik, biz hundert un tsvantsik". der rikhter, nit farshteyendik dem entfer, hot ibergekhazert di frage. der entfer iz geven der zelbiker, "ikh bin tzvey un nayntsik, biz hundert un tsvantsik". der rikhter vert ongehitst. "farvos entfert ir nit vi men darf?", shrayt er. "entfert mir mayn frage klor, on keyn iberike baputsungen! vi alt zayt ir?" der alter zet oys dershrokn un entfert, "ikh bin tzvey un nayntsik, biz hundert un tsvantsik". der rikhter iz mole-kas, ober eyder er ken dos aroyslozn, kumt tsu im tsu eyner fun di advokatn in gerikht tsimer, un bet im oyb er meg shteln di frage dem eydes. der advokat farshteyt yidish un farshteyt vos iz der problem. er zogt tsum altn, "biz hundert un tsvantsik, vi alt zayt ir?" tsu vos der glaykher entfer iz, "ikh bin tzvey un nayntsik yor alt.". Leybl botvinik netanya 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 95 23:49:45 EDT From: rturkel@cas.org Subject: Tsoym Gedalya Kh'hob glaykh geleynt Moishe Kijak's a vits fun tsoym gedalya. Mayn shver hot mir dertselt der zelbe zakh, nor a bisl varshidn. Er hot gehat _fir_ sibes, farvos nit tsu fastn af tsoym gedalya. Bay im iz der drite sibe geven, az fastn vet im nit tsurikbrengn; der firte iz geven, az er frest vi a khazer af tishe bov, farvos darf er fasten af tsoym gedalya. Mit a por yor tsurik hob ikh geleynt soc.culture.jewish af tsoym gedalya, un a yid hot gefregt vegn historiye fun gedalya. Ikh hob nit gehat bayn arbet keyn tenakh, im tsu dertseyln di historiye, ober kh'hob gepostet di vits. Afn soyf fun post hob ikh gevinsht alemen a laykhtn tonis. Vos tut got? Mit a por minut hot epis an anderer yid geenfert mit taynes vegn tvey fun di fir sibes! Rick Turkel 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Sep 1995 10:34:28 -0400 From: skessler@purvid.purchase.edu Subject: Job listing Teacher with Yiddishkite background wanted for secular Jewish Sunday school. 9:30 A.M.-noon. White Plains, N.Y. Call Steve Cohen 914-623-2144 or e-mail skessler@purvid.purchase.edu Knowing Yiddish would be great but not a requirement. We have other teachers who can teach Yiddish to the students. We want a teacher who is knowledgable about and comfortable with the culture within which Yiddish is spoken. I'd appreciate it if you could send the job opportunity message to your readers. Suzanne Kessler 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Sep 95 17:19:30 IDT From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il Subject: Lider, poemes un mayses lekoved yerushalayim 1. an alt lid: Zingt Zhe Ale Yidelekh refreyn: Zingt Zhe Ale Yidelekh (2) dem nign dem nayem (2) lernt zikh di lidelekh fun yerushalayim (2) oyf di hoykhe berg, karmel har hazeysim (2) shpatzirn kinder kleyne, yisroyl am kedoyshim (2) refreyn: ..... dray mol in yor veln mir oyle regl zayn (2) nesokhim veln mir gisn fun dem bestn vayn (2) refreyn: ..... demolt vet got zogn, azoy iz mir gefeln (2) dem beys hamikdesh zolt ir boyen, dem mizbeyekh zolt ir shteln (2) refreyn: ..... Bamerkungen : 1) in dem ershtn ferz: es ken zayn, az der vos hot dos ongeshribn iz geven a litvak, un hot gegramt 'hazeysim' mit 'kedeyshim' ; 2) in dem tzveytn ferz: ikh veys nit vos dos zaynen 'nesokhim...fun dem bestn vayn'; un tsi dos darf zayn 'gisn' oder 'trinken' (oder 'makhn mit..') 3) der nign iz zeyer gut bakant bay eltere yidn. 4) dos ken men zingen (lemoshl dem refreyn mit der ershter ferz) oyf simkhes, oyf shabes un oyf yontef. a (relativ) nay lid: Gut Yontef in dem fertn (un dervayle dem letsn) numer fun undser mishpokhe- zhurnal oyf yidish 'Der Nayer Dor' #4 (1982) iz geven gedrukt a sheyn lid 'Gut Yontef'. Di verter fun Khonen Kiel, di muzik fun Sender Botvinik (mayn yingerer bruder). di verter mit di notn zaynen dort gedrukt. ikh hob dem zhurnal nit far di oygn, ober es geyt epes azoyns: gut yontef dir, yisroyl land, shalom, yerushalayim, ikh halt dem kos mit vayn in hant, un trink tsu dir lekahyim. refreyn: lekhayim, lekhayim, ikh trink tsu dir lekhayim lekhayim, lekhayim, ikh trink tsu dir lekhayim ikh halt dem kos mit vayn in hant un trink tsu dir lekahyim. es zaynen do a sakh sheyne lider (poemes) vegn yerushalayim, fun leyb naydus (zet in di 'musterverk') fun kadye molodovsky, un avade fun kemat ale yidishe shraybers vos lebn, oder hobn gelebt in yisroyl. a sakh yidishe dikhter vos voltn gevolt lebn dort hobn avade oykh lider vegn yerushalayim, oder vegn zeyer bager ir tsu zen oder voynen dort. dakht zikh, az der lang-yoriker toyshev fun toronto, peretz miranski (z"l), a geboyrener in vilne (yerushalayim de lite) hot oykh lider vegn yerushalyim. eyner fun di beste dertseylers fun kurtse mayses iber yerushaleyim fun haynt iz yosl birshteyn. er hot etlekh bikher gedrukt mit gor sheyne, pikante, interesante un humoristishe dertseylungen, lemoshl vi an oytobus mit ale zayne pasezhirn, hot zikh opgeshtelt un gevart biz a khosid mit zayne kind un keyt hobn opgeton dem shlogn kapores mit a hun in mitn gas in a yerushalaymer gegnt, far yomkiper. es felt nit in undser raykher literatur un folklor materyal vegn yerushalyim. zayt gezunt, un a gut yor. leybl botvinik netanya ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.109