Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.310 May 1, 1996 1) Fonie (Steve Jacobson) 2) A newly discovered Yiddish movie (Zellig Bach) 3) Recordings by Yiddish actors (Binyomin Weiner) 4) The meaning of "tsatskele" (Zellig Bach) 5) Speak up for Yiddish (Hershl Hartman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 10:54:43 -0800 (AKDT) From: ffsaj@aurora.alaska.edu Subject: Fonie A simple question, what is the etymology of the Yiddish word fonie 'Russia(n)'? Steve Jacobson 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 00:47:31 -0400 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: A newly discovered Yiddish movie During its 85th annual meeting, May 1 - 5, 1966, the American Psychoanalytic Association will have a two-session film workshop on bereavement and loss. During this workshop the newly discovered and restored movie in _Yiddish_ called "Undzere Kinder" [Our Children], made in Europe and directed by Natan Gross (1948), will be shown. The discussant is Ira Konigsberg, Ph.D. (An Arbor, MI). The movie focuses on how children who survived the Holocaust come to terms with their past. Zellig Bach 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 96 12:23:50 EST From: bweiner@sorosny.org Subject: Recordings by Yiddish actors I have just received a recording of Isaac Samberg delivering the "Hath not a Jew" monologue from "The Merchant of Venice." It is a rather remarkable experience listening to this voice from the past. Consequently, I was wondering if any other audio recordings of Yiddish actors are in existence and available. Binyomin Weiner 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:53:56 -0400 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: The meaning of "tsatskele" In his weekly column "On Language" (The New York Times _Magazine_, April 28, 1966, p. 26) William Safire discussed the several meanings of the Yiddish word "tsatskes" and quoted the book by Sol Steinmetz _Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America_ where it is described as a borrowing into English from Eastern Yiddish and its etymology from an obsolete Polish word. Safire concluded his remarks that _tsatskele_, the diminutive of "tsatske," also means "cute, little girl." (He spelled it, however, with two extra /ch's/, an /o/, and a final /h/ -- tchotchkeleh.) If the comment is about a very little girl, the observation about her being a "tsatskele" [af Yiddish: mo'le kheyn] would, of course, be construed as positive. However, if referred to a girl in her puberty, adolescence, or somewhat older, this word is slowly but gradually gaining a pejorative sense. To say "ay iz dos a tsatskele" [she is quite a tsatskele], with a tiny, worried head motion, may connote that this young woman exploits her feminine _kheyndlekh_ [charms] in a manipulative way, and, who knows, may grow up to be as the woman in the song _What Lola wants, Lola gets_. Zellig Bach 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 13:13:18 -0400 From: hershl@aol.com Subject: Speak up for Yiddish Sometimes, speaking up for the honor and dignity of Yiddish can yield results. Though not always. Two cases in point: A four-page membership solicitation letter from the American Jewish Historical Society is illustrated with 15 graphics depicting individuals, institutions and documents. Two of the documents clearly involve legible Yiddish. The captions identify one as a "Jewish New Year greeting postcard, 1920's" and the other as the "Poster for 'His Wife's Lover,' the first Jewish musical talking picture, 1931." A letter of remonstrance to Dr. Michael Feldberg, Executive Director, produced a response confirming that if the letter is reprinted, the caption for the postcard will add "printed in Yiddish and English." As to the film poster, Dr. Feldberg wrote: "Clearly, the caption for the poster for 'His Wife's Lover' should have said the first _Yiddish_ (his emphasis), rather than Jewish, talking picture. We will surely correct this error." On the other hand, an article sent by the producers of "Frontline" to Public Broadcasting System affiliates for publication in local program guides in conjunction with the documentary film "Shtetl" included such howlers as "The word (shtetl) comes from the Hebrew 'shtot' or town..." and goes on to assert that the shtetl "...came to connote a way of life that included language, religion and cooking..." A letter asking for verification of the unique linguistic provenance and inquiring as to the identity of the language in the shtetl's way of life brought this response from the editor of the local PBS affiliate's program guide: "I have forwarded your letter to the producers of _Frontline_ and alerted them to the points that were brought up in your letter. "Ms. Hoffman (Eva Hoffman--hh) is a well-respected author and scholar and her opinions are backed up by years of research and authority." Guess there's no arguing with Frontline authority. Hershl Hartman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.310