Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.257
March 6, 1997

1) "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" (Ron Robboy)
2) "Commedia dell'arte" af yidish (Andrey Bredstein)
3) Yeshivish-Khsidish (David Herskovic)
4) Boris Sandler in Amerike (Leybl Botvinik)
5) Red-hot news from all over (Noyekh Miller)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 21:30:01 -0800
From: rrobboy@cts.com
Subject: "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen"

Regarding my post on songwriter Saul Chaplin's account of the origins
of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" ["Yiddish music in a 'race' film," 6.251],
I'm not sure I made the point strongly enough that there was nearly
nothing he said that hadn't already been wholly contradicted in one
account or another, be it Sammy Cahn's, Maxene Andrews' -- who married
Cahn and Chaplin's (ex-)manager Levy -- or Victoria Secunda's, to name
only three other sources.  The important point of convergence, though,
is that Cahn and Chaplin both agreed that their inspiration came when
they heard _Bay mir bistu sheyn_, sung in Yiddish, at the Apollo.  So
as far as the rest of the story told in my post goes, remember:
that's a summary of Chaplin's version (and only his version).

Attn:  fastidious romanizers.  You'll note that when I am referring to
the title of the English-language version, I spell it as it was
published:  Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.  When "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
means that you're grand," it's not Yiddish.  When referring to the
original Yiddish song, however, I write _Bay mir bistu sheyn_.

Ron Robboy

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 14:27:45 +0300
From: anbredstein@glas.apc.org
subject: "Commedia dell'arte" af yidish

Vera Szabo fregt in 6.256:6 vegn "commedia dell'arte" af yidish. Az me
vil zayn pinktlekh, muz men zogn "masknkomedie"; tsvor, der genoyer
taytsh iz nisht alemol der same bester. Efsher prost un poshet -
"purimshpil"? Di shprakh iz oykh a folkishe, mit a sakh
improvizatsies, di shtendike geshtaltn Mordkhe, Ester, Akhashveyresh
u"a; loyt der form shtimt es gants fayn mit italyener folks-komedie
lehavdl.

Andrey Bredstein
Moskve, Rusland

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 06 Mar 97 07:55:36 EST
From: 100114.750@compuserve.com
Subject: Yeshivish-Khsidish

Readers interested in the Yeshivish dictionary mentioned by Hugh
Denman in vol 6.256 can see a preview at:

www.aronson.com/judaica/frum.html.

There is also a link there to an interview with the author.

Another page with Yiddish, rather than a Yiddish page, is at
www.satmar.com. I should however warn you that this is for the broad
minded only. Men should switch from knitted yarmulkes into velvet ones
and please use seperate mouse buttons for men and women so as not to
offend chasidic sensitivities.

The one advantage many mendelistn have over me is that they can read
the welcome (or not so welcome) page and know it is not directed
towards them. vizoy zogt men nor hypocrisy of yidish? Though to be
fair it's a nicely designed page with haymishe musical accompaniment.
Tistakayl bekankan veloy bema sheyesh boy!

fort lekhayim ilesholem in poylts os alts gits in fargest nisht dem
FAQ blat.

David Herskovic

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 15:16:59 +0200 (IST)
From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il
Subject: der yunger shrayber Boris Sandler in Amerike (merts 7-25)

boris sandler (berl bay zayne fraynt), is an oysergeveyntlekher
sheferisher talant. vi ir veyst, iz er der redaktor un onfirndiker
koyekh far der kinder publikatsye "kind-un-keyt". er hot ersht oykh
aroysgegebn a nayem bukh dertseylungen "toyern". (hayos vi ikh hob
nokh nit gut arayngekukt in dem, vel ikh iberlozn di
'blits-retsenzyele' oyf a vokh-tsvey arum).

ikh vil aykh do meldn, az er vet zayn tsugast in NY, un vet dort
oyftretn far aykh. dos darf forkumen oyf an ovnt gevidmet yunge
yidishe shraybers organizirt funem kultur kongres. genoye detaln fun
vu un ven hob ikh nit. kukt arayn in di tsaytungen.

es vet aykh zeyer keday zayn, zikh tsu bakenen mit im (mistome vet er
oyftretn bay andere gelegnheytn oykh), un hern fun im a sheynem,
natirlekhn raykhn besarabishn yidish (ikh, - a litvak, - hob shtendik
hanoe fun khapn mit im a shmues). er vet aykh, farshteyt zikh, oykh
ibergebn a lebedikn grus fun der yidisher shrayber mishpokhe in
yisroyl, un vet aykh bakenen mit di letste nayesn un antviklungen in
der yisroyldiker yidisher kultur velt.

leybl botvinik
netanya

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997
From: nmiller@trincoll.edu
Subject: Red-hot news from all over

Ersht ongekomen in redaktsye.  It was downloaded by a friend of
Mendele from a Usenet newsgroup.  Relayed here in the spirit of Purim.

      Date: 3 Mar 1997 21:46:31 GMT
      From: [name omitted]
      Subject: Re: yiddish dictionnary needed

      Here's who can help you find a Yiddish-English and
      Yiddish-whatever dictionary:

      There are two internet discussion groups dealing with Yiddish
      language, culture, etc.

      Mendele is very compact - only one or two messages every couple
      of days, so it is worthewhile to subscribe.  Note that virtually
      all of the subscribers are linguists and the like.

Noyekh Miller


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End of Mendele Vol. 6.257