Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.187 April 17, 1998 1) Does Vilna still exist? (Zachary Baker) 2) "Tisa-Eslar," by "Professor" Hurwitz (Zachary Baker) 3) Playwright Moses Horowitz (Nina Warnke) 4) Introduction, etc. (Misha Nathani) 5) Der Bavebter Yid 2:1 (Sholem Berger, Refoyl Finkel) 6) Ployneste (Shleyme Axelrod) 7) "Kentucky" (Mikhl Herzog) 8) "Kentucky" (Gertrude Dubrovsky) 9) a zisn peysekh (Lee Dembart) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 11:43:13 -0400 (EDT) From: Zachary Baker Subject: Does Vilna still exist? Dovid Braun's posting about places that have been "wiped off the map" brings to mind a recent phone call that I received from an individual who was seeking to trace one line on her family tree. She mentioned that her ancestors came from Vilna, and then told me their unusual surname. Thanks to Alexander Beider's indispensable book, "A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire" (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1993), I was able to verify that the name in question was indeed encountered specifically in Vilna early in the 20th century. Her follow-up question: "Does Vilna still exist?" A freylekhn peysekh aykh alemen! Zachary M. Baker 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 12:50:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Zachary Baker Subject: "Tisa-Eslar," by "Professor" Hurwitz In response to Naomi Fatouros' inquiry (Mendele 07.184), "Professor" Moyshe Hurvits (Moses Hurwitz) is mentioned in Nahma Sandrow's history of the Yiddish theater, "Vagabond Stars," and in David Lifson's book, "The Yiddish Theater in America." There is quite an extensive entry on him in the "Leksikon fun yidishn teater" (Lexicon of the Yiddish theatre), by Zalmen Zilbertsvayg (Zylbercweig; vol. 1, cols. 591-606). Hurwitz was one of the pioneering Yiddish playwrights in America -- a "specialist" in the "shund" (lowbrow) genre -- and is often paired as such with his contemporary, Yoysef Lateyner (Joseph Latteiner). "Professor" Hurwitz was born on February 27, 1844 in Stanislawow (Stanislau, Stanislav), eastern Galicia (now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine), and according to Zylbercweig he traced his ancestry to Rabbi Yeshaya Hurvits (the "SHeLaH," Prague, 1558- Safed, 1628). At age 18 Hurwitz left for Iasi, Romania, where he became a Hebrew teacher. He subsequently moved to Bucharest, and years later claimed to have served as professor of geography at Bucharest University. However -- again according to Zylbercweig -- it is known that after having been dismissed as director of a Jewish school in the Romanian capital Hurwitz converted to Christianity and became a missionary (ostensibly out of economic motives, though spite may well have played a role, too). It was in Bucharest, in the spring of 1877, that Hurwitz encountered Abraham Goldfaden, who turned down the opportunity to stage a Yiddish play written by the apostate. Accordingly, Hurwitz set up shop on his own, in competition with Goldfaden, and his troupe produced Yiddish plays in Bucharest and elsewhere in Romania for several years. At the end of 1886, Hurwitz emigrated to the United States, and the first play of his to be produced (at the Roumania Opera House, in New York) was "Tisa Eslar, oder, Di Farshverung" which he had written while he was still living in Romania. The subject of the play was, of course, the notorious blood libel trial which took place in the Hungarian town of Tiszaeszlar (not Stanislawow!) in 1882. Hurwitz also wrote and produced a sequel, "Der Protses in Tisa Eslar." According to Yankev (Jacob) Mestel (as noted by Zylbercweig), "Tisa Eslar" was still being produced as late as 1913, in Iasi. "Tisa Eslar," then, marked the American debut of a colorful and controversial Yiddish theatrical personality. "Professor" Hurwitz died a pauper in New York on March 4, 1910. Scripts of a number of his plays may be found in the YIVO Archives (Sholem Perlmutter papers, Record Group No. 289, script nos. 333, 333A, 333B, 333C). Zachary M. Baker YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 11:55:31 -0500 (EST) From: Nina Warnke Subject: Playwright Moses Horowitz Moses Horowitz or "Professor" Moyshe Hurwitz as he was often called was born in 1841 and died in NY in 1910. His play, "Tisa Eslar," produced around 1888, was indeed one of his most famous plays. It is based on the events around a then recent blood libel suit in Hungary. It was a 2-part play; one full evening being devoted to the events leading up to the trial, the second evening being essentially a court room drama with Hurwitz playing the defense lawyer. Hurwitz was generally regarded as a hackwriter by the NY Jewish intelligentsia and was held responsible for the "low" state of the Yiddish theater. Some information about him can be found in Nahma Sandrow, _Vagabond Stars_ (recently reissued). Of particular interest is a contemporary source: Hutchins Hapgood, _The Spirit of the Ghetto_ (originally published in 1902) but republished several times since then. Within the chapter on "The Yiddish Stage" there is a lengthy description of Hurwitz. However, most of the information on Hurwitz is in Yiddish. See B. Gorin, _Di geshikhte fun yidishn teater_ and Z. Zylberczwaig, _Leksikon fun yidishn teater, Vol. 1 Nina Warnke Bloomington, IN 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 21:57:25 +1000 From: Misha Nathani Subject: Introduction; geshtoygn un gefloygn; hindig zumn; Raphael Mahler ershtens, a yontifdikn gris tsi ale mendelyaner finem nayem abagent tsim reshime. mayn numen iz Misha Nathani, un ikh voyn in shtut Melbourne, Australia, vi ikh bin gefurn fin eyrope durkh yisroyl lange yurn tsrik. vi ir zeyt, a maven in yidish bin ikh nit - nur a talmid vus dreptshet zikh oyfn (afn, ufn...) veg. siz mayne hofning az mendele vet mir skitziren a shtik mape farem nesie. ikh bin geven opgetreselt tsi farshteyn az me darf shrabn mit roymishe osies. loit Noyekh Miller [07.182:6], svet nit momshikh zayn a lange tsayt - me vart zikh! fur di transkripsie hob ikh banitst di klalim vus gefinen zikh baym geveb bletl "hagalil online - Munchen." efsher kenen dershaynen zayn di klalim inem ershtn besoyre tsum nayems? darf me shrabn shtandart, oder ken men shrabn lemashel varshevevayz? inem loyfik vikuakh vegen dialektn, hot Feygl Infeld Glezer [07.183:4] davke geshribn in dialekt kedey tsu opmoshlen der argument. ober derekh haklal? tsvey shayles:- ven me hot gefregt mayne ershte shviger vegen ihre leben in Sfos, (erets-yisroyl, unheib di tsvantsikhinderter), vi iz geven dos leben, vus flegt men esen, zi hot geentfert: "hindig zimen mit katshke fise." a hindig holdert. vos maynt "hindig _zimen_?" mayn shver fin varshe hot gehat a zog, nit azoy "politically correct" take, vegen der meyased fin di techter-religye: "nisht geshtoygn in nisht gefloygn." fin vanet - fin 'oyfshteyn' in 'flien'? vi azoy? siz geven a taynug tsu leynen vegen Raphael Mahler [07.173, 07.179]. ikh derman zikh az Mahler iz geven a gast bay ins in London nokh dem milkhome. mayn tate, Yitzkhak Natani, iz geven aktiv in di formatsiye fin di politishe partey Mapam un oykh in di gantse aktivitet fin der Londonishe Arbeter-Ring. akhitz fin zayn andere oyfgabes in der arbeter-ring, iz er geven der hoypt-lerer in zayern yidish shil. er hot me gelernt hebraysh, ober nit keyn yidish. ni, azoy geyt es. a freylech pesakh tse alemen - Misha Nathani 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 11:20:58 -0400 From: "Sholem Berger" Subject: Der Bavebter Yid 2:1 S'hot aykh dokh gefelt... Der Bavebter Yid 2:1 Yidisher literarisher vebzhurnal http://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/bavebter Kumt tsu gast! It's that time again: the fourth issue of our almost world-renowned literary journal Der Bavebter Yid is available at . Come visit! A gut moyed alemen, Sholem Berger, redaktor Refoyl Finkel, tekhnisher redaktor 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 15:13:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Seymour Axelrod Subject: Ployneste For some native speakers of Yiddish, the word _ployneste_ (emphasis on first syllable) can be used to mean 'wife'. Neither Harkavy nor U. Weinreich includes the word. Can someone provide any information about it? 1. What is the source language of the word? Slavic? 2. Is there a masculine meaning 'husband'? A dank. Shleyme Axelrod Buffalo, New York 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 01:00:30 -0400 From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: KENTUCKY Mara Cohen Ioannides (Vol. 07.186) inquires about Schwarz's epic poem _Kentucky_. If Gertrude Dubrowsky is on this list, she will surely provide you with chapter & verse. I can only tell you that several decades ago, she prepared a fine English translation of the poem as part of her doctoral dissertation for Columbia University's Teachers' College. I'm sure that a copy is available through University Microfilms. Mikhl Herzog 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 16:16:13 EDT From: GDubrovsky Subject: "Kentucky" I am happy to tell you that I translated the whole of I. J. Schwartz's KENTUCKY and it was published in 1991 by the University of Alabama Press. I agree with you that it would make a wonderful addition to what is taught re the American experience for Yiddish speaking immigrants. I have tried to convince the U. of Alabama that they ought to make a paperback available so that it is possible to add the book to a student's reading list. Perhaps you can also speak to the editor, Nicole Mitchell, about it. Kentucky is a wonderful example of how the immigrants experienced the America that stretches far and wide outside of New YorkCity. You have brightened my day. Gertrude Dubrovsky 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 12:20:14 EDT From: Dembart Subject: a zisn peysekh Khaverim, when I wished all of the tayere Mendelyener a zisn peysekh, I didn't know that I was opening a can of worms, peysekhdik or otherwise. A sheynem dank to those who have praised this expression, but I cannot claim or accept any special credit for it. I was merely repeating what I have heard said in my family since childhood. If this turns out to be nisht kosher, so sue me. And what would you prefer, a bitern peysekh? Lee Dembart in San Francisco ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.187 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html