Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.009
June 3, 1996

1) Yiddish publications in Russia (Shaul and Aviva Ceder)
2) Yidish aktivitetn in khoydesh yuni in yisroyl (Leybl Botvinik)
3) Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish (David Sherman)
4) A moid mit an oyringl (Moishe Kijak)
5) _Thinking in Jewish_ (Noyekh Miller)
6) _More_ Bashevis? (Noyekh Miller)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 1 Jun 96 23:41:24 PDT
From: ceder@netvision.net.il
Subject: Yiddish publications in Russia

Does anyone know the name of the successor publication to the old
"Sovetish Heymland" (if such publication exists) and its address (either
snail or cyber), and the address of the "Birobidzhaner Shtern" and other
Yiddish publications in the FSU?

Shaul and Aviva Ceder

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 2 Jun 1996 07:11:25 +0300 (IDT)
From: leybl@telecomm.tadiran.co.il
Subject: Yidish aktivitetn in khoydesh yuni in yisroyl

tsvey vikhtike aktivitetn kumen for in khoydesh yuni in yisroyl:

- mitvokh dem 12tn yuni kumt for a yomtev lekoved dem 90 yorikn
geboyrntog fun dem nestor fun der yidisher literatur mordkhe tsanin. dos
vet forkumen 19:00 in ovnt, inem oyditoryum sifriat shaar tsiyon, beyt
ariyela, shderot shaul hamelekh 25, tel-aviv. der ovnt iz organizirt fun
dem veltrat far yidish un yidisher kultur, mit dem ko-patronazh fun dem
tel-oviver shtotrat.

- zuntik dem 16tn yuni vet in ashkelon forkumen a trefung fun ale yidish
klubn in land, mitglider fun dem landrat far yidish.  17:00 in ovnt vet
zayn a fayerlekher muzikalisher festival fun ale yidish khorn in
yisroyl.

leybl botvinik

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 2 Jun 96 19:45:27 EDT
From: dave@cai.lsuc.on.ca
Subject: Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish

We've had a number of discussions on Mendele about Judaeo-English as
it's spoken in the Yeshiva world, and Eliahu Juni has written
extensively on its vocabulary. In Eichler's in Boro Park the other day
(on the way back from Mameloshn'96, which was great, incidentally), I
came across "Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish", by Chaim M.
Weiser. Published in 1995 by Jaron Aronson Inc., Northvale NJ. It was
US$22.95 at Eichler's.

This book is rather fun, obviously written with a sense of humour, but
also takes a serious look at its origins, grammar and vocabulary. It
includes a discussion of the language itself, its grammar, and some
sample literary selections translated into Yeshivish. Example: Antony's
eulogy from Julius Caesar is given first in the original ("Friends,
Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears...") and then in Yeshivish:
"Raboisai, Roman oilam, heimishe chevra, herr zich ain. I want to pater
you from Caesar, not to give him shvach. Rishus has a shtikl nitzchius,
The velt is keseder moineia your kavod." And so on.

The bulk of the book (108 pages) is a dictionary, in A-Z order, of
vocabulary words. Each word is followed by the Hebrew/Yiddish spelling,
a translation, and examples.

Overall a fun book to have, and useful to consult. The spelling of
transliterated words isn't YIVO, but then it would hardly have been
expected to be.

(I have no connection with the book or the author.)

David Sherman
Toronto

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 07:50:39 ARG
From: kijak@einstein.com.ar
Subject: A moid mit an oyringl

di khaverte Marjorie dermont undz vegn dem oisdruk: "a moid mit an
oyringl". Ir veist avade az dos nemt zikh fun dem vos di kozakn flegn
nutzn an oyringl. flegt men zikh azoi oisdrukn anshtot tzu zogn "a moid
a kozak".

ikh ob zikh ongetrofn mit tzvei oisdrukn vegn velkhe ikh volt gevolt
epes visn: "a moid mit a ksav" un "a moid mit a mentrike". oib emitzer
ken es mikh oifklern, vel ikh im zeyer danken.
ir kent mir shraibn tzu main naiem elektronishn adres.

a dank forois. ayer fraint fun argentine.

moishe kijak

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 07:50:39 ARG
From: nmiller@shakti.trincoll.edu
Subject: _Thinking in Jewish_

The latest University of Chicago Press catalog lists a new book by
Jonathan Boyarin.  The blurb reads in part:

        ..[the book] explores the ways in which a Jewish--or, more
        particularly, Yiddish--idiom complicates the question of
        identity.

Sounds intriguing.  I admire Boyarin's work (remember _From a Ruined
Garden_) but literary theory is not something I'm even remotely competent
in discussing.  There are however b"h many Mendelistn (I love Chana
Mlotek's coinage) who can do the job and I hope that one or more of our
ayzerne kep will.

Noyekh Miller

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 07:50:39 ARG
From: nmiller@shakti.trincoll.edu
Subject: _More_ Bashevis?

I assume that everyone has seen the news: that "13 serialized and
untranslated novels and more than 50 short stories" by I.B. Singer have
been found in back issues of the Forverts. The finder is none other than
Roberta Saltzman, a member of our khevruse.  While Singer's publisher is
reportedly skeptical, David Neal Miller, a Singer bibliographer (and
Mendelist) says that he "wouldn't be surprised". (NYT, 5/30/96)

Nu, alevay.  Meanwhile, it would be good to hear both from Roberta and
from Dovid Noyekh.

Noyekh Miller

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End of Mendele Vol. 6.009