Politics of Yiddish

Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 09.045 December 5, 1999 1) Brumberg on Yiddish in Israel (Mechl Asheri) 2) What is worth reading by a haredi writer? (Moyshe Horwitz) 3) Taynes (Abraham Brumberg) 4) Zelda - Query about a name (Mikhl Herzog) 5) Vurkers (Jon Levitow) 6) Mishpokhe (Shaya Mitelman) 7) "pisem veramses" (Olek Mincer) 8) Di Goldene Pave (Sheva Tsuker) 9) Tabachnik (Sheva Tsuker) 1) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 23:42:40 -0500 (EST) From: donnom  Subject: Brumberg on Yiddish in Israel

I have read both Abraham Brumberg's review of The Politics of Yiddish and Miriam Isaacs' response to the way she was misquoted in it. With regard to his pronouncements on Yiddish and the khareidim, every objection on the grounds of fact that I had thought of making was (not surprisingly) anticipated by Ellen Prince. There is, however, another aspect of what Mr. Brumberg would have us believe that was not touched on by anyone.

Mr. Brumberg's tells us that, "Courses in Yiddish and Yiddish literature are taught in universities and even high schools, including, mirabile dictum (sic), in Israel". Why the astonishment? You can hear children playing in Israeli streets speaking Yiddish to each other from Ashdod to Tsfat any day you want and adults speaking Yiddish on buses in secular Tel Aviv. Further, Mr. Brumberg states as fact that (in Israel) "many ultra-orthodox Jews conversing in Yiddish on the street will suddenly switch to Hebrew if a secular-looking Jew should approach them". I would like to know when and how often Mr. Brumberg has seen that happen, because I have lived in Israel 22 years and have never even heard of it, much less observed it. Perhaps I may be pardoned a personal anecdote to illustrate how unlikely it is.

I cannot imagine a more quintessentially Israeli milieu than Israel Military Industries, from which I retired as (export) advertising manager some years ago. On one occasion my department was instructed by management to put out tenders for all the services we bought outside and presumably to accept the lowest bids or justify our rejecting them and in fact we did wish to reject most of them. On the indicated day, my co-worker, Avi and I sat down to present our budget and recommendations to the Finance Committee. I gave a brief introduction in my halting Hebrew and ended by saying, "Since I speak Hebrew only with great difficulty, I'll turn the rest of this presentation over to Avi". One of the members of the Finance Committee looked up and said, "Redt Yidish!". Every one of the committee members spoke Yiddish, and obviously had no objection at all to hearing me speak it; quite the contrary, they wanted me to. Incidentally, I must have been convincing, because they approved our budget to the last detail.

Please forgive my exasperation, but for whatever my opinion is worth, stories about the persecution of Yiddish speakers where I live are a subtle form of Israel-bashing which I see no reason to sit still for when I know they are not true.

Mechl Asheri

2) Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 23:30:55 -0500 (EST) From: Martin Horwitz  Subject: What is worth reading by a haredi writer?

Khaveyrim,fraynt,un Mendelyaner:

Es iz tstayt tsu onheybn leyenen,ober vos ken men leynen tsu ontapn di kvalitet fun hareishe shraybers? Es iz klor az me darf oyfhern tsu nutsn dem stereotip as "far zey iz alerley literatur un poezie bloys treyf",aber vos zenen di bikher oder dertseylungen vos me darf leynen tsu makhn undzer diskusye a bisl mer interesant? Oyb emetser vet shikn kopies fun a zelkher mustern, ikh bin greyt tsu shikn zey tsu alemen vos viln oikhet leynen un nisht bloyz anonsirn a positsie. Moyshe Horwitz

Comrades,friends,and Mendelyaner:

It is time to stop scoring easy points against those who too easily stereotype haredi Yiddish writers as scorning all literature as treyf. What are the novels,stories,poems; the writers,poets,and essayists writing in haredi papers and journals who are worth reading in order to get at least a feel for the quality of their creation. If anyone wishes to send me single xeroxes of such examples,I would be happy to distribute them to any and all who are interested.

Martin Horwitz

3) Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 12:37:22 -0500 (EST) From: abraham brumberg  Subject: Taynes

nokh a mol to my critics

I am delighted my modest writings have given rise to such tempestuous polemics, but I wish my critics were a bit more careful with the facts.

Miriam Isaac

I never suggested, as Miriam would have it, that haredi Yiddish is "weak or diluted." My main point, and it is one to which I stick, is that the haredis firmly reject the legacy of Yiddish secular culture. Which in fact is confirmed by R' Heschel. I am delighted Miriam shared with a group the joys of a Yiddish story in Der Yid. If she ever comes, in her reading, upon a story that can be legitimately compared with the lityerary achievements of Peretz, Sholem Aleichem, Lamed Shapiro, or Isaac Bashevis Singfer (shall I add "imakh shmoy"?), I hope she will share this will all of us.

Ellen F. Prince.

Thank you for enligfhtening me about the history of Yiddish. However, it wasn't the "super -orthodox" who kept it alive so long--the term is of relatively recent origin-- but all Jews in first Western, and then increasingly in Eastern Europe. Most Yiddish scholars (and that embraces primarily secular but also some "mainline" religious linguists and historians) would not think of rejecting the religious background and context of Yiddish, while I am afraid the haredim (see letter byh Mr. Heschel) do. Secular courses in Yiddish literature include the Bovo Bukh of the l6th century and other works predating by centuries the development of Yiddish secular literature., while the haredim scoff at the Peretzes et al. Of course, Yiddish as a language will survive as long as it is spoken and transmitted from generaiton in a "Yiddish speech community." If I may quote myself (a nasty but occasionally helpful habit), this is what I wrote in my reply to Mr. Heschel:

"I think yours is indeed a very real culture, but quite divorced, as you yourself illustrate, from the traditions of secular cuilture which had the advantage of keepingf the secular Jews close to kol yisroel and to the outside world at one and the same time. Indeed, it is likely that you will continue to develop, while secular culture, despite all the courses, conferencxes, festivals, and klezmer concerts, will decline.  This is not a prospect that makes me very happy."

Allan Nadler

I don't know this chap Blumberg whom Mr. Nadler is so exercised about, but if he is suggesting that, like Blumberg, I am "deliberately, ideologically blind to anything positive that might emerge from the Orthodox world," he is barking up the wrong tree. The book he mentions is interesting, but its obscure provenance makes me wonder whether it is  typical. Anyway, I shall welcome more evidence. And so, I am sure, will Blumberg

Shaya Mitelman.

The fact that the Jewish parents, for a variety of reasons, evinced increasing indifference (if not hostility) to Yiddish schools--after at first welcoming them-- happens to be true, even though the Soviet authorities used it to justify their decision.. Of course, the authorities did not merntion to what extent they themselves were responsible for the decline of interest, nor what were the main reasons that propelled them to close the schools (among other Yiddish institutions-- by the late thirties and certainly late forties there was such a thing as Stalinist antisemitism, Mr. Mitelman). But facts are facts, as Vladimir Ilyich once observed in one of my favorite obiter dicta.

If Mr. Mitelman doesn't think that Jewish schools in the Soviet Union "were gradually denuded of Jewish content," then I am afraid he doesn't know much, and ought to do a little homework. I suggest he take a look at Zvi Gitelman's Jewish Nationality and Soviet Politics, shpigl oyf a shteyn , edited by Hrushevsky et al, Harry Lipset's Jewish Schools in the Soviet Union, l9l7-l941, Elias Schulman's Jewish Education in the Soviet Union l9l8-l948, and Salo Baron's The Russian Jews under the Tsars and Soviets. First it was no to Zionism, then to Hebrew (a rather important element of Jerwish culture...), then to anything smacking of a romantic attitude towarfds the shtetl, then Western influences, nationalism, social democratic poison--you name it. (Since Serge mentions Kerler, he might take a l ook at the latter's piece about Dovid Hofshteyn, in the book edited by his son, my review of which was carried by Mendele. I have other fish to fry, so I won't spend too much on this unhappy subject, except perhaps to quote an item from Baron's book, as reprinted by Gitelman, p. 339, concerning Yiddish literature classes in the Yiddish schools:

"Even in the selection of Yiddish literary creations, communist rather than Jewish criteria were employed. If among the greatr literary figures Sholem Aleichem and Mendele were paid particular attention, this preference was in part owing to their satirical description of the ghetto community which could be used as a foil for contrast with the achievements of Soviet society.." And then, on the sam,e page, from a l932 article by khaver Y. Dardak, a Jewish agitpropchik: "The very concept of 'Jewish history' is excluded from the school.  Any general course in the history of the class struggle may [!] include elements describing the struggle of Jewish artisans against their employers."

Un ruf mikh knaknisl!

Abraham Brumberg

4) Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 16:02:13 -0500 (EST) From: "Mikhl Herzog"  Subject: Zelda - Query about a name

Can anyone venture an etymology for the Yiddish/English name "Zelda"?

Mikhl Herzog

5) Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 21:08:18 -0500 (EST) From: JLevitow@aol.com Subject: Vurkers

Dear Mendelyaners,

Greetings. I've decided to depart from the Mendele "minhag" (custom) and place the Yiddish version of my comments after the English version. I do this because I agree with those who have argued that we should use Yiddish as much as possible in contributions to Mendele. However, unfortunately, although I can read Yiddish, I have zero confidence in my ability to compose a correct Yiddish sentence. So, this way I can make sure I get my thoughts across before losing everyone. I suppose I could have left the Yiddish out, but I thought I'd make an effort. "Derbaremt zikh" (Have compassion!)!

First, I would like to thank Yakov Dovid Shulman for the moving eulogy for his father. In particular, he mentioned that his family in Poland before WWII were Vurker Hasidim. My great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were also Vurker Hasidim -- in the shtetl of Ostrolenka, Poland, near Warsaw, before WWI. This is the first time I've encountered someone with a Vurker background, and I wanted to ask whether "Khaver" Shulman or other Mendelyaners know of people, organizations, or historians who might be sources of information about this particular Hasidic "dynasty" (which lasted for only two generations that I know of). I recently had the chance to read some of the Varka Yizkor Book and some Hasidic stories about the two Vurker rebbeim in the Hebrew book, "Sipurey Hasidim," by Martin Buber, but I would be interested in learning more.

I would also like to ask: when transcribing Yiddish into Roman letters according to the YIVO system, does one use "ay" for the long "i" sound (double "yud" with a "patakh") and "ey" for long "a" (double "yud" on its own), or vice-versa? I think I may be confused -- but I have to say that if I have it right, the system seems to run counter to English orthography, doesn't it ("tray" vs. "eye," for example)?

Thirdly, what kind of business was called, "kolonial," in pre-war Poland? This word appears in the Ostrolenka Vizkor Book, and I can't figure it out from the context.

Finally, does anyone know if there is a list somewhere -- maybe on the internet -- of Yiddish periodicals around the world? I'm looking in particular for "Dos Yiddishe Vort" from Warsaw and "Tsukunft" from New York.

Thanks to all for any and all assistance. My apologies in advance for the Yiddish that follows. Although I know that Menedele is not a Yiddish class, I would welcome any corrections.

Yiddishe Ibersetzung:

Tayere Mendelyaner,

Ershtns, vil Ikh danken Yakov Dovid Shulman far zaynem rirndikn hesped vegn zaynem tatn. Bifrat, hot er dermontn az zayne mishpokhe-layt in Poyln far di tzveyte velt-milkhoma zeynen geveyn Vurker Hasidim. Meine elter-zeyde un elter-elter-zeyde zeynen oykh geveyn Vurker Hasidim -- in shtetl Ostrolenka, Poyln, noente tsu Varshe, far der ershte velt-milkhoma. Biz itst hob Ikh zikh keynmol nit angeshtoysen oyf a mentsh mit Vurker yikhis, un azoy vil Ikh fregn, tsi veyst Khaver Shulman (oder andere Mendelyaner) kvaln fun informatsie vegn ot der amoliker, kurtz-yoriker, Hasidisher "dinastie" -- oder mentshn, oder organizatsies, oder historishe arbetn? Kh'ob anumeltn gehot di gelegnhayt tsu leyenen etlekhe kapitlen in dem Varka Yizkor Bukh (aynem fun zey durkh dem bekantn Yiddishn shrayber, I. I. Tronk) un etlekhe Vurker Hasidishe mayses (in dem Hebraishe bukh, "Sipurey Hasidim," durkh Martin Buber), nor vil Ikh sikh lernen mer vegn zey alle.

Dertsu, vil Ikh fregn, ven m'transkribirt Yiddish oyf Romanishe oysyos loyt der Yivo sistem, nitst men "ay" far dopl-yud-patakh un "ey" far dopl-yud poshet oder farkert? Oyb Ikh farshtey zi rikhtik, iz di sistem nit leheypukh tsu Englisher ortografia, lemoshel, "tray" un "eye?"

Dritns, vos far a min gesheft iz geveyn "kolonial" in far-milkhoma Poyln? Ot dos vort bavayzt sikh in dem Ostrolenka Yizkor Bukh, un Ikh ken nit es oysrekhnen fun dem kontekst.

Lesof, tsi iz faran, efshar oyf der internetz, a reshima mit adresn fun Yiddishe tsaytshriftn iber der velt, lemoshel "Dos Yiddishe Vort" fun Varshe oder "Tsukunft" fun New York?

A hartsikn dank far ale vos zeynen oysgeshtanen mein Yiddish. Ikh veys az "Mendele" iz nit keyn Yiddish-klass, ober oysbeserungen zeynen angeleygte.

A grus far alle,

Jon Levitow

6) Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 23:54:08 -0500 (EST) From: Serge Mitelman  Subject: Mishpokhe

Adding to Octavian Mocanu's note on Rumanian usage of "mishpukha" (09.041), in Russian, too, "mishpukha" means gang, band.

Shaya Mitelman

7) Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 13:17:49 EST From: laura.olek@flashnet.it Subject: "pisem veramses"

Dear Friends!

I need an urgent help from the Mendele readers! I am writing an article on I.B. Singer's Mayse Tishevitz, which I have to deliver in the next days, and I need to know the exact and detailed meaning of "pisem veramses" and the details about the publication of the Mayse in Yiddish (year, publishing house, pages and so on)

A dank!

Olek Mincer Roma, Italia

8) Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 00:10:43 -0500 (EST) From: SCZUCKER@aol.com Subject: Di Goldene Pave

Tayere khaveyrim Mendelyaner,

Ikh volt gevolt visn mer vegn der Goldener Pave. Vos simbolizirt zi in der Yidisher literatur? Benkshaft, shaferishkayt, ufbli, tsi gor epes andersh?... Tsi kent ir firleygn artilken, oder af Yidish oder af English vos bahandlen di teme. A sheynem dank. Ayer Sheva Tsuker

Can anybody tell me anything about the Golden Peacock. What exactly, does it symbolize in Yiddish lIterature? Can you suggest any articles, in Yiddish or English, I could read to learn more.

Thanks. Sheva Zucker

9) Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 00:10:43 -0500 (EST) From: SCZUCKER@aol.com Subject: Tabachnik

Tsi veyst emetser vi azoy ikh volt zikh gekent farbindn mit di bney-mishpokhe fun dem Yidishn literatur kritiker Avrom-Ber Tabachnik vos hot tsuzamengeshtelt "Di Shtim fun yidishn poet." A sheynem dank.

I'm looking for members of the family of the Yiddish critic Avrom-Ber Tabachnik. Anybody have any clues?

Thanks,

Sheva Zucker ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 09.045 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html