Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
______________________________________________________
Contents of Vol. 6.116
December 2, 1996

1) Beregovski archive (Iosif Vaisman)
2) Liubistik (Meyer Wolf)
3) Liubistik (Hugh Denman)
4) Liubistik and zschokke (Iosif Vaisman)
5) Sholem Aleykhem's language(s) (Bernard Katz)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 14:36:10 -0500 (EST)
From: iiv@mmlds1.pha.unc.edu
Subject: Beregovski archive

I have another question about the Vernadskii Library collection and
Beregovski archive. In 1992 the Library filmed and Norman Ross Pub Co
(New York) released a set of four reels of microfilm under the title:
"Jewish sheet music from the Vernadsky Library in Kiev, Ukraine
(formerly the Central Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences):
Vocal and instrumental music, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, and Ukrainian
words". The set contains 3616 pages of music and 24 p. guide. Ross also
published a hard copy edition in 7 volumes (Boston, Chicago, and New
York public libraries are among the libraries that have this paper
version). What is the relation between this set and the collection
discussed in the previous Mendele issues?

Iosif Vaisman

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 16:01:49 -0500 (EST)
From: wolfim@chelsea.ios.com
Subject: Liubistik

Mechl Asheri quite rightly connected Shvues with milikhiks, but the
connection of Shvues with "grins" must have slipped his mind. liubistik,
registered in Stutchkoff along with other water plants on p. 209 (left
col.), corresponds to the Ukrainian lyubistok 'lovage' (it also means
sweetheart). The tender stalks of the young plant are eaten like celery.
I dont know whether it was was also cooked as a shvues maykhl.

Meyer Wolf

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 23:12:55 +0100 (MET)
From: h_denman@maier.vol.at
Subject: Lyubisitik

Lyubistik, as Mechl Asheri (6,114) rightly conjectures, is indeed a type
of food, not, of course, 'Lebkuchen' (I presume he was pulling our
leg!), but lovage (levisticum officinale) whose vaguely celery-scented
roots and shoots can be used in salads.

Hugh Denman
London

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 21:05:56 -0500 (EST)
From: iiv@mmlds1.pha.unc.edu
Subject: Liubistik and zschokke

Mechl Asheri asked about the word _liubistik_ in Sholom Aleichem's "A
Vayse Kapore" [vol6.114]. Liubistok (Russsian and Ukrainian) is a plant
from the _Umbelliferae_ family, with yellow flowers and specific
pleasant flavor. It is used in various Shvous dishes (e.g. as an
"additive" to the _knishes mit keyz_).

In the very next sentence of "A Vayse Kapore" we read that the heroine's
mother is an educated woman, she all the time speaks about Goethe and
Schiller, and reads Zschokke every night. Later in the story Zschokke is
mentioned again. Here is my question: today Zschokke seems to be much
more obscure writer than Goethe and Schiller. What he is doing in their
company? Was the situation different in Sholem Aleichem's times or
Zschokke has some special meaning in the story? (Like a hint to the
particular literary or ideological taste of the personage. If yes, which
one?) The question arises in part because Zschokke wrote many "Christian
devotional stories".

Iosif Vaisman

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 18:22:44 -0500 (EST)
From: bkatz@uoguelph.ca
Subject: Sholem Aleykhem's language(s)

Louis Fridhandler comments in Mendele 6.116 about my astonishment in
learning that the language used in Sholem Aleykhem's home was Russian
and not Yiddish.  He puts forward the explanation that it was important
to know Russian well in order to function well in that society and he
offers the analogue with English in our own place and time.  I am with
him in terms of his reasons for knowing Russian, but frankly and with
respect, I don't see how those reasons adequately explain the fact that
his grand- daughter (for example) never learned Yiddish at home. I'm
still astounded.

Bernard Katz

______________________________________________________
End of Mendele Vol. 6.116

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