מענדעלע

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

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

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

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

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