מענדעלע

My apologies to everybody who tried to search Mendele archives in Shtetl in the past several weeks: due to some security problems with the old software (WAIS) the search did not work. Now Mendele archives are reindexed using state-of-the-art search engine (Isearch from CNDIR). Isearch is a powerful retrieval system that implements sophisticated search and ranking of the results algorithms. Isearch works efficiently with complex boolean queries using weighted search terms, at the same time the search form is user-friendly and simple. Currently only full-text search is possible, search by fields (subject and author) would be enabled later.

Search results are ranked according to the frequency of occurences of higher scoring words. The score of the word depends on its frequency in the database. For example, using word "yiddish" as one of the search terms will not do any good, because "yiddish" occurs in every single issue of Mendele.

Speaking of issues, current database includes 1,693 volumes of Mendele (yasher koyekh, Noyekh). It is 4,233,776 bytes of high-quality first-class information with almost no artificial flavors, artificial colors, and other harmful ingredients. The database will be updated approximately bimonthly.

URL for the search form:

http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendeles.html

The old URL (http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mewais.html) now points to the new search form and can be used as well.

Comments and suggestions about the new search engine and its implementation would be appreciated.

Iosif Vaisman

Ikh vil nor alemen meldn az in dem nayem (oktober-detsember 1996) numer "Oyfn Shvel" iz do a fayner artikl fun Dovid-Elye Fishman vos makht klor di farfirerishe disinformatsye in Filologoses taynes kegn yidishizm, in zayn vikuekh mit Dovid Katsn in Englishn "Forward" dem fargangenem zumer.

Khayem Bochner

While listening to Kol Yisroel short wave, poetry of two Yiddish poets was read. The poets were a father and son, Josef Kerler and Boris Karloff. During the reading the phrase "shpigl shprakh" was used. Can any one comment on the derivation and meaning of the phrase or is it an expression coined by the poets?

Norma and Bernard Rubin

Sema Chaimovitz Menora fregt in vol. 6.152 vegn dos lidl, "ikh fur aheym." ikh hob gevust az ikh hob a tashmir fun an altn plate un hob es nor vos gefunen.

It is sung by Sam Appel on a record, "Songs I Love." Listening to it, these are the words I was able to make out. (He sings fast.)

ikh fur a heym

mazel-tov aykh Yidn. mit mazol zol es zayn. ikh veys ir vet zayn tsufridn. ot vos hert zikh ayn. gehoft hot mir oyf shtendik, oykh tsu undzer glik. der goles iz geendikt un ikh fur yetst zurik. es ruft oyf mir di shpine. es hot mir ufgegolt. ikh fur in Palestine vi mayn zeyde hot gevolt.

ikh fur a heym. ikh fur a heym. ikh voyn nit mer bay dem geher. ...

tsi iz dos dem lidl vos ir vilt? az ir vilt vel ikh shikn di resht.

The accompaning notes say, "I'm Going Home," although written many years ago, is very timely. It tells about the Jew who is planning to return to Israel, and with typical Jewish humor, explains why. A great all-time classic." There are songs sung in Yiddish, Hebrew and English, all relating to Israel.

ikh vintsh aykh ale a gut gezunt 1997.

Marcia Gruss Levinsohn

I recently acquired the book _100 Best Songs of the '20s and '30s_. On page 362ff. I find "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (Means That You're Grand)," with the following credits:

Original Lyrics by Jacob Jacobs Music by Sholom Secunda English Version by Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin. The score contains the English lyrics only.

What are Jacob Jacobs' original Yiddish lyrics to "Bay Mir Bist Du Sheyn"?

Milt Eisner McLean VA

Has anyone coined a Yiddish word for the masculine form for rebitsn? Obviously the requirement was not necessary until this generation.

Irwin Mortman Cincinnati, OH