מענדעלע

I would appreciate if anyone could give me information or a copy of the first epic poem written in this country in Yiddish entitled "Kentucky". Actually, I'd prefer the English. It was written early last century I believe and would make a wonderful addition to a literature course I'm teaching.

Thank you, Mara Cohen Ioannides Springfield, MO

As a child in the 1930's I recall, at times, my over-wrought mother, referring to me in a low and threatening voice as a "Beesavadahsha". Each syllable drawn out, ie "bee-sa-va-dah-sha!"

I assumed it was either Yiddish or Russian, probably the latter since no one in my circle of friends(who understood Yiddish) had heard this curse.

Is there a Mendelyaner who can help with the origin and meaning of this expression.

A shayne dank, Shirley Simon

To Yosef Gilboa: Maybe you should try a bit of zise matze or some makaroondlakh to know why it is so yiddish to vuntch a zisn peysakh.

Yours Simkhe Drayer.

Mikhl Herzog hot geshribn vegn zayn artikl, Yiddish In The Ukraine, aroysgegebn in "The Field of Yiddish III." Viazoy ken men bakumen dem artikl?

A dank foroys, Keyle Goodman

With regard to Lee Dembart's wish to all for a "zisn Pesakh," I believe it's a good wish, since we're celebrating our ancestor's freedon from Egyptian slavery. The derivation of the expression, I'm not sure of but what is sweeter than having our freedom in this wonderful land, and celebrating Pesakh? Perhaps if we were in Russia or Poland or Germany during the Holocaust or during the early 20th Century pogroms, wishing Jews a "zisn Pesakh" might seem inappropriate. But, today, I believe it's not only an appropriate, but an elegant way to express one's wish for Pesakh. "Bravo," to Lee, and ditto from me.

Sylvia Schleimer

Yosef Gilboa freygt [vol.01785] fin vi es nemt zikh tsi vintshn 'a zisn peysekh'.

khotsh ikh ken eym nisht entfern direkt of zan shale ken ikh ober epes zogn benoygaye paysekh vintsherayen.

s'hot a rebe amol gezogt az er farshtayt nisht farvos der velt vinsht a fraylikhn pirim in a koshern paysekh. velkhn pirim iz den nisht fraylikh in velkhn paysekh iz den nisht kosher?

nor men darf vintshn a koshern pirim az se zol blabn kosher trots di fraylekhkayt in a fraylekhn paysekh az khotsh men mitshet zikh azoyfil op farn paysekh zol men nisht fargesn finem fraylekhkayt.

ikh hof az kayner vet nisht makpid zan az ikh vel nokh zogn a kortser toyre vos man plimenik hot nokhgezogt bam sayder, bifrat val es zogt zikh nor git nokh of yidish.

er hot gefreygt farvos in di hagode bay di arbo'o bonim shtayt ersht der roshe in nokhdeym der tam? der tam iz dokh nebekh imshildig ober der roshe iz dokh a roshe.

hot er geentfert az der roshe ken khotch lernen iz far eym do hofenung val er ken nokh tshive tin ober der tam:

'a nar blabt nar'

a koshern in fraylikhn paysekh far akh ale in a gitn moyed,

David Herskovic

Sheva Zucker fregt vegn "copyright" far di oyfnamen fun Herz Grosbard. Ikh bin nisht gants zikher, nor se dakht zikh az er lebt nokh in Israel (er hot bekumen dem Segal-prayz mit etleche yorn tsurik). Di bikher fun Itsik Manger vos ikh hob zaynen oder "Copyright Itzik Manger, NY 1961" oder apgedrukt fun der Hebreisher Universitet in Yerushalaim, dem Peretz-Farlag, Tel Aviv. Di Gramofon-plate iz aroysgegebn fin CBS-Israel.

A frelekhn peysakh!

Hardy Mayer

Harriet Murav asked about Avraam Uri Kovner [07.184]. Some of the references on Kovner:

Abraham Baer Gottlober, Igeret tsaar baale hayim: le-hashiv devarim nekhohim / Zitomir: Bi-defus A.Sh. Shadav, 1868

Shalom Kramer, ha-Mevaker ha-nidah: haye A. A. Kovner / Merhavyah: Sifriyat poalim, 1946

Kovner's autobiography "Iz zapisok evreia" appeared in "Istoricheskii Vestnik", 1903, No.3-4

An interesting article about Kovner by Saul Borovoi, then researcher at the Mendele Moykher-Sforim State Library in Odessa, an ill-fated predecessor of YIVO, was published in "Evreiskaia mysl'" / Leningrad: Seiatel', 1926.

Iosif Vaisman

Saul Ginsburg, in _Meshumodim in tsarishn russland_ (New York, 1946), has a chapter on Kovner. I don't know how hard the book is to find. If you have trouble, contact me off-list and I'll send a copy of the pages you need.

Gabriella Safran