מענדעלע

I am interested in a question concerning the technology of writing: Do left-handed people write Yiddish (Hebrew, Arabic) more easily than right-handers ? I have asked several people, but never gotten any satisfying answser. I know that when I write Yiddish, I push the pen or pencil, nothing at all like the cramped style I sometimes see when watching left-handers write English.

Perhaps some Mendelniks who have actually _taught_ Yiddish can inform me of this particular fact. In connection with this, would left-handers be more fluent writing mirror-English? Would right-handers write better Yiddish in reverse?

My thanks to anyone who has some expertise in this.

Anatole Beck

Tzu alle mendelakh, Ikh vill aykh zugn az Zintig, Yanuar dem 15tn a mitgliederin ofizier fun inzer Yidish fun grois Vashington, vet forshteln far kinder, tate/mame, zeyde/bobe, in Yidish, in der Nashionaller Zoo, in Vashington, die khayes vus voynen in der Amozonia sectar. Miriam Isaacs vet fiern die gruppe, un es kost nisht kayn gelt. Elf draysik in der frie. 'kh hof aykh tzu zeyn dortn...

Mayn numen is oykh Mendele.

Mendy Fliegler

So far I received 7 responses to my survey on the Yiddish wordprocessors, describing 3 programs, and several requests for the results. I am posting this preliminary summary, and if there would be more responses (and I hope there would) I will post an update.

A groysn dank to Garry Margolis, Howard Aronson, Susan Harlap, Peter Kluehs, Dan Leeson, Marcia Gruss Levinsohn, and Marion Aptroot for their input.

Iosif Vaisman

=============================================================================

1. Nisus Writer (Versions 3.47 - 4.0) Mac, System 7 Manufacturer: Nisus Software Inc. 107 South Cedros Avenue Solana Beach, CA 92075 tel: (800) 922-2993 / (619) 481-1477, fax: (619) 481-6154 Vendor: Nisus Software, MacZone (800-258-0882), MacConnection (800-800-2222) Price: $170-300

Comments: Fonts are OK, but you're better advised to buy a commercial font from, e.g., Ecological Linguistics.

Easy to type both Yiddish and English in one line: Yes--but--the problem is not NisusWriter's (NIsusWriter will even sort according to the alef-beys, with or without nikudot. You can even search for Hebrew words by triliteral root); the problem is that I still haven't found a font that will reproduce the YIVO/TSISHO "oysleyg," i.e., it's hard to find pasekh tsvey yudn, fe mit a rafe, veys mit a rafe. The other YIVO letters (sin, tov/sov, melumpm vov, yud mit a khirik) are available in the Ecological Linguistics fonts. I'm trying to find out from them if the remaining problem letters are available in the latest version. Program is highly recommended.

2. Hebrew Edit (Version 1.0) IBM, DOS Manufacturer: Right to Left Software, PO Box 94034, 3332 Yonge St, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3R1, Canada tel: 416-489-7440, fax: 416-489-6654 Vendor: Right to Left Software Price: $19

Comments: Shareware program. Nikudes can be suppressed to enable users of different wordprocessors to read the resulting 128+ hebrew ascii files. Very nice large hebrew block letters and script letters.

3. EinsteinWriter (Version 7.4) IBM, DOS Manufacturer: Possibly Perceptronics & Einstein tel: 972-2-415228 (Israel)

Comments: I've used this in various versions for years in Israel, with a standard Israeli keyboard. It gives you two options. Either you can type in english, with english help etc; if you want to insert a yiddish or hebrew word, phrase or more, you press a single key. That takes care of the font and the right-to-left direction and the end-of-line wrap. You press the same key to return to english. Alternatively, you can chose to type in hebrew, with hebrew help and onscreen menu. The same single key inserts the english words.



1 2 3

Number of responses: 3 2 1 Overall program quality: 9 8 10 Manufacturer's customer support: 9 ? ? Fonts quality: 8 10 ? Screen quality: 10 9 7 Output quality: 10 10 ? Footnotes, references, other options: Y ? 6 Easy to install: Y Y Y Easy to learn: Y Y Y Easy to use the program: Y Y Y Easy to format the document: Y 8 7 Yiddish and English in one line: Y N Y Inserting pictures into the document: Y N ? Export/import files: Y N Y

Henry Mullish tells of his experience in Israel.

This cry for used stuff has become now less common. I know it since I am here, from the middle 1930s. The "proper" way it is sounded is "alte zakhen, alte shikh". While most of those who were in that line were Arabs, some Jews did compete with them.

Michael Shimshoni