1) Krik keyn Chernevits? (Beyle Shekhter-Gotesman)
Sent on: 09/03/1998 01:11:21
Beyle Shekhter-Gotesman.
Krik keyn Chernevits? (Lezikorn der shprakh-konferents, 1908)
Ikh volt nisht gekent ahin forn, flien Un zikher az nisht geyn, Vi s'iz mayn tate bokhervayz Oyle-regl geveyn
Tsu yener ershter shprakh-konferents In nayntsn hundert un akht, Ven s'hot a ruf im oyfgelaykht Vi a shtern in der nakht.
Tsi ken men den arayn in a kholem, Vos vi fun neplen zikh vayzt, Mit an oysgeshtrektn orem Un ruft? Neyn, kh'hob zi farlozt
Di shtot un farshlosn dem zikorn, Dos shlisele ergets farleygt, Oyfgrobn itst di yorn Un ontun di yerushe-keyt?
Vider geyn dem barg-aroyf Fun der banstantsye tsum tsenter? Me flegt dort nemen dem tramvay, Tsi fort er nokh atsinder?
Vider batretn di gasn yene Vu m'hot a mol gevoynt? Tsi volt ikh haynt zey nokh derkent Un - volt zikh es geloynt?
Der park - baberglt, bavaldikt, Di shtoltse "Habsburgshey", Vi yidishe lider hobn geklungen Un debates in yeder aley...
A pakhed nemt mikh durkh un durkh Tsu trakhtn nor az kh'vel Nokhgeyn dem mirazh fun a kholem Vos plutsem tsetsvit af mayn shvel.
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Di poetese Beyle Shekhter-Gotesman, aleyn opshtamike fun Chernevits, iz di mekhaberte fun tsvey zamlungen lider - "Sharey" un "Stezhkes tsvishn moyern", vi oykh funem kinder-bikhl "Mir forn" un a zamlbikhl "Zumerteg: tsvontsik zinglider" mit muzik, eynglish iberzetsung, transliteratsye un a tashme. Zi iz di shvester fun undzer tayern reb Motale Chernevitser (d"r Mordkhe Shekhter) un di mame fun Itsik Gotesman - a profesor fun yidish in universitet fun der shtot Ostin in Teksas.
Mir viln oysnitsn di gelegnkayt tsu oysdrikn der geshetster Beyle Shekhter-Gotesman undzer mitgefil ibern toyt fun ir zun Khaim Gotesman, a langyorikn boyberikaner un libhober fun undzer mame-loshn.
Shaya Mitelman.
2) Ikhil Shraybmans _di chernovitser konferents_
Sent on: 09/05/1998 02:18:39
di chernovitser konferents in mayn gemit un in mayn gedekhenish. Ikhil Shraybman (Keshenev)
A konferents iz haynt a vokhediker gang. Konferentsn - ale montik un donershtik. Mit 90 yor tsurik iz azoyns geven a zeltnkayt. Di chernovitser yidishe shprakh-konferents hot zikh aroysgevizn a zeltn-groyse gesheenish nit nor in der geshikhte fun yidisher literatur un yidish mame-loshn, nayert in der geshikhte fun undzer folk bikhlal.
In der yidisher literatur af zhargon zenen shoyn demolt breyt gezesn un geshafn khidushim nit nor Mendele, Perets un Sholem-Aleykhem, mit di por tsendlik shraybers arum zey, nor oykh der tsveyter dor, der yunger Sholem Ash, lemoshl, in shoyn demolt geven a nomen af der velt. S'hot nokh ober gefelt di festkayt in di fis, di brokhe m'zol af dem dozikn veg geyn un matsliekh zayn, frukhpern zikh un mern zikh. S'hot gefelt dos kishef-shtekele, vos zol mit eyn makh avekshmitsn dos umgelumperte vort zhargon, un es zol zikh tsevaksn un tseblien, tseefenen zikh vi fartog baym zun-ufgang, tseshpiln zikh mit di shenste nigunim, der doziker groyser krants, di yidishe folklor-simfonye, vos trogt dem nomen - yidish.
Di chernovitser shprakh-konferents iz geven say dos kishef-shtekele, say di brokhe.
S'iz nit azoy gring un prost ongekumen. Es zenen af der konferents geshen genug raysenishn un kvenklenishn. Afile der groyser Perets hot in di ershte teg gevaklt zikh, nit gehat dos harts a zog tsu ton mitn fuln moyl: yidish! Di hebreish-ekstremistn hobn getaynet: rak hebreish! Di yidish-ekstremistn nor yidish. Keyner hot zikh nit opgegebn keyn khezhbm, az dos folk vil i yidish, i hebreish. Di chernovitser shprakh-konferents iz far undz khoshev oykh dermit, vos zi hot yidish oysgeglaykht, azoy tsu zogn, mit hebreish. Nishto eyn yidisher shrayber haynt in der velt, vos zol hebreish nit antkegn geyn mit ofene orems. Tsum badoyern, kon men dos nit zogn veygn di hebreishe shraybers. Lomir hofn, az es veln nit muzn avekgeyn keyn naye 90 yor, di dozike tsvey groyse un libe yidishe natsionale tsviling-shprakhn, vi Byalik flegt zogn, zoln zikh arumnemen un haldzn eyne mit der anderer.
Vi s'iz bavust iz Sholem-Aleykhem af der chernovitser shprakh-konferents nit geven. Er iz demolt gelegn krank af der stantsye Baranovich un hot nor tsugeshikt a briv tsu der konferents. Sholem-Aleykhems briv hot in gemit mit yedn konferents-delegat ongemakht an iberkerenish. On dem dozikn briv, kumt mir for, volt yidish geven farshpilt. Nit der inhalt fun dem briv nor di shpral af velkher Sholem-Aleykhem hot dem briv ongeshribn.
In konferents-zal hot geersht a shabes-yontevdike shtilkayt ven m'hot geleyent Sholem-Aleykhems briv. Der oylem hot gehert mit ofene mayler. Ot mit aza shprakh darf men redn veygn shprakh! Verter - hoyle perl! Shures negine. In yeder shure - a shtik neshome funem folk. A shtik folks-khokhme. Hoyle noentkayt un eygnkayt.
Kegner zenen gevorn veykher. Kvenklendike hobn zikh oysgechukhet, aropgetreset fun zikh di moreshkhoyre. Ot vos yidish iz! Azoy fil raykhkaytn un sheynkaytn in eyn poshetn briv. An oytser.
Yidn zenen a folk fun nisim un stires. Nemt, lemoshl, aza stire. Mit 90 yor tsurik, take demolt nokh der chernovitser shprakh-konferents, hot zikh ongehoybn der oylim-veyordim fun der yidisher literatur un shprakh. In di tsener, tsvontsiker un draysiker yorn hot zikh di yidishe literatur un di yidishe shprakh tseblit biz hoykher virtuozkayt, in eynike faln afile genialkayt. Dray groyse yidishe literatur tsenters un shprakh-tsenters in Amerike, ratn-farband un Poyln. Azekhe shprakh-virtuozn vi Moyshe Nadir, Yankev Glatshteyn, Bergelson, Opatoshu, Markish, Leyvik, Hofshteyn un Halkin hobn yidish ongeton in brilyantn un dimentn. Dernokh iz gekumen der "yordim". Fun eyn zayt, fun a tsveytr zayt un fun a driter zayt. Eyn zayt, di blutike hitler-harige, hot umgebrakht undzere leyener; di tsveyte zayt, di stalin-harige - i dem leyener, i dem shrayber; der driter malekhamoves, di asimilyatsye, rukt zikh tsu undz pavolinke mit a shmeykhele af di lipn, mit eydele tritelekh un mit feste haftokhes. Oyb mir veln nit shteyn af der vakh vet zi undz mit der tsayt, mit a kush af di lipn, aynshlungen. Yidish nidert alts arop un arop. Yidishe shrayber zenen nokh haynt do af der velt getseylte. Vu zhe iz do di stire? Efnt uf a nay bukh, ongeshribn fun a hayntikn yidishn shrayber, a bukh lider tsi a proze-bukh, vet ir dort zen dem zelbn glants un di zelbe sheynkaytn, vi in di beste yidish-tsaytn. Un efsher iz dos keyn shum stire nit? Avade iz der vort-kinstler, der shrayber - der hiter un fleger fun zayn shprakh biz in letstn otem, afile ven er blaybt eyner aleyn afn shlakhtfeld.
Ikh bin geboyrn gevorn finef yor nokh der chernovitser shprakh-konferents. Mayn foter iz geven a proster heymisher yid. Undzer shtub iz nit geven keyn literarishe. Nor zint ikh bin tsu mayn seykhl gekumen gedenk ikh di dray verter "chernovitser shprakh-konferents". Kh'fleg tomid hobn dos gefil, az in yor fun der chernovitser shprakh-konferents bin ikh geboyrn gevorn. Nohk merer: kh'fleg shpeter oft a trakht ton, az di chernovitser shprakh-konferents hot mikh geboyrn.
Ikh farshtey di hige patriotn, vos bazingen di chernovitser shprakh-konferents oystaychndik, zi iz geshafn gevorn a dank Chernovits tsulib Chernovits. A simen: Elieyzer Shteynbarg, Itsik Manger un andere groyse yidishe shrayber, vos zenen nokh der konferents ufgekumen af der higer chernovitser erd. Ikh farshtey zeyer lokaln patriotizm, nor ikh trakht, az dos iz a bisele shmolblekh far der chernovitser yidisher shprakh-konferents. Di chernovitser shprakh-konferents iz ongehaltn gevorn in Chernovits, kedey tsu leygn dem shtempl "yidish" af der shprakh vos yidn hobn demolt geredt umetum, un kedey uftsuheybn di khshives fun der gantser yidisher literatur, vos hot zikh shoyn demolt ongehoybn shafn in ale ekn velt. Di chernovitser shprakh-konferents hot geboyrn tsendliker groyse yidishe shrayber in Rusland un in Amerike, vos zenen roe tsu shteyn afn leyter, vos heyst velt-literatur, nit af di untershte treplekh. Kh'rekhn nit oys keyn nemen; Bashevis-Zinger iz der eyntsiker laureat fun der nobl-premye in der yidisher literatur. Er iz ober nit der ershter un nit der eyntsiker groyser yidisher shrayber, vos iz mitn fuln moyl vert geven di dozike hoykhe opshatsung. Meglekh a bisele frier un a bisele fester vi Bashevis-Zinger. =======================
Ikhil Shraybman - bavuster yidisher shrayber fun Keshenev (Moldove) - iz geboyrn gevorn in 1913 in Vad Rashkev, afn rekhtn zayt Nester (proste Rashkev gefint zikh afn linkn zayt, heyst es shoyn nit in Besarabye, nor in Podolye, oder Ukraine). Er hot zikh gelernt in der hebreisher seminar in Chernovits, vu er hot ongehoybn shraybn noveles. Ikhil Shraybman iz geven tetik in der yidisher literarisher svive in Chernovits, vos er hot es bashraybt in zayn roman "Zibetsnyorike".
Der doziker artikl iz ibergedrukt gevorn fun dem yidishn "Forverts", mit benimesdiker derloybenish funem hoypt-redaktor B.S.Sandler.
Shaya Mitelman.
3) Supplementary materials on the Web
Sent on: 09/20/1998 14:21:57
Nowadays there is hardly a conference without a website. The 1908 Czernowitz conference has got one too. It is located in Shtetl, at http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/Tshernovits
In addition to the materials from the Mendele issues, the site contains articles "Gaste in Czernowitz" and "Then and Now" by Nathan Birnbaum, "Mates Mizeses farteydikung fun der yidisher shprakh" by Mordkhe Schaechter, "Jewries in Galicia and Bukovina, in Lemberg and Czernowitz" by Albert Lichtblau and Michael John, "Die Sprachoesetzgeber von Czernowitz" by A. Coralnik, "Yiddish City, Yiddishists, and Yiddishism: Chernowitz Yiddish Language Conference of 1908" by Inna Barmash, "Dort un demolt: felieton arum der yidisher shprakh-konferents" by Itshak Paner, poem "Er hot gehat di skhus" by Beyle Shekhter-Gotesman.
You can see the pictures of the Conference participants and one of theirs "legitimatsies" and "biletn". Also included the images of a letter from N.Birnbaum to S.Charney (Sh.Niger) on the letterhead of "Dr.Birnboym's Vokhnblat", letterheads of Nathan Birnbaum's store in Czernowitz (in Yiddish and German), and a postcard from N.Birnbaum to S.Charney sent from Czernowitz in September, 1908 - soon after the Conference.
We also posted the covers of the past anniversaries celebrations: 1948 Tsalel Blits, Di tshernovitser konstitutsie (IKUF, Buenos Ayres), 1958 - Tsum yoyvl fun der ershter yidisher shprakh-konferents in tshernovits (YIVO, Montreal), 1968 - Afn Shvel, No. 155, and 1988 - Afn Shvel, No. 271.
On the page dedicated to the Czernowitz Yiddish press you can read frontpage news from Arbeter Tsaytung, Frayhayt, Der Kantshik, Kultur, Dos Naye Leben, Di Neshome, Tshernovitser Bleter, Tsukunft, and other newspapers.
The site also contains contemporaneous descriptions of the town and pictures of the Conference sites.
Visit the 1908 Czernowitz Conference website at http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/Tshernovits
Shura Vaisman
4) Acknowledgements
Sent on: 09/20/1998 11:20:06
Mendele thanks all the participants in the "Czernowitz" issues: Shikl Fishman, Louis Fridhandler, Marion Herbst, Ruth Kaswan, Albert Lichtblau, Hardy Mayer, Matityahu Mintz, Shaya Mitelman, Holger Nath, Avraham Nowersztern, Marvin Zuckerman, Bella Schaechter-Gottesman, Mordkhe Schaechter, David Shneer, Ikhil Shraybman, Itsik Shteyn, and Inna Barmash.
Special thanks to Henry Abramson, David Fishman, Boris Sandler,and Mordkhe Schaechter for the permissions to reprint previously published materials; to Ester Vaisman for transliterating Yiddish texts; and to Shura Vaisman for proofreading the scanned documents and designing the Web site.
Many thanks to the librarians and archvists at YIVO, Widener Memorial Library and Houghton Rare Books and Manuscripts Library (Harvard University), Green Library (Stanford University), and Interlibrary Loan Department of Health Sciences Library (University of North Carolina) for their help in providing access to the books, periodicals, and manuscripts that were used in preparing these Mendele issues and accompanying Website.
A gut un gebentshent yor!
Iosif Vaisman