מענדעלע

Tayere mendelyaner,

ikh bin zeyer gerirt gevorn fun Rukhl Eissenstats reyd. Ikh bin ibertsaygt az mir voltn a sakh mer dergreykht ven men volt geredt vos mer ydish tsvishn undz un mit undzere kinder un eyniklekh. Es iz nisht kayn shvere arbet. Aderabe, es iz a fargenign, un es iz a shod dos nisht farginen zikh ot dem fargenign.

Vegn dem inien: tsi veln undzere kinder vayter redn mit zeyere kinder ydish, darf es nisht zayn a terets kedey undz ophaltn fun tuen es. Vegn kium fun undzer shprakh, flegt shtendik zogn R' Shmuel Rozanski Z"L: LOMIR ONEYBN MIT ZIKH UN MIT UNDZERE HEYMEN.

Zayt ale gezunt, Moyshe Kijak Buenos Aires

Mendy Fliegler's report about the Yiddish classes in the Charles Smith Jewish Day School is good news for all Yiddish lovers. We are thrilled by the announcement, many parents are inquiring about the coming semester and are asking the scholl to offer more courses in Yiddish. "Yiddish of Greater Washington" deserve our thanks for providing the funds for the Yiddish programs at the CHSJD in Rockville, Md.

Herman Taube

[Moderator's note: In a country that still largely relies on the common law, the Charles Smith School precedent may (and should) play an important role. I hope that it will inspire other Yiddish clubs, groups, and individuals to approach their respective local schools and encourage them to follow the example set in the nation's capital. Mendele is willing to participate in such initiative by creating a database of Yiddish teachers. This database will serve as an useful resource in matching educators and school administrators (unfortunately it seems that Jewish school administrators rarely know Yiddish teachers in their communities). If you are able and willing to teach Yiddish, please fill the brief questionaire below and e-mail it to iiv@mmlds1.pha.unc.edu Just one or two hours a week for one semester may make a huge difference for the students, a difference between ignorance and appreciation. Make a difference! Teach Yiddish.

Name: E-mail and/or phone number: Communities, where you would be able to teach: Age groups you are willing to teach: Previous teaching experience or other credentials: Additional relevant information:

Only the list of communities from this database will be published on the Web. All other information would be available upon request from the schools or Yiddish groups for their respective areas. -Iosif Vaisman]

Am I going crazy, or are lamentations over Yiddish's demise directly proportional to the number of Yiddish plays, conferences, workshops, curricula, concerts, recordings, and other activities that I keep hearing and reading about? If I fall ill, I hope one of the hand-wringers isn't a doctor checking my vital signs. Please, if you think I'm dead but I keep protesting that I'm not, humor me. Prescribe chicken soup w/knaydlekh, write 'guarded' for a prognosis, and leave me alone if you can't can't suggest anything that might help me.

Regarding the necessity of a religious context for the survival of Yiddish, I would love to hear an opinion from Tsuguya Sasaki (see Mendele vol. 08.086). I don't know his viewpoint, nor his experiences that brought him to Yiddish. I received a reply from him once, and oy! ken er shrayben a brivele a shayne! He may be our DeToqueville.

Fred Sherman

moyray vraboysay!

az yidish iz toyt iz faran a poshete aytse: gets ir a tsvay vayagares in zi vet ofshtayn tkhies hamaysim in gikhn. iz dokh ober a shale val vayagare iz nisht kosher. nu, tsi deym hob ikh a mimo nafshekh.

iz yidish a frime in iz makpid of glat kosher darf zi dokh borekh hashem nish kan retsept val zi iz fraylekh in leybt a tog. vater az yidish dershtikt zikh nisht fin a shtikele dover akher, nu, ken zi lakht gefinen a heter of a tsvay zoykayf kefifims.

in az yidish iz a lebavitsher khosid iz dokh opgeret az zi ken lign tif tif in der erd in lang leybn vi mesishelekh.

aklal mit a mimo nafshekh hobn mir tserik ofgeshtelt yidish of di fis.

s'kimt atsind khanike ven mir fayrn dem nes vos a klayn krigele ayl hot gebrent of akht tog. zol zan az yidish iz a klayn krigele (vos makht ober on groyse krign!) ober zi brent nokh in di hertser lang nokh vos dos ayl iz osgelofn.

Dovid Herskovic

Tayere fraynt fun Yidish, khosheve Mendelianer!

ikh hob zikh tsugehert a zeyer lange tzayt tsu di heyse vikukhim un ampernishn vegn dem tsi Yidish is "toyt" oder tsi s'lebt nokh. un kh'hob geduldik geshvign.. itzt meyn ikh iz keday arayntsutrogn oykh mayne tzvey grosh tzum vikuakh. un oyb di "tzvey" groshn veln zikh aroysvayzn tzu zayn a bisl tsu shver tsu vardeyen, to bet ikh shoyn itzt mkhile.

far mir shteyt nit un vet keynmol nit shteyn aza frage- lebedik oder toyt. makhmes in Yidish is mayn neshome, mayne gedanken, mayne gefiln, mayn glik un mayn troyer, mayne freydn un tzores, mit eyn vort mayn gantz zayn. un dos is nit nor derfar vos kh'hob lib Mame-Loshn, nor koydem kol derfar vos On Yidish volt ikh geven GORNISHT.

onheybndik fun 1957 funem tog ven kh'hob varlozt dem gevezenen Sovetn Farband un hob eingeshtelt a mitarbet mit Yidih prese, iz Yidish gevorn mayn oyfn tzu farbindn zikh mit di Yidish leyner in Poyln, Frankraykh, Argentine un andere lender vu s'iz nokh geven a shprudldik yidish lebn- mit tzaytungen, farlagn,shuln un shiln, mit veltlekhe un religieze lern institutzyes, mit klubn un bibliotekn un teaters un nokh un nokh.

Vu-zhe is dos altz? iz es bagangen zelbstmord, opgeshtorbn mit a natirlekhn toyt?

Neyn un nokhamol neyn.

Yidish un Yidishe kultur zenen getrofn gevorn bay a drayikn khurbn:

Dos farmilkhomedike Yidish - mit zayne shafers un konsumentn - is oyf a planirtn oyfn umgebrakht, gearget gevorn. Ale meglikhe mitlen fun a melukhe system funem fashistishn raykh hobn umbrakhmonisdik farnikhtet un zeshtert aldos lebedike un shaferishe inem dritteyl fun undzer folk in dem ammerstn lebns-bayoedikn teyl in mizrakh Europe. Dos iz geven der grester KHURBN vos undzer filgepruvt folk hot ven-s'nit-iz ibergelebt in zayn geshikhte.Biz haynt hot zikh nit ayngegebn tzurik oytzushteln afile a kleyne teyl funem tzeshtertn. tzu zeshtern a binyen,afile dem grestn, nemt zer veynik.tzurik tzu oyfboyen dos zeshterte nemt yorn lang.

der tzveyter khurbn iz gekumen fun tzvishn di eygene yidish rayen. Der kamf arum Yidish oder Hebreyish-Ivrit hot gebrakht tzu dem az in amolikn Palestine,- nokh eyder di Isroel medine iz geshafn gevorn,- zenen geven farfolgt Yidish-redendike yidn. men hot farbrent kioskn vos hobn farkoyft yidishe tzaytungen, grupn yungelait zenen nokhgegangen in di gasn yedn vos hot gevagt tzu redn mame-loshn. nokh erger iz gevorn ven Isroeldike makht organen flegn funandertraybn forshtelungen fun yidish teater.Yidish un Yidishe kultur, Yidish bildung zenen arayngelegt gevorn in kheyrem. un der dozuker kheuyrem halt nokh on,-ober in andere, mer milde formen,- vi lmoshl FARSHVAYGN, ignorirn un makhn zikh nisht visndig dort vu s'geyt vegn Yidish. Shoyn obgeret az di medine vos is geshafn gevorn durkh YIDISH-REDNDIKE Yidn vos zenen gekumen in zeyer grester mase funem amolikn Yidishn mizrekh europe, di medine ISROEL hot zikh opgezogt fun Yidish un Yidisher kultur.

der driter khurbn hot getrofn Yidish un di bliendike Yidishe literatur un kultur,- vos hot inen ershtn anderhalbn tzendlik yorn dergreykht aza madreyge inem gevezenem Sovetn Farband, vos kayn shum yidisher yishuf oyf der velt hot keynmol nit gehat tzu farshraybn,- ven di yidishe tzaytungen, shuln, visnshaftlekhe institutn un institutsyes,teaters, farlagn,bibliotekn un hunderter andere shaferishe yidishe organizayes zenen af an hefker-oyfn farmakht gevorn un di Yidishe shafers- dikhters, shraybers, filologn, visnshaftlers, artistn un aktiorn - oysghearget gevorn untern brutaln stalinistishn rezhim.

nor yene vos hobn keynmol nit gefilt dem tam fun Yidish af zeyer gumen,dem zisn un tzartn, dem bitern un veytikdikn, den fuln mit kishef un sheynkayt, dem eydln un libn, - nor yene kenen zikh derloybn tzu redn vegn a "toyter" Yidish shprakh.

in undzer folk iz faran a vertl vos zogt az A NAR IZ AN HALBER NOVI. vi-zhe zol men batzeykhenen yene vos zogn for dem "toyt" fun Yidish? A gantzer novi iz dokh tzvey mol nar.. azoyne "neviyem" zenen shoyn geven far dem khurbn un zey feyln nit oykh atzind.un zey veln zikher blaybn naronim.

di oyflebung fun Yidish un Yidishe kultur MUZ un vet mit der tzayt kumen davke fun ISROEL; ven m'vet dort kumen tzum seykhl un m'vet oyfhern tsu shikn in di tfutzes sokhnut- brigades un sholikhim mit der oyfgabe tsu farnikhtn bliendike Yidish yishuvim mit Yidish kultur un Yidish institutsyes vi dos iz geshen in Argentine, in Frankraykh un vos s'kumt for in dem amolikn Sovetn Farband.

di oyfgabe fun di Yidish libhober iber der gantzer velt bashteyt in dem az men darf brengen tsu di moykhes fun ale SONEY YIDISH in ISROEL un umetum vu zey zenen faran, dem poshetn emes az YIDISH LEBT un VET LEBN un az di milionen yidn af der velt in vemens hertzer s'tliet afile der shvakhster funk fun mame-loshn un di simpatie tzu Yidish veln nit derloybn az dos farbrekhn bnogea undzer WUNDERSHPRAH un KULTUR zol vayter ongeyn.

un zoln oyhern tzu zitern yene vos shrekn zikh far politizirn dem problem. di ergste politik iz geven un iz dos roydefn (amol) un dos igborirn (atzind) undzer yidish shprakh un yidish kultur vos hobn gegebn un geshafn azelkhe oytzres mit velkhe kayn ander shprah fun undzer folk KEN zikh nit farglaykhn.

mit hofnung far a beserer tzukunft far Yidish in Isroel un oyf der gantzer velt

Shmuel Batt

In his book, "Vanishing Diaspora", Bernard Wasserstein writes:

"Jewish secular culture in the form of the plastic arts, literature, and music undeniably thrives at a certain level in parts of Europe. Jews have played a large, probably disproportionate, role in the cultures of European societies in the post-war period. BUT THEY DID NOT THEREBY CREATE A JEWISH CULTURE" p. 285, capitalization my own

What then, constitutes a distinctively Jewish culture in the diaspora? Wasserstein further claims:

"Jewish languages, the living root without which no such culture {i.e. Jewish culture} can exist, have already practically died out in Europe..." p.284

An authentic Jewish culture, according to Wasserstein, cannot possibly exist without Jewish langauges such as Yiddish, Ladino, and Hebrew. While he paints a bleak picture for Yiddish, he does mention that Ladino is not fortunate enough to have a bastion of orthodox speakers, and claims that nobody in the diaspora speaks Hebrew except "...a handful of ex-Israelis and the small number of people who have spent some time in Israel". (p.284)

Although Wasserstein's analysis may appear relatively pessimistic, he does deem Marienstras' call upon secular Jews to immerse themselves in Yiddish culture "admirable".In fact his doubt does not rest on the actual abiblity of secular Jews to speak Yiddish more extensively, but rather on their will to do so.

I must say that I agree with Bernard Wasserstein entirely on this point. His analyses of Yiddish throughout his book are remarkably fair, so much so that I would hope many YIddishists will follow his example. Secular Jewish culture in the diaspora is indeed dependent on Jewish languages, and an abandonment of these languages is tantamount to a rejection of authentic Jewish culture. If nothing is done by those who have power and influence to encourage more diaspora Jews to adopt Jewish languages such as Yiddish, then diaspora Jewry just may be blend into the gentile population except for Ultra-Orthodox communities, as the redoutable Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz has suggested.In fact, it just may be-at least in part- the haredi realization of the relevance of Yiddish in Jewish survival that will take them into the 21st century and beyond.

Yet the situation need not be so bleak for less religious Jews. Grandparents are often highly effective in transmitting languages to their grandchildren, and we can greatly benefit from the wealth of knowledge that an older generation of Jews has to offer, if we are only open to it. An increasing number of schools are offering instruction in Yiddish, which may provide the necessary infrastructure for effective language maintenance. A wealth of instructional materials for children is available in Yiddish thanks to the efforts of various haredi communities. If there is a true desire to keep Yiddish and the culture it embodies alive outside of the haredi world, the resources are there to do so. How many will accept what Wasserstein calls "the potentialities of a genuine cultural pluralism"? Time will indeed tell.

Bruce Mitchell (Borukh Mitshel)

One of the first stories written by Jacob Gordin in the US, "Pantole Polge" was published in _Arbeter Tsaytung_ on September 11, 1891. Apparently the story was well received and became quite popular, just three days after the publication it was performed by Sigmund Mogulesko in a concert to benefit newly created journal _Tsukunft_ (mentioned by Ronald Sanders in "The Downtown Jews").

However, the story does not seem to be included in Gordin's four-volume "Ale shriften" (New York, 1910). Does anyone know why? Has it been published in any other Gordin's book or anthology? Is there any meaning in the protagonist's name (Pantole Polge)?

Iosif Vaisman

Bay undzer leyenkrayz hobn undz gehat shtark hanoe tsu leyen a maysele fun Avrohom Karpinovich vos heyst "Hirshl der tsigayner". ikh hob frier gehert az er iz a yisroeldiker vos shraybt bloyz fun di amolike vilne, ober akhuts dem veys ikh kimat gornisht vegn Karpinovich un zayn verk. Ken emetser hilfn?

In our reading group we've been greatly enjoying a story by Avrohom Karpinovich, called "Hirshl the Gypsy". I'd earlier heard that he lives in Israel, and that he writes about the lower-class characters of old Vilna but besides that I can find nothing about him. Can anyone help?

Andrew Cassel

Hershl Hartman git tzu alle Mendeleyner a matuna far Khanuka a shaine lied fun Morris Rosenfeld: o, ir kleyne likhtelekh/ ir dertseylt geshikhtelekh /mayselekh on a tsol./ ir dertseylt fun blutikayt./heldishkayt un mutikayt-/ vunder fun amol

ven ikh ze aykh pintlendik/kumt a kholem finklendik./redt an alter troym:/::yid, du hast gekrigt amol;/ yid du host gezigt amol-/akh,dos gloybt zikh koym!

a shaynum dank tzu Hershl Hartman far sein matuna far Khanuka, der lied fun Morris Rosenfeld

Ikh hob tzvay bamerken un shailas tzu fragen. Ershtens, die liedel vaus ikh gedenk altz a yingele feingt un nisht mit kleyne likhtelekh nor mit shaine lichtelekh.. Hershl Hartman git a a Khanuka matuna tzu Mendelyner Morris Rosenfelds unfang dee tzvangsten yahr hundert hymnon:.a sekulare farshteung foon dee mitvinter yom tov. Ikh hob gelehnt Rosenfelds liedel tzen mol un zey nisht in dem liedel eppes spetzial sekularis

Ikh zey in dee verter a Yiddishe farsteung Ehr demont unz allemen freema und freier, Bundisten un Tzionisten az Yidden hoben gekrigt un gezigt altz Yidden in alte tzeiten Tzvishen dee shuress hare ikh Rosenfeld bainkt nach dee amolidike Yiddishe helden und fregt vee zenen zey haynt.

Lomir alle bentshen dee klayne, shayne likhtelekh, yeden eyner in zein veg--Yankel Kurtzman.

Hershl Hartman among many telling comments on translations sends all Mendele readers a Chanuka present, a classic folksong written by Morris Rosenfeld, Rosenfelds turn of the century anthem to a secular understanding of the midwinter festival.

In the same Mendele I ask if anyone can send me the entire text of a classic Chanuka song that my mother used to sing. It turns out that the Rosenfeld poem/song is the song sung by my mother. O, you little candles bright:/Tales and legends in the night. /Legends without an end. /You tell of battles waged in blood/Heros who withstood the flood/ Courage that would not bend

When I see you sparkling so/Ancientflames begin to glow./There speaks an ancient dream:/Jew, you were a warrior once:/Jew , you were victorious once-/O, how strange that seems

I disagree with Hartman's presentation of the poem as asecular understanding of Chanuka. After reading the poem/song ten times, I find that the sentiment and meaning in the poem can be recited by the religious and the secularist, the Bundist and the Zionist. Between the lines I hear Rosenfeld asking where are the warriors and victorious Jews of yesterday today!.

Let us soon bless the beautiful, little candles, each in his own way.

Yankel Kurtzman