_The Mendele Review_: Yiddish Literature and Language (A Companion to _MENDELE_) ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 02.034 13 December 1998 Khanike numer tashna"t [Hanukka Issue 1998] 1) Yiddish Matters: From the Editor (Leonard Prager) 2) "The Yiddish Text of Sholem-Aleykhem" (Leonard Prager) 3) "Menakhem-mendl tsu Sholem-aleykhem|en" [aka "a gebentsht land"] (Sholem-Aleykhem) 1)--------------------------------- Date: 13 December 1998 From: Leonard Prager Subject: Yiddish Matters The recent announcement by the National Yiddish Book Center that it proposes, thanks to a subvention from Steven Spielberg, "to digitalize all of Yiddish literature" excites the imagination. Such digitalization would effectively preserve existing (often antiquated) texts, but what of the need to create modern ones -- in particular of the works of Sholem-Aleykhem? In this issue of _The Mendele Review_ Khanike merriment (via a relatively unknown Menakhem-Mendl letter) contests with sober considerations: the need for academic editions of our classic authors. 2)--------------------------------- Date: 13 December 1998 From: Leonard Prager Subject: "The Yiddish Text of Sholem-Aleykhem" (Leonard Prager) "The Yiddish Text of Sholem-Aleykhem" Debra Braverman, speaking for the "Sholom Aleichem Memorial Foundation" recently announced to _Mendele_ readers [see _Mendele_ vol. 8, no. 023, item 9] the launching of an ambitious project to translate the works of Sholem-Aleykhem into English, a project to be directed by leading Yiddish scholars and to be guided by the highest academic and literary standards. All who love Sholem-Aleykhem were delighted by this notice and especially by Debra Braverman's forthright words: "Without ongoing critical debate, without the most advanced level of scholarship, we will be right back where we started from: patronizing and partial translations that paraphrase, bowdlerize, and distort the original." The editors of Sholem-Aleykhem in English translation presumably will determine which Yiddish (and Hebrew) text of each selected work is to be translated, following textual criteria that the best editorial practice has sanctioned, comparing all relevant published and manuscript/typescript texts -- no simple matter. We are told that the translations will include critical introductions and textual notes. No specific mention, however, was made of the original Yiddish and Hebrew texts. A few volumes excepted (e.g. _Motl peysi dem khazns_ edited by the late Khone Shmeruk -- see _The Mendele Review_ vol. 1, no. 012), we lack a reliable edition of Sholem-Aleykhem's Yiddish works in Standard Yiddish Orthography (the 15-volume Buenos-Aires 1952-9 Ikuf edition is closer to the SYO than any other). Does not Sholem-Aleykhem, perhaps the single most important figure in all of Yiddish (and much of Hebrew) literature deserve better? I think of the Loeb Classics, those marvelous bilingual volumes of the great works of classical Rome and Greece. Could we not have an edition with Yiddish and opposite English translation, not only for present-day readers who should not have to read texts in antiquated spelling, but to help those who want to read Yiddish in Yiddish letters yet need the help of a translation. A bilingual edition would increase the expense of the project as well as extend the time needed to prepare it, but use can be made of the textual (and bibliographical and lexicographical) work that has already been done. Quite aside from the needs of the translation project, textual research on Sholem-Aleykhem is basic to Yiddish Studies. It would be good to hear a progress report on the now almost forgotten Hebrew University-Hebrew Union College project to prepare an academic edition of Sholem-Aleykhem's works. Among Sholem-Aleykhem's greatest creations is his epistolary novel _Menakhem-Mendl_. The author began writing Menakhem-Mendl letters as early as 1892 and continued as late as 1913. The important 1910 second edition of the six-part _Menakhem-Mendl_ is represented in the 28-volume Folksfond edition (1917-1925) in Vol. 10 and in the Collected Works (Forverts oysgabe, 1942) in volume 5. In 1969, Sholem-Aleykhem's granddaughter Tamara (nee Berkowitz) Kahana produced the first English translation of this work. In her "Introduction" she wrote: "Now that Sholom Aleichem's archives have found a permanent home in the Sholem Aleichem House in Tel Aviv, it is hoped that an academic edition of his works, including all works which have hitherto not appeared in book form, will be prepared." This thirty-year old hope can certainly be considered a pious one. As a matter of prosaic fact not a single _academic_ edition of any of Sholem-Aleykhem's works have emanated from Bet Shalom Aleichem. The bibliographic situation is no better than the textual one, incidentally. In 1954 Uriel Weinreich wrote: "No authoritative bibliography of S. A.'s works is available." [_The Field of Yiddish_, p. 278] This statement still holds forty-four years later. It is interesting that the "Sholom Aleichem Memorial Foundation" has earmarked "Menakhem-Mendl" as its first challenge -- well chosen first challenge indeed. Whether referring to the epistolary novel proper or the forty-nine (or more?) letters to or from Menakhem-Mendl scattered about in the humorist's uncollected writings (mainly in newspapers around the world), "Menakhem-Mendl" is a mighty subject for Yiddish scholarship. In 1939 Y. Mitlman and Kh. Nadel included several Menakhem-Mendl pieces in their _fargesene bletlekh_ (kiev: melukhe-farlag far di natsyonale minderhaytn in ussr, 1939 [henceforth: FB], among them "a gebentsht land," a letter from Menakhem-Mendl to Sholem-Aleykhem which first appeared in the Warsaw _Fraynd_ in 1904 (no. 246). Mitlman and Nadel used the newspaper text but modified its spelling to conform to the Soviet code. In 1976 the late Avraham Lis, director of Bet Shalom Aleykhem in Tel-Aviv included this letter in his modern-spelling _Menakhem-Mendel_ collection [= MM], presumably based on the Sholem-Aleykhem ms. collection. There are many differences between FB and MM, especially in punctuation, but also occasionally in phrasing and vocabulary. FB uses _zaynen_ whereas TA has _zenen_. Both contain typographical errors; neither is a completely satisfactory text for the translator. One would like to know what Sholem-Aleykhem actually wrote in his last corrected version of this feuilleton-like epistle. This is a very minor part of the Sholem-Aleykhem canon, but is not this a serious problem for some of the major works, especially since Sholem-Aleykhem never stopped editing his works? The publishing history of the story is as follows: It was first printed in _Fraynd_ no. 246 (1904). It was reprinted in the Soviet spelling in _fargesene bletlekh_, oyfgezukht un tsunoyfgezamlt fun y. mitlman un kh. nadel (kiev: melukhe-farlag far di natsyonale minderhaytn in ussr, 1939, zz' 222-229) [henceforth: FB] and again in _Sovetish heymland_ (February 1969). It was last (to my knowledge) reprinted in Sholem-Aleykhem, _Menakhem-Mendl_ (Nyu-york -- Varshe -- Vin -- Yehupets), Tel-Aviv: Bet Sholem-Aleykhem / Y.L. Perets Farlag, 1976, pp. 29-34 [henceforth: MM]. Arye Aharoni translated it into Hebrew and included it in an appendix in his 1980 Hebrew _Menakhem-Mendl_ translation. We follow the spelling of MM (though it does not fully adhere to Yivo standards) and give several salient variants from FB; _MM_ regularizes punctuation, supposedly on the basis of the ms. or author-corrected printed story at Bet Sholem-Aleykhem in Tel-Aviv. _MM_ has an introduction by Avraham Lis, director of Bet Sholem-Aleykhem, but no editor is given for the volume. Tsvi Tseplyovitsh is thanked for comparing texts and Tamara Kahana is thanked for her help, but no single person assumes responsibility for the text, which is a readers' text and not designed for scholars. In short, there is no academic Yiddish text of this story in print. A skilful translator could probably produce a highly readable translation without working from a properly edited Yiddish original, but would it not be well to start with a reliable Yiddish text? Textual scholarship, of course, is not an end in itself. We want a reliable text so that we can read what the author -- and not some intrusive editor -- wrote. It is the work itself rather that its cruces that we want to discuss. "A gebentsht land" happens to be of great intrinsic interest, especially for its sociological acumen. Here we have an accurate depiction of the role of the press in the Jewish immigrant's life in turn-of-the-century New York City. Sholem-Aleykhem does not hesitate to use Americanisms to define the concrete moment -- the greenhorns are not buying _tsaytungen_ or _zhurnaln_ or _tsaytshriftn_, they are buying "peypers" ('(news)papers'). We know that the newspaper was the principal printed medium for the immigrant masses -- few read books and the intellectuals, literati and political activists who read journals were a minority. The mildly satiric but ultimately positive view of the "blessed land" is captured in the scene of immense bustle which threatens to trample the "griner" ['greener'] but also acclimatizes him to the tempo of a new life. This new life entails the breakdown of social barriers and, frequently, the highly significant change of names. America, which was not the goal of the educated and wealthy classes of Eastern European Jewry, became the scene for proletarianization of large numbers of immigrants with subsequent awareness of and positive integration into labor organizations. Conscious of themselves as fugitives from Czarist justice, the newcomers cultivated their greenhorn solidarity and built extensive networks of landsmanshaftn. But they also confirmed the fears of their Old World rabbis in the low level of their Jewish scholarship. Sholem-Aleykhem gets all this and more into his epistolary feuilleton without losing his comic stride. 3)--------------------------------- Date: 13 December 1998 From: Leah Krikun Subject: "Menakhem-mendl tsu Sholem-aleykhem|en" [aka "a gebentsht land"] (Sholem-aleykhem) "Menakhem-mendl tsu Sholem-aleykhem|en" [FB: "a gebentsht land"] [FB: a briv fun Menakhem-mendlen fun amerike, tsum drukn ibergegebn fun Sholem-aleykhem]. mister Sholem-aleykhem! [FB: ser Sholem-aleykhem!] olrayt! hot keyn faribl nit, vos ikh shrayb aykh azoy khapndik -- amerike iz nit yehupets. do hobn ale keyn tsayt nit. "taym is mone" -- ['time is money'] azoy zogt der amerikaner. der pshat iz: a rendl a minut! itlekher iz do farnumen. un nor mit zikh. me hot keyn tsayt nit arumkukn zikh oyf yenem, -- yener meg zikh oystsien in mitn gas, vet im keyner nit zatshepen, "help-yor-self" [FB: "helft-yor-selp" (sic)] -- zogt der amerikaner. der pshat iz: itlekher far zikh. krikh fun der hoyt, aker mitn noz di erd, rays zikh ayn dos gezunt, gey mitn kop arop, mit di fis aruf -- vemens [FB: vemes] eysek iz dos? a gebentsht land! me horevet un me vert farshvartst un me makht a lebn. [FB: "mek a leveng," dos heyst, gemakht a lebn]. itlekher makht a lebn, un ikh oykh besoykhem. vet ir dokh fregn: vos heyst "men [FB: me] makht a lebn"? badarf men aykh dertseyln akurat fun onheyb biz sof, vi azoy es hot do mit mir pasirt, vet ir farshteyn, vos badayt [FB: batayt] a gebentsht land amerike. di ershte tsayt vos ikh bin aher ongekumen bin ikh geven, geveyntlekh, a "griner," nit [FB: nisht] gevust, vu a tir efnt zikh, nisht farshtanen a vort funem hign loshn, vos tsum ershtn mol vayzt zikh aykh oys, az nit zey redn, nor zey shpayen un makhn zikh narish, balebetshen [FB: belebetshen] epes mit di tsinger un loyfn arum der aher, der ahin, vi di meshugoyem, glaykh vi emetser zetst zey in haldz-un-nakn. di ershte tsayt bin ikh arumgegangen iber di tumldike gasn, vos es rasht in zey [FB: vu s'rasht] vi in genem, farisn dem kop un batrakht di moyredike moyern, mit di mentshn, mitn gantsn trask. nor lang azoy arumgeyn hot men mikh nit [FB: nisht] gelozt; far engshaft a ponem, un far groys aylenish hot men mikh mekhabed geven ale mol mit a shturkh in zayt arayn un mit a shtoys fun hintn un mit a zog beshas-mayse: "gey-de-devl," der pshat iz: "tsu al di shvartse yor!" fun aza min banemung hob ikh oysgezen bay zikh in di oygn vi gefaln, epes vi iberik, vi a min hintl, vos plontert zikh under di fis, un itlekher, ver es hot [FB: nor] got in hartsn, tut dos a varf, a shlayder: pashol von! un geyt zikh vayter. avade bin ikh in yehupets tsu azelkhe zakhn nit gevoynt gevorn, un ver shmuest bay mir in mazepevke tsi in kasrilevke. ver volt dos gor gehat di hoze mir zogn a krum vort, ubefrat nokh derlangen fun hintn a stusak -- funkn zoln flien fun di oygn! un khutz loze iz geven an ander zakh, vos hot mikh getribn tsu der arbet: es hot mir shtark geklemt dos harts, der mogn hot ongehoybn monen mezoynes, un in keshene -- ir zolt zogn a sent! ikh bin afile yenem tog aroysgegangen yo mit a por penis (groshns) in keshene, zenen [FB: zaynen] zey ober gikh tsetrentslt gevorn, tsegangen vi shney oyf der zun. reyshis-khokhme, hob ikh mir gekoyft far eyn sent a peyper, a gazet heyst dos, un dafke oyf yidish. azoy iz men zikh do noyheg in amerike, az itlekher mentsh muz ale frimorgn, vi a frumer yid davnen eyder er nemt epes in moyl arayn, zikh koyfn a peyper, horkhn, vos tut zikh epes oyf gots velt. un geyn zukhn a peyper darft ir nit, me trogt aykh im antkegn oyf ale gasn un me shrayt oyf alerley koyles. m'kon fun zeyer geshrey toyb vern! nokh dem peyper hob ikh gekhapt a "kek," dos iz aza min fledl, vi bay undz, lemoshl, purim-gret, un oykh oyf der gas, un oykh getrogn akegn [FB: antkegn]. nor lebn mit a "kek" a gantsn tog iz a zakh vos s'iz nit meglekh. hot mir ongehoybn khaleshn dos harts gor oyf an ander oyfn! vos tut men? volt ikh khotsh gekent dos loshn zeyers, volt ikh mir tsefregt oyf mayn bal-akhsanye|te fun yehupets, vos mir zenen mit ir gekumen aher tsuzamen un vos funem ershtn tog nokh in "kestel-gard" [FB: "kestl-gardn"] hot men undz tsesheydt [FB: gesheydt]. zi iz aribergeforn mit ire kinder tsu ire kroyvem, vos zenen ir aroysgekumen akegn mit frishe khale, mit gebrotene hiner-pupikes un mit "orandzhes" [FB: "orandzhn"] ("paltshines" heyst bay zey "orandzhes"). me hot zikh shtark [FB: gefreyt un gekusht] gekusht un gefreyt zikh, azh geveynt far freyd, un me hot zey farnumen oyf der ban un me hot zey avekgefirt oyf aza gas, vos az ikh vel do opzayn nokh tsen yor vel ikh oykh nit konen oysreydn dem nomen irn. der nomen fun der gas heybt zikh on mit a "tshglrd" [sic] [FB: "tshenlrod"] un lozt zikh oys mit a "dzhonstonstrit" [FB: "dzhonz-ston-strit]," un gey khazer iber [FB: ayn] oyf oysnveynik [FB: oysveynik]! bekitser, ikh gey un gey, es heybt on vern nakht, ikh ze der polismen, der gorodovoy heyst dos, kukt oyf mir mit di oygn; zogn zogt er mir gornit, nor er kukt. un ikh hob faynt, az se kukt oyf mir a polismen.... dervayle, azoy vi ikh gey, derze ikh a yid a shlimazl geyt ayngehoykert in drayen, trogt oyf di pleytses a groysn tshemodan un shpant mit ale koykhes. derkent, az dos darf zayn an undzeriker, gey ikh tsu tsu im un makh mit im a shmues: vu iz do ergets a yidishe gas, a yidisher mark, a yidishe shul? vu zenen do ergets akheynu-bney-yisroel, proste yidn, vos me kon mit zey oysredn a yidish vort? entfert er mir nit, nor er tut a makh mitn kop. [FB: vi] eyner redt: kumt mit mir! un mir hobn zikh gelozt beyde in veg arayn. gegangen mit im vald-ayn, vald-oys, on an ek, ikh hob koym mit tsores aroysgetsoygn baym yidn etlekhe getseylte verter, az er iz aleyn oykh a griner, nit lang heyst dos fun undzere kantn, un er hot mir dertseylt, az er iz aleyn oykh genug farshvartst gevorn di ershte tsayt do in dem gebentshtn land, biz got hot im geholfn, er hot "geketsht a pleys," der pshat iz: er hot bakumen an ort in a veshfabrik un er makht a lebn. molt aykh, az okh un vey iz tsu aza "makhn" un aza "lebn"! nor dokh beser fun gornit iz dos shoyn. zayn uvde iz -- tseyln un sortirn dos koytike gret oyf der fabrike: menerhemder bazunder, un froyenhemder bazunder, un nokh dem geyen, mekhile, takhtoynem, zokn un kaptsis. a kaptsi tsu a kaptsi -- dos alts badarf er, zogt er, sortirn koytikerheyt un makhn simonem, me zol zey, kholile, nit farbaytn. zeyer a miese melokhe, zogt er, un a nudne. ubifrat az er iz, zogt er, dertsu gornisht gevoynt gevorn, er iz fun der heym, zogt er [FB: kholile, nisht keyn bal-melokhe. geven, zogt er, amol] a yid a balebos mit a dire an eygene, mit sheyne mekhutonem, un kinder, zogt er, hot er in der heym laytishe, gor laytishe; zey, di kinder, zogt er, zoln visn, az er, der tate zeyerer... azoy zogt tsu mir der yid un visht op mitn arbl dem shveys funem ponem un bederekh-halikhe varft er arop a trer... meyle, dos altsding volt nokh geven, zogt er, numer erger, vos zol men ton? m'darf, zogt er [FB: "mek mone" -- makhn gelt] onseyfen a bisl gelt -- onkleybn heyst dos. der khisorn iz nor, zogt er, vos s'iz bay zey atsind oyf der fabrike a strayk. der pshat iz: di arbeter hobn zikh gemakht yadakhes un viln nisht geyn oyf der arbet biz me vet zey nit moysef zayn dos vos zey fodern. iz er dervayle, zogt er, geblibn on a shtokh arbet, derfar veln zey ober oysfirn dos vos zey viln! azoy makht tsu mir der yid mit gadles un tut tsu mir a makh mitn kop un a zog: "gu-ud bay," dos heyst: zay gezunt, un farkerevet in a hoyf arayn un -- an ek, oys yid! der yid is take nelem gevorn. derfar iz ober oyf zayn ort oysgevaksn a sakh andere yidn un vayber, ober take vos yidn heyst, yidn mamesh, kimat di eygene vos bay undz in yehupets un in mazepevke. un oykh di gasn zenen kimat azoy vi bay undz, un der reyekh, vos se shmekt, iz a bakanter reyekh, un [FB: dos loshn, un di koyles -- alts, alts, vi bay undz.] ikh hob mikh derkvikt, vi a fish, az m'lozt im arayn tsurik in vaser, mamesh mekhaye geven! [FB: oykh zey hobn zikh mit mir mekhaye geven.] m'hot mikh arumgeringlt fun ale zaytn un es hobn ongehoybn flien sholem-aleykhems: fun vanen iz a landsman (a yid heyst dos), vos hert zikh in rashe (in rusland heyst dos)? vos makhn epes undzere [FB: "dzhues"] landslayt (yidelekh heyst dos)? un ver bin ikh? un vos bin ikh? derhert, az ikh for fun yehupets, un aleyn bin ikh a [FB: mazepevker] kasrilevker, dos heyst a geboyrener mazepevker, -- iz gevorn oyf zey a simkhe, a gedule: staytsh, bay zey iz dokh der rov a mazepevker, der shoykhet a mazepevker un der khazn a mazepevker! avade bin ikh geven naygerik tsu zen zikh mitn rov, mitn shoykhet un mitn khazn fun mayn shtot. un ikh hob gebetn m' zol mir onvayzn, vu zey voynen. un shtelt aykh for, az der rov mitn shoykhet mitn khazn -- zenen ale dray eyn parshoyn, un dos iz undzer berl Dovid-Moyshe|s, a yid vos ker zikh azoy on mit rov, mit shoykhet un mit khazn, azoy vi ikh ker zikh on mit prezident. az be|sakhakl iz er bay undz in der heym geven gor a yid fun di, vos kotori velkhe... gehat hot er afile a nishkoshe fun a kelekhl tsum davnen farn omed, amol a shakhres|l unter a yontev, nor vi kumt er tsu a khazn, tsu shoykhet un tsu rov, az handlen hot er gehandlt mit treyfe skhoyre, mies arayngefaln, gehat oyf zikh a pekl un gemuzt makhn a vayivrakh azh aher keyn amerike?... ikh bin geshtanen un gekukt un batrakht mayn berl Dovid-Moyshe|s, dem rov mitn shoykhet mitn khazn. ot vos heyst a gebentsht land amerike! geshtoysn zikh, a ponem, vos ikh kuk, hot mikh der doziker rov mitn shoykhet mitn khazn opgerufn oyf a zayt un makht tsu mir: "her nor oys Menakhem-mendl, s'zol zayn yehudi b|loy" ... hob ikh mikh geshtoysn, az m'badarf makhn a shvayg, un er hot mikh farufn tsu zikh oyf "soper" (oyf vetshere heyst es), un dort ersht hot er mir oysdertseylt in gantsn di [FB: biografye] bigrifye [sic -- LP] zayne, vi azoy er hot zikh do frier ongegesn mit tsores inem dozikn gebentshtn land. ibergedint frier ale avoyde-zores, gehorevet, gearbet kol avoydes-parekh, biz got hot im arayngegebn a shtikl zinen, er zol zikh farlosn a por peyelekh, onton a bisl a lengere kapote mit a gartele, zikh avekshteln farn omed un vern bay zey lemazl a khazn. "a sheynem kol-negine, zogt er, hob ikh dokh gehat fun tomed, un a bisele hob ikh mikh untergelernt, bin ikh gevorn itster a khazn tsvishn khazonem!" beshas-mayse tut berl Dovid-moyshes a makh mitn kop, a hustl un a katshe zikh oyfn heldzl, vi an emeser khazn. "nu, zog ikh, meyle, a khazn -- dos farshtey ikh nokh; ober a shoykhet -- vi kumt ir, reb berl, tsu shkhite?" -- "a tayere metsie, zogt er, vos iz? ikh bin nit gegangen in kheyder? ikh hob nit gelernt keyn hilkhes-shkhite?" un er nemt zikh reynikn di negl, vi a yuster shoykhet. "bin ikh aykh, zog ikh, dos oykh moykhl, ober a rov, zog ikh -- vi kumt ir paskenen shayles? gevald, reb berl, shayles paskenen?" "e, makht er tsu mir, Menakhem-mendl, bist nokh gor grin, vi a grine ugerke! vart oys, vest opzayn do in amerike a shtikl tsayt, vestu ersht demolt aroyszen khidushem, vos far a land dos iz -- a gebentsht land!" un er nemt mikh far a hant un firt mikh arayn tsu zayn etl-Dvoyre|n un shtelt mikh for far zeyn "mises;" bay undz hot zi geheysn etl-Dvoyre un getrogn a parik biz di oyern, un do heyst zi shoyn "mises," un iz a gantse madam. "un ver zenen yene tsvey panitshlekh?" -- freg ikh im. -- "dos zenen, zogt er, mayne [FB: "tshildern." vos heyst dos, zog ikh, "tshildern"? -- "tshildern heyst, zogt er, kinder; dzhem un per -- dos zaynen mayne tsvey zin," -- makht er tsu mir un firt mikh tsu tsu zayne tsvey bokhorem|lekh, dem dzhem mitn per] "boyes." "Vos heyst dos, zog ikh, boyes?" "boyes heyst, zogt er, zin." "sem" un "heri" -- dos zenen mayne tsvey zin, makht er tsu mir un firt mikh tsu zayne tsvey bokherem|lekh, dem sem mitn heri. geheysn hobn zey bay undz in mazepevke Khayem un Perets -- a min iberkerenish, zol got shoymer umatsl zayn! "vart oys, makht tsu mir der rov mitn shoykhet mitn khazn, vart oys, Menakhem-mendl, vest ersht zen khidushem ot do, in dem gebentshtn land, in amerike!" un makhmes ikh ayl mikh zeyer vos frier avekshikn aykh dem dozikn ershtn briv maynem fun amerike, makh ikh dos bekitser. mirtseshem shpeter vel ikh aykh aroysshraybn altsding barikhes, dervayle mutshe ikh mikh nokh afile zeyer shtark oyfn shtikl broyt, nor danken hashem-yisborekh, ikh makh a lebn un hof tsu dem, vos lebt eybik, az ikh vel mit der tsayt, mirtseshem, vern an emeser [FB: "amerikans onti" -- ? L.P.] "amerikaner tsitester," [sic -- LP] dos heyst oyf ayer loshn: "polnopravne grazhdanin," ['equal citizens'], un vel vern gut-ap, dos heyst, a mentsh glaykh mit ale, zikh mishn in "politishen," in der politike heyst dos, makhmes es geyt bay undz a "lekshenyor," aza yor ven men kloybt a prezident un do baym kloybn a prezident hobn ale a deye, un ikh oykh besoykhem. lesate darf men geyn ton "biznes," gesheftn heyst dos, makhmes ikh hob nokh nisht oyf "rent," meyn ikh dire-gelt, far der vokh, nor got iz a foter, er vet mistame helfn un es vet zayn, mirtseshem, olrayt! fun mir, ayer bester fraynt menetshmend, (g~e~v~e~z~e~n~e~r M~e~n~a~k~h~e~m - m~e~n~d~l. notabene, meyn ikh iker shokhakhti: es zol aykh keyn khidesh nit zayn, mister Sholem-aleykhem, vos ikh hob mir meshane-shem geven, ibergebitn zikh fun Menakhem-mendl oyf "menetshmend." vos zol ikh ton, az men ruft mikh do azoy? ale heysn do mit andere nemen: Borekh-yankl iz bay zey "dzhen," Meyer-kalmen -- "ken," leyzer peysi -- "pen"; un di vayber, di zenen gor meshuge! di vos hobn geheysn bay undz tseytl-beyle, Sore-Leye -- heysn shoyn do: tshita-bella, sere-leyshen -- un gey tu zey epes. han"al ______________________________________________________ End of _The Mendele Review_ 02.034 Leonard Prager, editor Subscribers to _Mendele_ (see below) automatically receive _The Mendele Review_. 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