The Mendele Review: Yiddish
Literature and Language
(A Companion to MENDELE)
---------------------------------------------------------
Contents of Vol.
11.012 [Sequential No. 189]
Date: 11 November 2007
Katzetnik Issue – Part Two
1) This issue of TMR
(ed).
2) On Katzetnik's Unknown Testimony at the Eichmann Trial
3) On Katzetnik's Unknown Testimony at the Eichmann Trial
-- Text
4) Yiddish "Ha-Tikva" [Romanized]
5) Al Jolson Sings
"Ha-Tikva" [Older Ashkenazic Version]
6)
Goldfadn's "Di yidishe hofenung" [Score]
7)
Goldfadn's "Di yidishe hofenung" [Lyrics in Standard Yiddish]
8)
Cantor Louis Danto sings "Di yiddishe hoffenung"
9)
Instrumental Version of "Shofar shel Moshiach" [Another name for
"Di yidishe hofenung"]
10) Periodicals Received –Afn shvel, Davka, Lebns-fragn
1)-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date:
11 November 2007
From: ed.
Subject: This
issue of TMR
*** This issue continues that of
Katzetnik – Part One [TMR 11.011]. ***Professor Szeintuch finds in Katzetnik's
overlooked testimony written prior to the Eichmann trial much that illuminates
both the author and his work. This essay illuminates the "lost"
Hebrew document here ably translated into English by Carrie Friedman-Cohen. ***
Following Professor Szeintuch's introductory essay we have the text of the
testimony itself. *** Nowhere does the vital – albeit often unappreciated
– role of Yiddish in the growth of the Zionist movement show itself than in the
many Yiddish songs of
2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: Prof. Yechiel Szeintuch
Subject: On Katzetnik's Unknown Testimony at the Eichmann Trial
Testimony fills a central role in writings on the Holocaust, especially in its
literary prose. Writers of poetry, prose and drama, even after the Holocaust,
maintained a strong connection between historical and imagined reality. Among
those who experienced the horrors of the Second World War personally and as
Jews, realistic representation was integral to their literary response.
Katzetnik in his novel Salamandra and in his other works attempted to combine
chronicle with narrative, to fuse the historical and the literary.
Katzetnik deliberated as to which representation of the Nazi reality to choose,
testimonial or literary. In choosing a name for the entire series of his
Holocaust works, he defined himself as writer of "the Chronicle of a
Jewish Family in the 20th century." The combined elements of this genre
definition -- "chronicle", "Jewish family", "20th
century" -- reflect an attempt to forge a symbiosis between
chronicle and literary prose. The order, sequence and character of the events
he experienced imposed the chronicle mode of writing upon Katzetnik;
realization that testimony alone was inadequate brought him to employ the mode
of literary prose.
As a writer,
he aspired to create an incontestible literary model of the Holocaust for
generations to come. Katzetnik paints the historical experience of a persecuted
nation by focusing on the fate of a single Jewish family under Nazi rule. The
insatiable urge to bear testimony powers Katzetnik's Holocaust writing.
Testimony alone, however, could not serve his purposes, since testimony draws a
picture that is limited in scope. Its point of view is restricted in terms of
the witness's circumscribed experience; it is selective in choosing what is to
be witnessed. For a certainty, testimony alone is unable to establish a text
valid for a general Jewish point of view for generations to come.
Katzetnik needed somehow to distance himself from his own testimony. He
did indeed strive to establish a certain distance from his personal connection
to the actual models of his literary characters: he filled gaps in the
testimony and sought to validate his own experiences and the experiences of
those around him.
Katzetnik
began his activity as a Holocaust writer immediately after the Second World
War, writing his novel Salamandra in 1945. On the other hand, Yechiel De-Nur
wrote his testimonial deposition in 1961, shortly before the Eichmann
trial. Understanding his earlier literary composition helps us comprehend
the later oral testimony. The summoning of Yechiel De-Nur as a witness in
the Eichmann trial was directly connected to his coincidental encounter with
Eichmann in
Moreover, this
written testimony relates directly to Eichmann's activities in
Endnotes
1. Katzetnik, "Farteydiker Ikh Bashuldik Dikh," Di
Shvue, Tel Aviv, 1995, pp. 151-154, 19982 (Yiddish). Originally published
in Hebrew in: Ba-makhane, 16, December 19, 1961, pp. 8-9.
2. Chana Yablonka, Medinat Yisrael Neged Adolf Eichman,
2001, pp. 125-128, 130-131 [Hebrew].
3. Yechiel Szeintuch, Salamandra: Myth and History in
Katzetnik's Writings,
3)------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 11
November 2007
From: Prof. Yechiel Szeintuch
Subject: On Katzetnik's Unknown Testimony at the Eichmann Trial -- Text
DEPOSITION
In August 1943 during the time of the ghetto's liquidation
in Zaglembia and Upper Silesia (Polish
territory annexed to the German Reich following the occupation of Poland), I
was taken and transported together with the remaining Jews from the area to the
concentration camp Auschwitz. Before this they were concentrated in a special
place called "Samtpunkt", where the Jews from the ghettos of
Kamionka, Srodula, etc. were brought. From there we were led several kilometers
by foot to the train station and loaded into the freight cars in which we arrived at
The liquidation of the ghettos in the vicinity started in
the beginning of 1943. We already knew then that most of the Jews were being transported
to
Although the distance to Auschwitz wasn’t great (totaling
approximately forty kilometers), when we arrived at the train station in
We were placed in single file and walked past a group of SS
men who conducted a selection, one of them pointed to each person telling them
which way to turn. Those who were turned to the right were led onto trains, and
as I later learned, were led straight to death. Those who were turned to the
left, including myself, were placed in lines. At the end of the selection, we
were led, when night fell, in the direction of Birkenau. From a distance I saw
a tall chimney from which thick smoke and sparks of fire rose. While still in
the ghetto a rumor spread that in
When I saw the chimney from a distance, and saw that we were
marching in that direction, it was clear to me that this was our final march,
and that we were marching towards death. Additionally, the spark of life in
each and every one of us didn’t allow us to come to terms with this thought to
its end. We reached a certain building, were led inside, and following orders
began to undress. We were taken out naked, each one of us with crossed arms,
fingers spread and mouths open, and we passed through a gate where prisoners
and Germans stood inspecting. In such a manner each one passed inspection to
see if he didn’t take with him anything of value and hide it in his body. We
were approximately two hundred people from the entire transport that left the
concentration point before boarding the rail cars. We marched naked towards the
bath house – the "sauna". I saw the shower heads on the
"sauna's" ceiling. We looked at the shower heads above us and did not
know what will happen to us in the next moment. And suddenly water began to
flow out of the shower heads, and not the lethal gas.
At the end of the shower we were all taken out to another
part of the "sauna", where prisoners' uniforms and wooden Dutch clogs
were distributed to us. We were already without hair and when we put these
clothes on, we didn’t recognize each other. We were led into a barrack where
veteran prisoners sat next to tables like clerks, and began to fill in special
forms on which they recorded details of every one of us.
I remember that they wrote down all of our personal details
-- name, profession, last address, special features, etc. On this form, in as
much as it was clear, every one of us signed his name at the bottom. It was
strange for me to see the German order in the world of death called
Before this we passed in line to another prisoner who with a
special pen tattooed an identifying number on our arms, which was then
registered on the above-mentioned personal form. After being registered and
tattoed we were led to the living-quarter barracks.
I am unable and it is difficult for me now, while my words
are being registered by hand to give a detailed description of life in the
camp, the suffering of those who lived in it for twenty-four hours a day, as
well as of everything my eyes saw during my stay there. I will therefore
mention only a number of issues about which I am willing to expand on orally
when necessary, and they are:
1. Living
conditions in the block (barrack)
2. Nutrition
and clothing
3. Role-calls
(apels < NHG Appell)
4. Fake
employment in preparation for the crematorium
5.
Punishments
6.
Arrival of families with children
from Teresin; the impression this made on us; liquidation of the Teresin family
camp after its inmates wrote letters home
7. Cannibalism
in the camp
8. Selections
9. Dr.
Mengele's selection --which included my number – of those to be sent to the
crematorium
10.The two-day stay in the isolation block prior to
my being taken naked to the gas chamber
11.Being taken by truck in the direction of the gas
chambers and being joined by a group of naked Gypsies
12.My hiding in a coal box on a truck, thus saving
my life
13.My return to the camp while still naked, and my
joining a transport to "Gunther Grube" (
14.Arrival of a German political prisoner sent from
15.The evacuation and my escape from the death
march in the woods.
Finally, I would like to mention a specific event from the
period of my stay in the ghetto. This was in January 1943. One day I received a
summons from the Gestapo in
That same day after I returned to the ghetto a rumor spread
that the "Sonderkommando" had arrived on the premises. We knew then
that in every place the total liquidation of the ghetto was preceded by the
appearance of the Sonderkommando. Not one of us knew what or who they were, a
whole group, a few Gestapo men, or where they came from. We immediately began to speak about the
ghetto's existence and learned in the ghetto that the Sonderkommando was
already in the Centrale of the Kultus Gemeinde. I walked in the direction of
the Centrale to see them with my own eyes, because in that period I took notes
on the events in the ghettos in the vicinity, and even received information
from one of the Centrale's heads, Bohm, who knew that I was writing everything
down with the purpose of leaving a
memoir. I stood at the gate in front of the Centrale building and
suddenly the SS officer who tore up my papers when I was with Dreier, came out.
From the clerks of the Centrale, who stood outside of the building in order not
to be inside during the Sonderkommando's visit, I heard for the first time the
name Adolf Eichmann, and the clerks pointed to that officer saying that he was
Eichmann.
Dreier and some local Gestapo men whom the ghetto people
knew by name left the building together with Eichmann. A few days later, Bohm,
among other things told me that the Gestapo officer who visited the Centrale
together with Dreier was Adolf Eichmann.
It is worth mentioning that when I was with Dreier what was
etched in my memory was his gaze, a penetrating hypnotic and fearful gaze. I
looked at this face and saw only the eyes. I will never be able to forget that
gaze. It appeared to me as if the man was looking at me through the holes of
the death skull's eyes on his hat. It
was clear that by tearing up my papers that day the Gestapo man sealed my fate
and sentenced me to death.
It is difficult to say that I will be able to identify the
man, because I actually saw, as I explained; only his eyes, and they were
etched in my memory and blurred the rest of his face.
This is my deposition and I certify it as correct and true
with my signature…………..
The deposition was registered by Chief Inspector Goldman.
(Translated from the Hebrew manuscript by Carrie Friedman-Cohen)
4)-------------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: Chana Mlotek
Subject: Romanized Yiddish "Ha-Tikva" (note daytshmerizms)
Zo lang der yid git simonim
Fun libe tsum heylik land,
Un kert um in davnen zayn ponim,
Un kukt oyfn mizrakh-vant –
Nokh ken undzer hofnung nit shvindn,
Di hofnung fun alter tsayt
Di alte heym tsu bagrindn,
Mit Dovids herlekhkeyt!
Zo lang an oyg vert nit trukn
Oyf muter tsiens brokh,
Un heylike kvorim bakukn
Geyen fil toyznter nokh –
Zo lang fun heylikn moyer
Git nokh der yid a kler,
Un oyf dem altn troyer
Lozt nokh an oyg a trer –
Zo lang dem yardns veln
Kayklen zikh ibern breg,
Un royshn un vaksn un kveln,
Un yogn mit vildn geyeg –
Zo lang oyf tsiens veglekh
Shteyt nokh a toyer vist,
Un fun di khurves kleglekh
Di tokhter fun tsien grist –
Zo lang men hert dem klog nokh
Fun yidn do un dort,
Un oft a shtik far-tog nokh
Hert zikh a yidish vort –
Zo lang dem yidns gefiln
Zaynen far tsien tseflamt,
Vet er nokh, mit gots viln,
Kumen tsum ort vu er shtamt –
Goles-brider, hert mir reydn
Mit profetn-tsung:
Nor ven der letster yid vet sheydn,
Shtarbt undzer hofnung –
Nokh ken
undzer hofnung...
5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: Mt.Zion Congregation
Subject: Al Jolson Sings "Ha-Tikva" [older Ashkenazi version]
http://www.mtzioncongregation.com/Al_Jolson___Hatikvah____Very_rare_.mp3
6)-------------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: Penina Goldenberg
Subject: "Die Yidishe Hofnung" words and music by A. Goldfaden
Click on any picture to get a larger scale
score page
7)-----------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: Penina Goldenberg
Subject: "Die Yidishe Hofnung" by A. Goldfaden in the original and in
Standard Yiddish Orthography
Di Yiddishe Hofnung [Di yidishe hofenung]
[These are the lyrics printed with the score. In this period
it was thought elegant to spell and even pronounce words according to the NHG
pattern; however, many writers may give us naïve spellings that often
record pronunciation. See below for the song in Standard Yiddish.]
lyrics on score
page one of score
Nit weit zu gehn ken a ye der er sehn vi un ter a shtein
tief in der hail,
liegt un ser kroin ach yoh-ren lang shoin do vid me-lech
yis-ro-el, oi
Do-vid do-vid shteh auf fon
dein shlof ge-
page two of score
tra yer pas
tuch sog was is zu tohn seh wi men koi let aus dei-ne
a-reme shof
un kai ner nemt sich fir sei gor nit ohn un as
Do-vid wet
der he-ren shoi fer shel mo shi ach
wet er sich auf cha pen fon
kai ver gikh un
page three of score
wet sich auf set zen auf sein shtil un ge ben auf sein
fi-de-le a shpiel
un in dem mo-ment we-len fli-hen hend fon fiele
mu-si-kan-ten a
ye der yid wet sin-gen a lied fon thi-lim --- dem
be-kan-ten
der groi-ser yam wet sich
ein-hal-ten kam un zu shok-len mit-die bet-lach un der
page four of score
grin-ner wald wet sich auf-cha-pen bald un zu ples ken
mit-die-bet-lach un
Do vid wet shpi-len auf sein fi-de-le - un wet sin-gen oh
dos li-de-le
un do-vid wet shpi-len auf sein fi-de-le un wet sin-gen
oh dos li-de-le
yis ro lik is noch nit fer-lo ren yis ro lik wet noch nei
ge-bo-ren
singt mit mir oh dem shir
zu dem le be di-gen Gott
singt mit mir oh dem shir zu dem le-be di gen Gott.
Standard Yiddish
Nit vayt tsu geyn yederer zen vi unter a shteyn tif in
der heyl,
Ligt unzer kroyn akh yorn lang shoyn Dovid meylekh
Yisroel, oy
Dovid Dovid
shtey oyf fun dayn shlof ge
trayer
pastekh zog vos iz tsu ton ze vi men koylet oys dayne
Oreme shof
un keyner nemt zikh far zey gornit on az
Dovid vet derhern shoyfer shel moshiekh
Vet er zikh oyfkhapn fun keyver gikh un
Vet zikh oyfzetsn oyf zayn shtul un gebn oyf zayn fidele
a shpil
Un in dem moment veln flien hent fun file muzikantn a
Yeder yid vet zingen a lid fun tilim – dem bakantn
Der groyser yam vet zikh aynhaltn un tsushoklen mit di
betlekh un der *
Griner vald vet zikh oyfkhapn bald un tsuplesken mit di
betlekh un
Do vet shpiln oyf zayn fidele – un vet zingen o dos
lidele
Un Dovid vet shpiln oyf zayn fidele un vet zingen dos
lidele
Yisrolik iz nokh nit farlorn yisrolik vet nokh nay geborn
Zingt mit mir o dem shir
Tsu dem lebedikn Got zingt
mit mir o dem shir tsu dem lebedikn Got.
___
* Cantor Danto zingt: 'Der
groyser yam vet zikh shoklen koym un royshn mit di khvalyes getlekh'.
8)-----------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: Robert Goldenberg
Subject: Cantor Louis Danto Sings “Di Yiddishe Hoffenung” [“Di yidishe
hofenung”]
Note: Cantor Danto sings only part of Goldfden's song.
http://faujsa.fau.edu/danto/danto_playlist.php?jsa_num=100017&queryWhere=jsa_num&queryValue=100017
Select the 4th song from the list within the radio set.
9)---------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From:
Subject: Instrumental Version of "Shofar shel Moshiach" [Another name
for "Di yidishe hofenung"]
8. Shofar shel Moshiach [Meshiekh]
An instrumental version of Di Yiddishe Hofnung [Yidishe], the Yiddish
Hatikva composed by Abraham Goldfaden on the occasion of the Zionist conference
of 1897 in Basel, Switzerland. Famed cantor Yossel Rosenblatt [Yosele Roznblat]
toured
10)-------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 11 November 2007
From: ed.
Subject: Periodicals Received:
Afn shvel, gezelshaftlekh-literarisher zhurnal. Organ fun der
yidish-lige. Harbst 2007, num' 339,
Davka, erets yidish
ve-tarbuta
The third issue of Davka makes eminently clear that there
are young Israeli writers capable of writing knowledgably and interestingly on
varied facets of Yiddish culture. In addition to the front cover, we give here
the inside front cover which contains the Table of Contents and full details
for ordering the journal.
Lebns-fragn, sotsialistishe khoydesh-shrift far politik,
gezelshaft un kultur
Back cover of September-October 2007 issue, 57th Year,
Nos. 659-660.
This veteran journal stubbornly continues to appear, one of the few remaining
Yiddish periodicals in
Click on the picture to get a full size
page
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of The Mendele Review Vol.
11.012
Editor, Leonard
Prager
Subscribers to Mendele (see below)
automatically receive The Mendele Review.
Send "to subscribe" or
change-of-status messages to: listproc@lists.yale.edu
a. For a temporary stop: set mendele mail postpone
b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail ack
c. To subscribe: sub mendele first_name last_name
d. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele
*** Getting back issues ***
The Mendele Review archives can be reached at: http://yiddish.haifa.ac.il/tmr/tmr.htm
Yiddish Theatre Forum archives can be reached at: http://yiddish.haifa.ac.il/tmr/ytf/ytf.htm
Mendele on the web: http://shakti.trincoll.edu/~mendele/index.utf-8.htm
***