Nathan Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195134681
- eISBN:
- 9780199848652
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195134681.003.0029
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
A review of the book, Classic Yiddish Fiction: Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem and Peretz by Ken Frieden is presented. In contrast to the forgetfulness and neglect that is the lot of many Yiddish ...
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A review of the book, Classic Yiddish Fiction: Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem and Peretz by Ken Frieden is presented. In contrast to the forgetfulness and neglect that is the lot of many Yiddish writers in the 20th century, the classic writers of Yiddish literature of the late 19th and early 20th century enjoy a good deal of fine scholarly attention. In this book, Frieden takes as his subjects these three bilingual writers, whose work symbolize a turning point in the history of Yiddish literature.Less
A review of the book, Classic Yiddish Fiction: Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem and Peretz by Ken Frieden is presented. In contrast to the forgetfulness and neglect that is the lot of many Yiddish writers in the 20th century, the classic writers of Yiddish literature of the late 19th and early 20th century enjoy a good deal of fine scholarly attention. In this book, Frieden takes as his subjects these three bilingual writers, whose work symbolize a turning point in the history of Yiddish literature.
Ezra Mendelsohn (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195112030
- eISBN:
- 9780199854608
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195112030.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This volume collects chapters on Jewish literature which deal with “the manifold ways that literary texts reveal their authors' attitudes toward their own Jewish identity and toward diverse aspects ...
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This volume collects chapters on Jewish literature which deal with “the manifold ways that literary texts reveal their authors' attitudes toward their own Jewish identity and toward diverse aspects of the “Jewish question.”” Chapters in this volume explore the tension between Israeli and Diaspora identities, and between those who write in Hebrew or Yiddish and those who write in other “non-Jewish” languages. The chapters also explore the question of how Jewish writers remember history in their “search for a useable past.” From chapters on Jabotinsky's virtually unknown plays to Philip Roth's novels, this book provides a strong overview of contemporary themes in Jewish literary studies.Less
This volume collects chapters on Jewish literature which deal with “the manifold ways that literary texts reveal their authors' attitudes toward their own Jewish identity and toward diverse aspects of the “Jewish question.”” Chapters in this volume explore the tension between Israeli and Diaspora identities, and between those who write in Hebrew or Yiddish and those who write in other “non-Jewish” languages. The chapters also explore the question of how Jewish writers remember history in their “search for a useable past.” From chapters on Jabotinsky's virtually unknown plays to Philip Roth's novels, this book provides a strong overview of contemporary themes in Jewish literary studies.
Jean Baumgarten
Jerold C. Frakes (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199276332
- eISBN:
- 9780191699894
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199276332.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism, Religion and Literature
From the second half of the eighteenth century, Old Yiddish literature underwent a progressive decline and loss of quality. Only one genre, represented by the Tsene-rene, some prayer books, such as ...
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From the second half of the eighteenth century, Old Yiddish literature underwent a progressive decline and loss of quality. Only one genre, represented by the Tsene-rene, some prayer books, such as the Korbon minkho, and some stories stayed in print until the twentieth century in the milieu of orthodox Jewry. The works in the vernacular, spread for almost three centuries in the vast geographical range of Ashkenazic communities, played a role in the transmission of the sacred tradition, the usages and customs of the Jewish populace, and in the struggle for cultural survival, as well as in the disruptions of traditional Jewish society at the dawn of the modern period. On the other hand, it remains clear that the Yiddish texts continued to play a role in the milieux that rejected modernity. Due to the upheavals that disrupted Jewish society, the works of Old Yiddish literature gradually came to be neglected.Less
From the second half of the eighteenth century, Old Yiddish literature underwent a progressive decline and loss of quality. Only one genre, represented by the Tsene-rene, some prayer books, such as the Korbon minkho, and some stories stayed in print until the twentieth century in the milieu of orthodox Jewry. The works in the vernacular, spread for almost three centuries in the vast geographical range of Ashkenazic communities, played a role in the transmission of the sacred tradition, the usages and customs of the Jewish populace, and in the struggle for cultural survival, as well as in the disruptions of traditional Jewish society at the dawn of the modern period. On the other hand, it remains clear that the Yiddish texts continued to play a role in the milieux that rejected modernity. Due to the upheavals that disrupted Jewish society, the works of Old Yiddish literature gradually came to be neglected.
Gennady Estraikh
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198184799
- eISBN:
- 9780191674365
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198184799.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
Soviet Yiddish, especially various peculiarities of its lexicon, has attracted the attention of many scholars and writers. Books and periodicals published in the Soviet Union, coupled with immense ...
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Soviet Yiddish, especially various peculiarities of its lexicon, has attracted the attention of many scholars and writers. Books and periodicals published in the Soviet Union, coupled with immense archival material, give a picture of this variety of modern Yiddish as well as of the theoretical and practical approaches of its architects. For all that, the history of Soviet Yiddish language planning and the features of Soviet Yiddish have not yet been comprehensively studied. This book analyses the major sociolinguistic and linguistic features of Yiddish Soviet-speak. As main constants which have determined the peculiarities of Soviet Yiddish, the following are considered: the changes in the social structure of Soviet Jewry and the associated acculturation and assimilation; the decline of Yiddish in contact situations with dominant languages — Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian; the impact of overall Soviet language-planning policy; and the Soviet Yiddish language planners' efforts as a by-product of government-sponsored activity among Yiddish-speakers.Less
Soviet Yiddish, especially various peculiarities of its lexicon, has attracted the attention of many scholars and writers. Books and periodicals published in the Soviet Union, coupled with immense archival material, give a picture of this variety of modern Yiddish as well as of the theoretical and practical approaches of its architects. For all that, the history of Soviet Yiddish language planning and the features of Soviet Yiddish have not yet been comprehensively studied. This book analyses the major sociolinguistic and linguistic features of Yiddish Soviet-speak. As main constants which have determined the peculiarities of Soviet Yiddish, the following are considered: the changes in the social structure of Soviet Jewry and the associated acculturation and assimilation; the decline of Yiddish in contact situations with dominant languages — Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian; the impact of overall Soviet language-planning policy; and the Soviet Yiddish language planners' efforts as a by-product of government-sponsored activity among Yiddish-speakers.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
Literature is similar to an organism. It is in constant motion, ever evolving, keeping with the changing times. It is a special skill to be able to transform this from the traditional to something ...
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Literature is similar to an organism. It is in constant motion, ever evolving, keeping with the changing times. It is a special skill to be able to transform this from the traditional to something fresh and modern. It involves a very intricate web of cultural, social, and psychological aspects. Yiddish literature is an entirely distinct class on its own, just as its traditions and culture are unique. Literature is a tool to preserve and maintain these traditions intact, in language that is their own, such as Jewish and Aramaic. It is set in religious and spiritual aspects; it gives a feel of the ancient, mixed with new and modern concepts. This book examines the history and origins of Yiddish literature, tracing back the roots in order to understand and appreciate its form and content.Less
Literature is similar to an organism. It is in constant motion, ever evolving, keeping with the changing times. It is a special skill to be able to transform this from the traditional to something fresh and modern. It involves a very intricate web of cultural, social, and psychological aspects. Yiddish literature is an entirely distinct class on its own, just as its traditions and culture are unique. Literature is a tool to preserve and maintain these traditions intact, in language that is their own, such as Jewish and Aramaic. It is set in religious and spiritual aspects; it gives a feel of the ancient, mixed with new and modern concepts. This book examines the history and origins of Yiddish literature, tracing back the roots in order to understand and appreciate its form and content.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
Kav hayosher is one of the largest collections that are of Eastern European Yiddish origin but is of old literature in form. The author himself spoke Eastern Yiddish, and ...
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Kav hayosher is one of the largest collections that are of Eastern European Yiddish origin but is of old literature in form. The author himself spoke Eastern Yiddish, and wrote it in both Hebrew and Yiddish, publishing it in a bi-lingual form. The two forms, though similar in content, still vary in some aspects due to language. Western influence was not far from the background of the writer, as his family members were Western Yiddish authors, and that allowed his work to be adaptive and flexible for whatever transition it may require. He had devoted himself to studying the old literary style extensively, being well read in its most distinguished publications. His commitment to maintaining the traditional old literature was impressive.Less
Kav hayosher is one of the largest collections that are of Eastern European Yiddish origin but is of old literature in form. The author himself spoke Eastern Yiddish, and wrote it in both Hebrew and Yiddish, publishing it in a bi-lingual form. The two forms, though similar in content, still vary in some aspects due to language. Western influence was not far from the background of the writer, as his family members were Western Yiddish authors, and that allowed his work to be adaptive and flexible for whatever transition it may require. He had devoted himself to studying the old literary style extensively, being well read in its most distinguished publications. His commitment to maintaining the traditional old literature was impressive.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0016
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
The writings that were analyzed in the earlier chapters were part of what is termed Easternization, and were altered at different levels from each other. Simkhes hanefesh was the least transformed to ...
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The writings that were analyzed in the earlier chapters were part of what is termed Easternization, and were altered at different levels from each other. Simkhes hanefesh was the least transformed to Eastern Yiddish forms. Kav Hayosher, in comparison, although one of the earlier works published, was said to be a little more altered, but still with some level of limit. The irony of things is that the Tsene rene was the earliest of the three works; however it was also the most extensively changed and modernized. This chapter examines the degrees of Easternization, and how it affects the final product. It is by examining from the most altered to the least altered form that a more accurate and precise scrutiny can be done.Less
The writings that were analyzed in the earlier chapters were part of what is termed Easternization, and were altered at different levels from each other. Simkhes hanefesh was the least transformed to Eastern Yiddish forms. Kav Hayosher, in comparison, although one of the earlier works published, was said to be a little more altered, but still with some level of limit. The irony of things is that the Tsene rene was the earliest of the three works; however it was also the most extensively changed and modernized. This chapter examines the degrees of Easternization, and how it affects the final product. It is by examining from the most altered to the least altered form that a more accurate and precise scrutiny can be done.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0017
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
In the prototype works that are being examined, there are some observations with regard to orthography and phonology. The writings were still considered conservative in some level, based on ...
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In the prototype works that are being examined, there are some observations with regard to orthography and phonology. The writings were still considered conservative in some level, based on orthography, similar to the late eighteenth-century Eastern Yiddish literature. They were clearly more focused on the removal of most of the unstressed and certain stressed vowels. In contrast to this, a complete production of all stressed and unstressed words were found on Western Yiddish and modern High German patterns. This was influenced by the Old Yiddish spelling system, to which they continued to adhere. The evolution of the system, though observed to be at a slow rate, was none the less steady and precise.Less
In the prototype works that are being examined, there are some observations with regard to orthography and phonology. The writings were still considered conservative in some level, based on orthography, similar to the late eighteenth-century Eastern Yiddish literature. They were clearly more focused on the removal of most of the unstressed and certain stressed vowels. In contrast to this, a complete production of all stressed and unstressed words were found on Western Yiddish and modern High German patterns. This was influenced by the Old Yiddish spelling system, to which they continued to adhere. The evolution of the system, though observed to be at a slow rate, was none the less steady and precise.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0018
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
A limited change with regards to lexicon was noted in the three featured writings. What is notable is the replacement of Western, both the old and modern components, into Eastern Yiddish. Although ...
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A limited change with regards to lexicon was noted in the three featured writings. What is notable is the replacement of Western, both the old and modern components, into Eastern Yiddish. Although this is only very minimal, it is still of substantial impact. It is as if the old lexicon nature was to be preserved in this context, as it is more meaningful and comprehensible to an Eastern Yiddish speaker. This provided an archaic style in the midst of modern Yiddish forms, most notable in the first half of the nineteenth century. It was an attempt to maintain the treasured traditions and ways of the old times.Less
A limited change with regards to lexicon was noted in the three featured writings. What is notable is the replacement of Western, both the old and modern components, into Eastern Yiddish. Although this is only very minimal, it is still of substantial impact. It is as if the old lexicon nature was to be preserved in this context, as it is more meaningful and comprehensible to an Eastern Yiddish speaker. This provided an archaic style in the midst of modern Yiddish forms, most notable in the first half of the nineteenth century. It was an attempt to maintain the treasured traditions and ways of the old times.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0037
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
This chapter introduces a periodization scheme, to establish a chronological analysis of the events that happened during the evolution of modern Yiddish literature. It consists of major histological ...
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This chapter introduces a periodization scheme, to establish a chronological analysis of the events that happened during the evolution of modern Yiddish literature. It consists of major histological landmarks coupled with the published works, in order to understand the culture and influences attached to the writings, likened to evidence of its time. Therefore a huge amount of data and writings were gathered, in order to find substantial links between gaps in time. The chapter enumerates the various publications that had significant influence in their respective eras. Fast forward to the nineteenth and early twentieth century, where the literature is as new and as polished as ever, ready to embrace new cultural and social structures it may encounter.Less
This chapter introduces a periodization scheme, to establish a chronological analysis of the events that happened during the evolution of modern Yiddish literature. It consists of major histological landmarks coupled with the published works, in order to understand the culture and influences attached to the writings, likened to evidence of its time. Therefore a huge amount of data and writings were gathered, in order to find substantial links between gaps in time. The chapter enumerates the various publications that had significant influence in their respective eras. Fast forward to the nineteenth and early twentieth century, where the literature is as new and as polished as ever, ready to embrace new cultural and social structures it may encounter.
Philip V. Bohlman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195178326
- eISBN:
- 9780199869992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178326.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The cultural and historical tensions between East and West are among the most complex forces in Jewish history. Jewish music has historically embodied this tension, and it is one of the ways in which ...
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The cultural and historical tensions between East and West are among the most complex forces in Jewish history. Jewish music has historically embodied this tension, and it is one of the ways in which modernity emerges as a quality of Jewish music. In the synagogue, prayer and song are directed toward the altar at the eastern end of the sanctuary. Several styles and repertories of modern popular music in Israel are designated as musica mizrahit, literally “eastern music.” In modern Europe East and West also formed along a cultural fault line between Jews speaking Yiddish as a vernacular language in Eastern Europe and Jews speaking other vernaculars in Central Europe, especially German. As Jewish musicians increasingly entered the domains of popular and entertainment music in the late nineteenth century, East and West came to represent two different, even contested, identities in the Diaspora.Less
The cultural and historical tensions between East and West are among the most complex forces in Jewish history. Jewish music has historically embodied this tension, and it is one of the ways in which modernity emerges as a quality of Jewish music. In the synagogue, prayer and song are directed toward the altar at the eastern end of the sanctuary. Several styles and repertories of modern popular music in Israel are designated as musica mizrahit, literally “eastern music.” In modern Europe East and West also formed along a cultural fault line between Jews speaking Yiddish as a vernacular language in Eastern Europe and Jews speaking other vernaculars in Central Europe, especially German. As Jewish musicians increasingly entered the domains of popular and entertainment music in the late nineteenth century, East and West came to represent two different, even contested, identities in the Diaspora.
Philip V. Bohlman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195178326
- eISBN:
- 9780199869992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178326.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
Central to the chapter’s survey of emerging Jewish popular-music genres is the role of the city as a new cultural context for Jewish music making by the turn of the century. Immigrants from rural ...
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Central to the chapter’s survey of emerging Jewish popular-music genres is the role of the city as a new cultural context for Jewish music making by the turn of the century. Immigrants from rural Eastern Europe, Jewish musicians entered all areas of the urban musical cultures of Vienna, Berlin, and other cities, where they performed for Jewish and non-Jewish audiences with enormous success. The city was also the site for mixing musical genres, creating new sounds in popular music and establishing new genres—for example, cabaret and Yiddish theater. The chapter analyzes numerous broadsides and hit songs such as Gustav Pick’s “Viennese Coachman’s Song.” Individual musicians, music publishers, and ensembles serve as a collective biography throughout the chapter.Less
Central to the chapter’s survey of emerging Jewish popular-music genres is the role of the city as a new cultural context for Jewish music making by the turn of the century. Immigrants from rural Eastern Europe, Jewish musicians entered all areas of the urban musical cultures of Vienna, Berlin, and other cities, where they performed for Jewish and non-Jewish audiences with enormous success. The city was also the site for mixing musical genres, creating new sounds in popular music and establishing new genres—for example, cabaret and Yiddish theater. The chapter analyzes numerous broadsides and hit songs such as Gustav Pick’s “Viennese Coachman’s Song.” Individual musicians, music publishers, and ensembles serve as a collective biography throughout the chapter.
Philip V. Bohlman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195178326
- eISBN:
- 9780199869992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178326.003.0010
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter employs the metaphors of drama and the stage to bear witness to the vastly varied forms Jewish music had taken on the eve of World War II and the Holocaust. The first stages are those of ...
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This chapter employs the metaphors of drama and the stage to bear witness to the vastly varied forms Jewish music had taken on the eve of World War II and the Holocaust. The first stages are those of popular theater, especially cabarets like the original Budapest Orpheum Society, which mixed styles and genres, and revolutionized European popular music and the music brought by immigrants to North America and used for Yiddish theater and film. By allowing hybridity, the stage also encouraged Jews and non-Jews to cross the cultural borders separating them. The Holocaust radically altered the path of border crossing, however, and the chapter concludes by examining case studies of music in the Holocaust and the concentration camps, especially that of Viktor Ullmann (1898–1944) from the camp at Terezín, which together provide transcendence in the historical drama of European Jewish music.Less
This chapter employs the metaphors of drama and the stage to bear witness to the vastly varied forms Jewish music had taken on the eve of World War II and the Holocaust. The first stages are those of popular theater, especially cabarets like the original Budapest Orpheum Society, which mixed styles and genres, and revolutionized European popular music and the music brought by immigrants to North America and used for Yiddish theater and film. By allowing hybridity, the stage also encouraged Jews and non-Jews to cross the cultural borders separating them. The Holocaust radically altered the path of border crossing, however, and the chapter concludes by examining case studies of music in the Holocaust and the concentration camps, especially that of Viktor Ullmann (1898–1944) from the camp at Terezín, which together provide transcendence in the historical drama of European Jewish music.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
This book is a systematic attempt to trace the beginnings of modern literary Yiddish, an issue of great significance in the linguistic, literary, and social history of the Yiddish language. The ...
More
This book is a systematic attempt to trace the beginnings of modern literary Yiddish, an issue of great significance in the linguistic, literary, and social history of the Yiddish language. The eighteenth century marked the turning point in the history of literary Yiddish, a period of rapid linguistic assimilation to German and Dutch in the West and, by sharp contrast, the increasing cultural autonomy of Eastern European Jewry. Books printed in the West reflected the impact of New High German and contemporary Western Yiddish. Books published in Eastern Europe, the new centre for Yiddish printing, used Eastern Yiddish both for new works and for new editions of old Yiddish works. The author examines hitherto neglected Yiddish books from the period in order to analyse the linguistic changes manifest in both the transition and shift from old to nascent Modern Literary Yiddish within the broader context of genre and literary traditions and in the framework of Yiddish dialectology, grammar, and sociolinguistics. Many of the grammatical norms of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literary Yiddish are shown to have their origins in the eighteenth century. The book is a contribution to the study of the crystallization process of literary languages, highlighting in the case of Yiddish the dynamics of emergence in the absence of the usual governmental support.Less
This book is a systematic attempt to trace the beginnings of modern literary Yiddish, an issue of great significance in the linguistic, literary, and social history of the Yiddish language. The eighteenth century marked the turning point in the history of literary Yiddish, a period of rapid linguistic assimilation to German and Dutch in the West and, by sharp contrast, the increasing cultural autonomy of Eastern European Jewry. Books printed in the West reflected the impact of New High German and contemporary Western Yiddish. Books published in Eastern Europe, the new centre for Yiddish printing, used Eastern Yiddish both for new works and for new editions of old Yiddish works. The author examines hitherto neglected Yiddish books from the period in order to analyse the linguistic changes manifest in both the transition and shift from old to nascent Modern Literary Yiddish within the broader context of genre and literary traditions and in the framework of Yiddish dialectology, grammar, and sociolinguistics. Many of the grammatical norms of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literary Yiddish are shown to have their origins in the eighteenth century. The book is a contribution to the study of the crystallization process of literary languages, highlighting in the case of Yiddish the dynamics of emergence in the absence of the usual governmental support.
Benjamin Harshav
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520079588
- eISBN:
- 9780520912960
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520079588.003.0029
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
These three—the base language of the society, the individual, and the text—are interdependent: Without many individuals whose base language is Hebrew, no language of a Hebrew society could function, ...
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These three—the base language of the society, the individual, and the text—are interdependent: Without many individuals whose base language is Hebrew, no language of a Hebrew society could function, and vice versa; without a living society in Hebrew, a Hebrew-speaking individual is nothing but a curiosity or a Don Quixote. Also, without the continuous development of a rich language of texts, there is not a full life either for the individual or for the society in our complex world (unless they preserve their language as a “tribal tongue” as many African nations do, and require another language, e.g., English, for cultural life), and vice versa; without a society living in this language, the world of texts has no foundation, as Hebrew and Yiddish literature in Diaspora died out. The connection between the three intertwined systems is circular.Less
These three—the base language of the society, the individual, and the text—are interdependent: Without many individuals whose base language is Hebrew, no language of a Hebrew society could function, and vice versa; without a living society in Hebrew, a Hebrew-speaking individual is nothing but a curiosity or a Don Quixote. Also, without the continuous development of a rich language of texts, there is not a full life either for the individual or for the society in our complex world (unless they preserve their language as a “tribal tongue” as many African nations do, and require another language, e.g., English, for cultural life), and vice versa; without a society living in this language, the world of texts has no foundation, as Hebrew and Yiddish literature in Diaspora died out. The connection between the three intertwined systems is circular.
Benjamin Harshav
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520079588
- eISBN:
- 9780520912960
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520079588.003.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
A new secular culture emerged in the internal domain of Jews, giving rise to a rich and variegated literature written in Yiddish and Hebrew. Hand in hand with this new literature, a rainbow of ...
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A new secular culture emerged in the internal domain of Jews, giving rise to a rich and variegated literature written in Yiddish and Hebrew. Hand in hand with this new literature, a rainbow of ideological and social movements showed a vigorous life among the Jews, and gave ideological and cultural momentum to a whole generation and their children, until it disappeared; one branch of this trend survived and culminated in the stunning creation of a new, Hebrew society, the Yishuv—the organized Jewish community in preindependent Palestine—which eventually led to the establishment and flourishing of the State of Israel. Both those directions—which one may call the extrinsic and intrinsic respectively—exhibit a total transformation of the modes of existence of Jews and their descendants in the post-Christian modern world.Less
A new secular culture emerged in the internal domain of Jews, giving rise to a rich and variegated literature written in Yiddish and Hebrew. Hand in hand with this new literature, a rainbow of ideological and social movements showed a vigorous life among the Jews, and gave ideological and cultural momentum to a whole generation and their children, until it disappeared; one branch of this trend survived and culminated in the stunning creation of a new, Hebrew society, the Yishuv—the organized Jewish community in preindependent Palestine—which eventually led to the establishment and flourishing of the State of Israel. Both those directions—which one may call the extrinsic and intrinsic respectively—exhibit a total transformation of the modes of existence of Jews and their descendants in the post-Christian modern world.
Benjamin Harshav
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520079588
- eISBN:
- 9780520912960
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520079588.003.0004
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter concentrates on the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European origin a) because they constituted the overwhelming majority of world Jewry at the beginning of this period and b) because it was ...
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This chapter concentrates on the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European origin a) because they constituted the overwhelming majority of world Jewry at the beginning of this period and b) because it was primarily in this group that the organized intrinsic responses to the historical situation—literature ideologies, and the social network—took shape. However, the phenomena on the individual level, particularly modernization, moving from small towns and villages to the cities, changing professions, dropping Yiddish and embracing the dominant language, and entry into the world of general culture, took place in all Jewish communities, either before this revolution or after it. In this respect, Western Europe preceded Eastern Europe, and the rise of North African Jews in France came later.Less
This chapter concentrates on the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European origin a) because they constituted the overwhelming majority of world Jewry at the beginning of this period and b) because it was primarily in this group that the organized intrinsic responses to the historical situation—literature ideologies, and the social network—took shape. However, the phenomena on the individual level, particularly modernization, moving from small towns and villages to the cities, changing professions, dropping Yiddish and embracing the dominant language, and entry into the world of general culture, took place in all Jewish communities, either before this revolution or after it. In this respect, Western Europe preceded Eastern Europe, and the rise of North African Jews in France came later.
Hannah Pollin-Galay
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780300226041
- eISBN:
- 9780300235531
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300226041.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This book reassesses contemporary Holocaust testimony, focusing on the power of language and place to shape personal narrative. Oral histories of Lithuanian Jews serve as the textual base for this ...
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This book reassesses contemporary Holocaust testimony, focusing on the power of language and place to shape personal narrative. Oral histories of Lithuanian Jews serve as the textual base for this exploration. Comparing the remembrances of Holocaust victims who remained in Lithuania with those who resettled in Israel and North America after World War II, the analysis reveals meaningful differences based on where they chose to live out their postwar lives and whether their language of testimony was Yiddish, English, or Hebrew. The differences between their testimonies relate to notions of love, justice, community—and how the Holocaust did violence to these aspects of the self. The argument illuminates the multiple places that the Holocaust can fill in Jewish historical memory. Beyond the particular Jewish case, the book raises fundamental questions about how people draw from their linguistic and physical environments in order to understand their own suffering. The analysis challenges the assumption of a universal vocabulary for describing and healing human pain.Less
This book reassesses contemporary Holocaust testimony, focusing on the power of language and place to shape personal narrative. Oral histories of Lithuanian Jews serve as the textual base for this exploration. Comparing the remembrances of Holocaust victims who remained in Lithuania with those who resettled in Israel and North America after World War II, the analysis reveals meaningful differences based on where they chose to live out their postwar lives and whether their language of testimony was Yiddish, English, or Hebrew. The differences between their testimonies relate to notions of love, justice, community—and how the Holocaust did violence to these aspects of the self. The argument illuminates the multiple places that the Holocaust can fill in Jewish historical memory. Beyond the particular Jewish case, the book raises fundamental questions about how people draw from their linguistic and physical environments in order to understand their own suffering. The analysis challenges the assumption of a universal vocabulary for describing and healing human pain.
Daniel B. Schwartz
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691142913
- eISBN:
- 9781400842261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691142913.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter analyzes the Spinoza image in the work of Yiddish writer and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904–1991) in three stages. First, relying primarily on Singer's autobiographical ...
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This chapter analyzes the Spinoza image in the work of Yiddish writer and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904–1991) in three stages. First, relying primarily on Singer's autobiographical writings, this chapter charts Singer's path from worship to wariness of Spinoza in Warsaw between the wars, the very period that witnessed a broad and ecumenical revival of the Amsterdam philosopher and a veritable explosion of his popularity within Yiddish literature. It then turns to an analysis of the two works in Singer's canon most pivotal to his use of Spinoza, “Der Shpinozist” (“The Spinoza of Market Street”) and Di familye mushkat (The Family Moskat). These two works reflect the range of the Spinoza theme in Singer, from the miniature scale of the short story to the multigenerational novel, and from gentle comedy to harsh post-Holocaust tragedy.Less
This chapter analyzes the Spinoza image in the work of Yiddish writer and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904–1991) in three stages. First, relying primarily on Singer's autobiographical writings, this chapter charts Singer's path from worship to wariness of Spinoza in Warsaw between the wars, the very period that witnessed a broad and ecumenical revival of the Amsterdam philosopher and a veritable explosion of his popularity within Yiddish literature. It then turns to an analysis of the two works in Singer's canon most pivotal to his use of Spinoza, “Der Shpinozist” (“The Spinoza of Market Street”) and Di familye mushkat (The Family Moskat). These two works reflect the range of the Spinoza theme in Singer, from the miniature scale of the short story to the multigenerational novel, and from gentle comedy to harsh post-Holocaust tragedy.
Gennady Estraikh
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198184799
- eISBN:
- 9780191674365
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198184799.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
In the 1930s, conflicts between competing groups of Yiddish language planners intensified. Adherents of the further Russification of Yiddish (at the expense of Hebrew-Aramaic and German components) ...
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In the 1930s, conflicts between competing groups of Yiddish language planners intensified. Adherents of the further Russification of Yiddish (at the expense of Hebrew-Aramaic and German components) crossed swords with the Kiev and Moscow cultivators of a ‘pure proletarian Yiddish’. The climactic event was the 1934 conference in Kiev which accepted basic principles of lexical innovation in Soviet literary Yiddish which, as a matter of ideology, rejected massive direct borrowings from Russian. Despite the ostensible rejection of Russification, the conference demonstrated that, in practice, nearly all lexical innovations, whether coined on the basis of Hebrew, German, or Slavonic elements, were loanwords or calques from Russian. Three years later, in 1937, various aspects of Soviet Yiddish language planning were once again discussed on the eve of a conference, scheduled to be convened in Birobidzhan. The conference never took place, due to the purges of 1937, when many Yiddish activists perished in the Gulag. This chapter discusses the Soviet Yiddish Empire of the early 1930s, the Odessa language, and similarities between Soviet Yiddish and Soviet German.Less
In the 1930s, conflicts between competing groups of Yiddish language planners intensified. Adherents of the further Russification of Yiddish (at the expense of Hebrew-Aramaic and German components) crossed swords with the Kiev and Moscow cultivators of a ‘pure proletarian Yiddish’. The climactic event was the 1934 conference in Kiev which accepted basic principles of lexical innovation in Soviet literary Yiddish which, as a matter of ideology, rejected massive direct borrowings from Russian. Despite the ostensible rejection of Russification, the conference demonstrated that, in practice, nearly all lexical innovations, whether coined on the basis of Hebrew, German, or Slavonic elements, were loanwords or calques from Russian. Three years later, in 1937, various aspects of Soviet Yiddish language planning were once again discussed on the eve of a conference, scheduled to be convened in Birobidzhan. The conference never took place, due to the purges of 1937, when many Yiddish activists perished in the Gulag. This chapter discusses the Soviet Yiddish Empire of the early 1930s, the Odessa language, and similarities between Soviet Yiddish and Soviet German.
