January2000 Vol 10 No.1 EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA! Yiddish Survives the Millennium! Despite the vocalized nay-sayers of academia, our beloved mame-los-hn is thriving. There is a slight resurgence in Israel, the former USSR and even in the United States. There are an increasing number of colleges with Yiddish courses. There is the growth of the National Yiddish Book Center, and the increase of Yiddish conferences, institutes and festivals. We have the founding of our International Association of Yiddish Clubs, and the increase in Klezmer groups. All of this doesn't take into account the vast usage of Yiddish among the Haredi. Yiddish is alive and well!! One of the major reasons for the continued interest in Yiddish in outlying areas is the wonderful ability to communicate over the World Wide Web. Mendele, the #1 Yiddish list online, has over-2,000 members all over-the world. Having access to the highest levels of academia and being:able to ask questions makes this the true frontier-of Yiddish world-wide. Several Yiddishists stand out in the forefront of this Yiddish, cyberspace revolution. Notable among this young:group are; Iosif Vaisman, the primary moderator of the Mendele List, Mark David, who mns the-UYIP, and Rafoyel Finkel, whose web site is one of the very best. To this list must be added the wonderful work of the Paris-based newsletters and web site -truly gems. Der Bay is an acronym for Bay Area Yiddish, and starts its 10th year of continuous publication. Its growth in numbers and services are totally due to your support. The date at the bottom of your address label is when you last contributed to the ongoing work of networking people interested in our Yiddish language & culture. ********************************************************* Editor: Philip "Fishl" Kutner, 1128 Tanglewood Way, San Mateo, CA 94403 Phone: (650) 349-6946, Fax: (248) 281-0923 Web site: http://www.derbay.org E-mail [email protected] To receive Der Bay make checks for chai ($18) payable to Der Bay. If you've been blessed, won't you send a LITTLE extra-please? Der internatsyonaler kalendar News from Troim Katz Handler * Also See Her Poem on the Back Page* January 1 Every Sat., 7:30 P.M. Yiddish Culture Club of Enclos,ed is a poem that I wrote about Blume Len:pel, L.A., Los Angeles, CA 213-275-8455 who recentlly died. I had the honor of visiting-her irr 1992. 1 Every Sat., 3:00 P.M. Friends of Yiddsih, Members o-f our New York leyenkrayz interviewed/ taped London, England Call +44 (0)171-488 3092 her for about two hours in her home in Long- Beach, Long 2 First Sun., 1:30 P.M., Yiddish Club of Wittingham, Island. She is one of my favorite, Yiddish writers -truly Jamesburg, NJ 609-860-0037 u-ni{}-ue. 2 First Sun., 1:00 P.M., Gateway Retirement, For other news, Dr. Dovid Katz is teaching Yiddish at Rancho Bernardo CA 619-673-7668 Vilnius University, Lithuania. He continues h1s weekend 4 Tues. (Every), Noon, Lomir Reydn Yiddish, trips to Bela.lrus and recently attended two conferences in Los Angeles, CA 213-939-2193 Poland. He1re are dates for you.c.calendar. The Menke Katz 4 Every Tues., 7:00 P.M., Jewish Folk Chorus of San Leyenkrayz of West Palm Beach, FL meets semi-monthly. Francisco, CA 510-533-3903 If you wish more information, contact Troim Handler: 5 First Wed, 1 P.M., Rancho Bernardo JSC Yiddish (561) 684-8686 Club, Rancho Bernardo, CA, Call 619-674-1123 5 First Wed, 1 P.M., Maxwell St. Klezmer Band, *YIDISH OYF A GANTS YOR* Cafe Istanbul, Chicago, IL 847-329-9089 Editorial Review 5 Wed., 2:00 P.M., Beth Simcha Yiddish Kreiz, We recently received a copy of the curriculum for Amsterdam, The Netherlands 31 20-6613556 young beginners by Nikolai Borodulin. Ltis Iru!allt..for a 5 Every Wed., 10:00 A.M., B'nai Zion Yiddish Club, Yiddish year-round program. Published by the Cent~r for El Paso, TX 915-581-9140 Cultural Jewish Life of the Workmen's Circle, ifhas the 5 Every Wed., Noon, Yiddishkeit Rap Group, stamp and earmark of Chava Lapin, their-Yiddish North Hollywood, CA, 818-984-0276 consultant amd very helpful person. 5 Every Wed., 8:00 P.M., Maxwell Street Klezmer, One of the excellent features is its listing of sections in Chicago, IL 312-525-3091 both Sheva Zucker's and Weinreich's College Yiddish, and 5 Every Wed., 10:00 A.M., Kim Redn Yiddish, augments the material covered in the text. Each Unit has Philadelphia, PA 215-698-8948 the goals listed for that section. There are detailed 5 Weds. (Third), 7:30 P.M., "The Golem as instructions and materials for holiday pr-ograms. I-t-is a Robocop," Washington, DC, 202-518-9420 teacher's guide, and a magnificent resource for any-0ne 6 First Thurs., Noon, Yiddish Luncheon Group, doing program-planning for a Yiddish greup. Toronto, Canada 416-533-6304 6 Every Thurs., 10:00 A.M., Yiddish Culture Club, Our Newest Translator Philadelphia, PA 215-725-6285 Hindi Diamond, Miami, FL hindi@heral<tin.fi.net 6 First Thurs, 12:45 P.M., Brandeis Yiddish Group, Southfield, MI 810-350-9789 Yes, list me as a translator. I translated half the script 6 Every Thurs., 1:15 P.M., Jewish Folk Chorus of a PBT movie called "Yiddish" with Haro1d Gou1a "from of FAU, Boca Raton, FL 561-369-0057 English into Yiddish, and taught the cast sixYrcfdish 6 Every Thurs., 10:30 A.M., Chevra Chai Yiddish folksongs and was the consultant for the Yiddish. 1 spoke Club, Walnut Creek, CA, 510-938-7800 at a meeting of the Circle of Yiddish group in Florida 6 Every Thurs., 10:00 A.M., Temple Chai Yiddish about the fact that I was teaching Yiddish at a university. Choir, Phoenix, AZ 602-274-8964 I am a journalist/ writer, but Yiddish-was and is my 7 Fri.. (lst) 1:30 P.M., Leyenkrayz, Cranbury, NJ first love and was my first language. Do-you have-access 609-655-8019 to a Yiddish typewriter? I gave my wonderful Royal 7 Pris., (alt) 10:00 A.M., Menke Katz Leyenkrayz, portable Yiddish typewriter to fsaac Singer. ft was a gift West Palm Beach FL 407-684-8686 from my father for my 12th birthday, and f r-eally 7 Every Fri., 11:00 A.M., Yiddish with Paula treasured it.. Hindi Diamond, Miami, FL Kirman, Vancouver, Canada 604-325-1812 9 Sun. (2nd), 1:00 P.M., Albert Einstein Senior 1Les Yiddishe Mamas et Papas Yiddish Club, Sacramento, CA 916-487-9175 ]Richard Doust <[email protected]> 16 Sun., 8:00 P.M., Robyn Helzner Trio, Washington, DC 305-919-5690 The Yiddishe Mamas and Papas are a new Yiddish 16 Sun., The Yiddish Culture Oub, Gilbert & group with11 2 different 90-rninute all Yiddish shows. They Sulliivan's H.M.S. Pinafore sung in Yiddish, West have played[ in Bruxelles, Paris, Luxembourg, Brittany, Lafayette, IN 765-463-7871 Tours, the South of France and Strasbourg. 20-2/ 6 The Memoirs of Gliickel of Hameln, Starring "The Y.iddishe Mamas and Papas" is a colourful, Adrienne Cooper, NYC, 212-254-6468 visual epic, full of humour, between Cabaret and Musical, 21-22 Robyn Helzner Trio, Palm Desert, CA between Jazz and World Music. It's on stage that the music 760-568-9699 of this grouJP takes off. Look at our web site for a more 27 Thurs., 8:00 P.M., Yiddishe Cup Klezmer Band, colourful impression! We are looking for contacts. Cleveland, OH 216-687-2301 Marie-Luce Palenne - LA FABRIQUE DE THEATRE ­ 30 Sun.7:30 P.M., Yiddishland Cafe, New Yiddish www.chez.com/ymp Tel/Fax: +33-3 88 36 7153 Songs, W. C. of Toronto, Canada 416-781-7122 13, rue de Phalsbourg 67000 F-Strasbourg FRANCE Yiddishkayt LA Event a Great Success well as Naftule Brandwein, Shloimke Beckerman, Dave By Miki Safadi & Shira Lerner Tarras and the 87 year-old Max Epstein, the four great American-Jewish clarinetists of the immigrant era in NY. Yidish iz balibt un lebt in los andzheles. Zuntik, The influence of k.lezmer music on the Yid-dish 11/7/99, hobn zikh farzamlt 78 libhober fun yidish in theater can be heard in Solomon Fayntukh's symphonic dem universitet fun yidentum (University of Judaism) oyf arrangements of traditional k.lezmer tunes, -reeortied- 1939 a fuln tog mit yidish k.lasn, a referat vegn der geshikhte in Kharkov in the USSR, and in the melodies of-the fun yidish gehaltn fun profesor Eli Katz fun Berkeley, Yiddish theater composer Alex Olshanetsky in NY. That yidishe lider ongefirt fun Cindy Paley un Shire Lerner, un the klezmer tradition has continued on within -the yidishe tents ongefirt fun Miriam Gerberg fun UCLA. Di religious and secular worlds is shown by such onteylnemer zaynen tseteylt geven in 6 k.lasn ongefirt fun performances as a field recording of the orthodox di beste yidish lerer in los andzheles. A voyl fardintn clarinetist Avrom Segal from Israel and the ensemble of yasher-koyakh di lerer Yakov Basner, Miriam Koral, Kay the concert clarinetist Joel Rubin from Los Angeles. Goodman, SheyndJ Lieberman-Reich, Fima Chesnin, un These rare recordings are issued on CD and stem Marvin Zuckerman. S'iz far yedn eynem geven a tog fun from the National Sound Archives OerusaJem), the ¥IYO bagaysterung un oyfklerung. Der tog iz geven an Institute for Jewish Research (NY) and G.r_atz Coll,ege unternemung fun Yiddishkayt L.A.