David Fram: Lithuanian Yiddish Poet of the South African Diaspora and Illuminating Love FRANKEL, Hazel Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/4914/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/4914/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. David Fram: Lithuanian Yiddish Poet of the South African Diaspora and Illuminating Love Hazel Frankel A thesis and a novel submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2013 Abstract This thesis investigates the Yiddish poems of the South African Lithuanian immigrant David Fram. It locates Fram’s poetry and aesthetics in the context of Yiddish poetry in general and Lithuanian-South African Yiddish literature in particular. In doing this it identifies and investigates Fram’s main poetic themes, Diaspora, the memory of home and the condition of exile; landscape and people, nature and creator; his response to the Holocaust suggesting poetry is a legitimate means of expressing trauma. The thesis also deliberates on the potential relevance of taking Fram’s biography and personal experiences into consideration when interpreting his poetry. It reflects on the approach to and process of writing both this thesis and the novel Illuminating Love, considering how thesis and novel relate to each other and to Fram’s poetry, as well as to the notion of postmemory. Indicating the antecedents of Illuminating Love, the thesis discusses aspects of realism and postmodernism, genre and mixed genre, as well as development of voice, point of view and character in my novel. In conclusion, suggestions are made for future projects that might be undertaken to revitalise the vibrant language of Yiddish and memorialise its community. The appendix contains translations (following transliteration) of Fram’s poems. The creative component of the thesis is the novel Illuminating Love. Its narrative entwines the journeys of two Jewish women, Judith, forced to leave her home in Lithuania, Eastern Europe before World War II, and Cally her granddaughter living in contemporary South Africa. Transcribing Judith’s poems in calligraphy, Cally uncovers her family’s history and roots. The content of the love sampler she inscribes for her husband Jake, and the illuminating of a ketuba (the Jewish marriage contract) serve to counterpoint her personal circumstances. Behind the gilding lies the reality of domestic violence, Judith’s escape from the genocide and Jake’s experiences in the bush during the South African Border War. Key topics: David Fram; Yiddish poetry; Lithuania; Holocaust; South African Yiddish; South African Yiddish Poetry; Jewish Diaspora; South African Jewish Diaspora; memory; trauma; biography; postmemory; genre; mixed genre, realism, Illuminating Love; calligraphy; illumination; ketuba; domestic violence; genocide; World War II; Border War; Bush War. ii Dedication To my late esteemed grandparents, Leah and Morris Slayen and Sarah and Benjamin Hillel Eidelman, and my late beloved parents, Sylvia and Benny Eidelman, without whom there would be no story; and to the future generations, Ilan and Helen, Daniella and Warren, Gabriel and Jodi, Jonathan, Joshua, Ruby, Morgan and Nathan who carry my hopes and dreams. iii Acknowledgements I am deeply appreciative of and indebted to my supervisors, advisors, mentors and friends for their invaluable support and assistance throughout the process of researching and writing this thesis. Prof. Steven Earnshaw took me on as a fledgling writer with a pipe dream, believed it was possible to explore the writings of a Yiddish poet in an English department, and guided me through the process with consistent interest and conscientious care. Prof. Michael Titlestad inspired, supported and encouraged me, generously reading through drafts of both the creative and the academic components, and offering insightful suggestions and sensitive advice. Cedric Ginsberg, Yiddish mentor and teacher par excellence, conscientiously attended to my manuscript with wisdom, understanding, deep knowledge and love of the language. His commitment beyond all expectations made possible my translations, transliterations and interpretations of David Fram’s poems. Conor O’Callaghan read my Yiddish-English poems with an Irish lilt and my prose in Illuminating Love with an open heart and gentle insight. I deeply value his affirmation and his careful and caring fine-tuning of my poetry. Linda-Lee Welch diligently made her way through countless drafts of the novel with a keen eye for detail and expression, character and scene change, always aiming for the best outcome. Dr Khayke Beruriah Wiegand made an invaluable contribution, applying her vast knowledge and understanding of the Yiddish culture and language to the meticulous reading of thesis and poems. Stella Granville was a constant source of encouragement. She offered discerning suggestions, affirming this submission as a valuable record of and contribution to South African- Lithuanian Yiddish culture. Joy Orlek supported me and assisted in the editing process with meticulous attention to the finer points of language and clarity of expression. Grant and Linda Katzeff committed themselves to my long haul, offering their hospitality and providing me with a warm and quiet space in which to write. Without their generosity my accomplishment would not have been possible. iv Tamar Alswang, Veronica Belling, Mona Berman, Prof Justin Cammy, Aaron Ehrlich, Prof Gennady Estraikh, Uri Kolodney, Dr Shirley Leissner, Prof Marcia Leveson, Yishai Metal, Prof Kenneth Moss, Dr Sonja Narunsky-Laden, Simon Shear, Karen Sherman and Prof Astrid Starck-Adler all gave of their time and expertise and made helpful contributions with translations, information and editing at different stages of the process. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the external examiners for their input and commitment, for their insights into and appreciation of the value of my project. v Table of Contents David Fram: Chronology ix David Fram: Lithuanian Yiddish Poet of the South African Diaspora Introduction 1 Chapter One: Fram’s Yiddish Poetry: Language, Tradition and Form 5 The Development of Yiddish and its Poetry in Europe 5 Yiddish and its Literature in South Africa 7 Locating Fram: Publication 11 Locating Fram: Neo-Romanticism and Traditionalism 12 Locating Fram: Modernism 20 Chapter Two: Fram’s Diaspora Poetry 26 Homeland and Diaspora 26 The Memory of Home 27 The Trope of Exile 31 The Trope of Wandering: Fram as Wandering Jew 33 Fram’s Diaspora Poetry as Expression of the Outsider/Other 35 Fram and the Experience of Doubleness 37 Chapter Three: Fram’s Poetry of Landscape and People 41 The Influence of the Romantics 41 Connections between Nature and Prayer 46 The Countryside and its People 47 Chapter Four: Fram’s Holocaust Poetry 58 Against Poetry 58 Historical Recording and Fram’s Holocaust Poems 59 Fram’s Holocaust Poems and Memory 62 Bearing Witness and Offering Testimony 65 Fram’s Poetry and Catharsis 69 Fram’s Holocaust Poems and Prayer 70 Chapter Five: Fram’s Biography and his Poetry 78 Against Biography 78 Fram’s Life and his Poems 80 vi Chapter Six: Reflections on the Relationship between Academic and Creative Components 89 The Academic Component: Process 89 Translating and Transliterating Fram’s Poetry 90 Fram and Biography 92 Testimony and the Memoirs Project 92 The Relationship of the Judith Poems to Fram’s Poetry 94 The Poetry of Avrom Sutskever and Irena Klepfisz and the Judith Poems 96 Postmemory: Fram and the Judith Poems 103 The Survival of Yiddish in the Jewish Diaspora 106 Chapter Seven: Reflections on Illuminating Love 110 Aspects of Genre 110 Contextualising and Developing the Character of Cally 113 Development of the Character of Jake 114 Aspects of Voice and Viewpoint 115 Use of Dialogue 116 The Function of Calligraphy in the Narrative 116 Conclusion 118 Future Projects and Possibilities 119 Illuminating Love 1 Glossary 190 Addendum ‘Fun tate-mames yidishe’ (‘From Jewish Parents’) 1 ‘Ikh benk’ (‘I Yearn’) 2 ‘Mayn opfor’ (‘My Departure’) 4 ‘Mayn mame hot mir tsugeshikt a kishn’ (‘My Mother Sent Me off a Cushion’) 5 ‘Iz vos?’ (‘So What?’) 6 ‘Efsher’ (‘Perhaps’) (Fragment) 8 ‘Oyf mayn dakh hot amol gesvitshert a shvalb’ (‘Once a Swallow 12 Still Twittered on my Roof’) ‘Nokh vos zol ikh forn?’ (‘For What Shall I Go?’) 13 vii ‘In tsveyen’ (‘Two Fold’) 14 ‘In an Afrikaner baginen’ (‘In an African Dawn’) 15 ‘Fun shop tsu shop’ (‘From Shop to Shop’) (Fragment) 17 ‘Tsu di shvartse’ (‘To the Black Man’) 19 ‘Matumba’ ‘(Matumba’) 21 ‘Matatulu’ (‘Matatulu’) 26 ‘Burn’ (‘Farmers’) 34 ‘Unzere kedoyshim’ (‘Our Martyrs’) 37 ‘An entfer der velt’ (‘An Answer to the World’) 39 ‘Dos letste kaptl’ (‘The Last Chapter’) (Fragment) 42 ‘Lesterung’ (‘Blasphemy’) (Fragment) 46 ‘Dimantn’ (‘Diamonds’) 50 Bibliography 1 viii David Fram: Chronology 1903 b. Poneveyz, Lithuania 1916 Relocated to Samara, White Russia 1921 Matriculated in Krakinove, Lithuania. 1922 Studied at the Military Academy, Wilkomir, Lithuania 1926 Spent three months