Collected Classics of Yiddish Writers
Perpetuated in Leftwich's Translations
Joseph Leftwich, the eminent
British Jewish writer, makes a
distinct contribution to Jewish
literature with his two-volume
collection of essays which he has
translated from the Yiddish.
Under the title, "The Way We
Think," published by Thomas
Yoseloff, this impressive set of
books re-introduces to the general
public the views of many of the
very great writers of the past
generation. It is a compilation of
philosophic works as well as essays
dealing with politics, the sciences,
Zionism, education, the anti-Se-
mitic virus.
Leftwich had already distin-
guished himself with his trans-
lations of Yiddish poems which
appeared in his volume "Golden
Peacock," and with his subse-
quent volume of translated short
stories, "Yisroel." Now he pur-
sues it with his translation of
essays from the Yiddish. For
Yiddishists his introduction will
be bairn for the hurt of know-
ing that Yiddish has declined.
For those who are being intro-
duced to these treasures it will
be a revealing experience.
Leftwich concedes that many
great Jewish works were written
in languages other than Hebrew
or Yiddish, and he lists a number
of them, including those of Leo
Baeck, Theodor llerzl, Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch and many
others.
But Leftwich has the explana-
tory notes regarding the role of
Hebrew and Yiddish, and he states
in his introduction:
"It was Zangwill who insisted
that when the Hebrew and Yid-
dish terms for Jewish practices
are dropped, the practices them-
selves tend to be dropped. 'When
for the Hebrew "Bar Mitzva", Son
of the Covenant, the phraseology
of confirmation is introduced,
the Christian concepts tend to
gather round the Jewish cere-
monis!. Details of ritual and
speech are not trifles, as the
superficial imagine, who call
them superficial. The superficial
of the words "Kosher" and
"Trepha" is an exact indication
of the disappearance of the con-
ceptions themselves, with the
obedience to these dietary pre-
scriptions'."
Leftwich describes Yiddish as an
expression of a way of life, and
he quotes I. N. Steinberg: "What
is more important is the spiritual
content. Otherwise we may get
Yiddish-speaking Gentiles. That is
why it is so important to revive
the old Jewish-Yiddish way of
life."
The compiler of this valuable
series of essays. states that he
was fascinated by Simon Dubnov's
recollections how he stood "by
the cradle of our new literature
in the Yiddish folk-tongue, and
saw how the infant which was then
called 'jargon,' grew up and got
its proper name, 'Yiddish,' how
Mendele (Moher Seforim) and
Sholem Aleichem and (I.L.) Peretz
emerged, how Sholem Aleichem
had been 'hesitating between his
three languages.' He had come to
realize his destiny as a writer not
in Russian nor in Hebrew but in
Yiddish."
Leftwich
was referring to
Dubnov's essay "From Jargon to
Yiddish" and to the numerous
other essay which spoke glow-
ingly to the great values of Yid-
dish as the language of the
Jewish masses.
Appropriately, the two volumes
begin with essays by Peretz-
"What Is Missing in Our Litera-
ture," "Roads That Lead Away
Jewishness" and "C oncerning
History." Many of the best known
essays that were written in Yid-
dish were translated by Leftwich
for these collected works. Among
the authors are President Is-
rael Zalman Shazar, Dr. Chaim
Conyers, Diggs, Sign Blacks'
Appeal for Jets for Israel
Greenberg, Vladimir Jabotinsky,
Aaron Zeitlin, Sholem Asch, Ja-
cob Glatstein, Abraham Sutzkever,
Hzig Manger, Nahum Sokolov, S.
Zalman Shneour, Peretz Hirshbein
and many others whose works
have become imbedded in Yiddish
literature.
History is linked with philo-
sophy, the most important events
in Jewish life in the past cen-
tury, and especially the occur.
rences of the past few decades,
are discussed in many of the
essays.
There are personality sketches,
and the important Jewish figures
in recent history are portrayed
by their fellow author in a fashion
that leaves them better under-
stood.
Aaron Steinberg, for example,
wrote about "My Boyhood Friend
Solomon Mikhoels," and the writer
who was martyred in the Soviet
Union now is seen as delineated
by one who knew him.
Other aspects, including, of
course, the religious, are part of
the descriptive values of these
two volumes, as indicated in "Re-
ligious Motives in Modern Yid-
dish Poetry" by Daniel Tcharny
and "Belief in Judaism in a Gen-
eration of Disbelief" by Arnold
Posy.
Sketches like "Peretz and
Asch" by Baal Machshoves and
"Sholem Asch" by Ber . Mark
portray important personalities
impressively.
In "The Life of Franz Kafka"
by Mendel Mann we have a re-
vealing chapter in literary history
that is attracting widening atten-
tion.
Discussion of "Poetry" by B. J.
Bialistrotsky indicates the uni-
versality of the themes in these
books.
Leftwich has rendered a great
service to literature by providing
the collected works of Yiddish
writers.
Martin's 'The Encounter'
Catholic Theologian's Testing Work
Claims Three Faiths Face Crises
"The Encounter" by Malachi lends significance to his book. Yet,
Martin is an amazing book. It is he makes serious blunders in de-
filled with facts, figures, contro- scribing Orthodoxy, Reform and
versies about the three major Conservatism.
religions — Christianity, Judaism
He has a very interesting evalu-
and Islam — their crises and how ation of the discussion of Who Is a
the author views them as having Jew, especially in his recapitula-
"failed modern man." It is a vol- tion of the historical data relating
ume so packed full of historical to Brother Daniel and the Israel
incidents that it will amaze the Supreme Court decision.
reader.
The many approaches to the
Yet, in its Jewish aspects, there Israel-Arab issues also have con-
are misrepresentations that need siderable significance.
correcting.
While he says that in the Mid-
It is not only because, in the
dle East struggle 'Islam has no
first edition, the author blundered
real hope, only dreams sustain
by ascribing a statement (on page
it," he nevertheless does not
367) to Prof. Abraham Heschel and
ignore lhe dangers to Israel.
later apologizing for misquoting.
Even with some of the exaggera-
(The publishers, Farrar, Straus tions and some errors, Dr. Martin
and Giroux have called attention writes with such fascination that
to the erroneous attribution of a his book must arouse g r eat
quotation to the eminent Jewish interest.
scholar). Some views about Jews
"It is clear," the author asserts,
just are not correct and the prom- "that no matter what any religion
inent Catholic theologian un- may attempt to do, today, none of
doubtedly will make corrections in the three religions we have been
future volumes.
considering is able to intervene
Nevertheless, "The Encounter" effectively to control the present
deserves serious study. Dr. Mar- development of man. Man would
tin, who had written a study of be without hope, if his very ten-
Vatican Council II (also pub- dency was vitiated at its root. In
lished by Farrar, Straus and Gir- this case, 'God' would really be
oux) under the pseudonym dead. The end of religious domin-
Michael Serafian, describes the ance, such as it has been known in
"individualization" of the three these three religions, could only
major religions, with an ascrip- come if the religions set about
tion of denunciation by each of ridding their individual beliefs of
becoming the universal religion all that is not essential, of all that
of mankind. Christianity is de. has been acquired by historical
scribed as the Occidental reli- accident and by regionalism of
gion opposing Judaism; the lat- various sorts. The above scenario
ter, the faith of the "Chosen could be verified only at a later
People," is defined in turn for date, when the three religions have
its opposition to Christianity; been shaken severely by internal
an: Islam is depicted as bound troubles and external limitations.
to specific geographical area.
Unless some development like this
Because the author contends occurs, it is very hard to see how
that all the religions under his the three religions could escape
scrutiny fall to provide answers quasi-total eclipse."
for 20th Century man they face
It is evident that real challenges
the crises emphasized in his confront all religious groups in
book.
"The Encounter." It is a testing
It is his historical outline that work well worth studying.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
-Honors
YEHUDA AMICHAI
Hebrew poetry was honored by the
Library of Congress. when one of Israel's
outstanding potx4. Yehuda Amichai, was
recently invited to give a reading from
his works. Following this presentation.
Mr. Amichai was the guest of honor at
a Tea tendered by Mrs. Nixon upon this
extraordinary occasion.
REP. JOHN CONYERS, JR.
REP. CHARLES C. DIGGS
After his appearance in Washington.
Mr. Amichai went on a coast-to-coast
tour to offer recitals of his poetry at
America's leading universities. The cli-
max of that tour, sponsored by the Jew-
ish Agency's Department of Education
and Culture. came at the University of
California in Berkeley. where, in spite of
the student strike, an audience of many
hundreds thronged to hear him.
A full-page advertisement in the Sunday editions of New York
Times and Washington Post, sponsored by the A. Philip Randolph
Institute, entitled "An Appeal by Black Americans for United States
Support to Israel," urges that letters be written to President Nixon
urging that the full number of jets requested for Israel's defense
should be sold by the United States.
there is washing on a line
in the day's last light:
The advertisement recognizes that like other nations Israel has
some shortcomings but that "it is by far the most democratic country
in the Middle East."
A white sheet of my enen
a towel of my enemy
to wipe sweat from his forehead.
Michigan Congressmen John Conyers Jr. and Charles C. Diggs
are included in the long list of prominent Negro leaders who have
signed the appeal. Among them, in addition to A. Philip Randolph
and Bayard Ruslin, president and executive director of the A. Philip
Randolph Institute, are public officials, clergymen, businessmen, heads
of civil rights movements, prominent women, NAACP directors, union
officials and other categories.
The advertisement asks for contributions to enable the republica-
tion and widest distribution of the text of this ad.
The advertisement closes with this declaration: "We urge the
United States government to use its great influence to help bring the
Israelis and the Arabs to the conference table where they can work
out among themselves a just and negotiated settlement. We also urge
our government to take steps to help guarantee Israel's right to exist
as a nation. For the present this means providing Israel with the full
number of jet aircraft it has requested." (Related story Page 5).
40 — Friday, July 3, 1970
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
JERUSALEM
Amichai. horn in Wurzhurg. Germany
in 1924. lives in Jerusalem ever since his
family settled there in 1936. His poems
use rhythms and idioms of daily speech
and are steeped in biblical associations
and post-biblical liturgy. In addition to
five hooks of poetry. Amichai's creativity
encompasses a hook of stories, a novel.
and three radio plays.
By YEHUDA AMICHAI
On a rooftop of the Old City
In the sky of the Old City
there is a kite.
But I cannot see the boy
holding it at the line's end
because of the high wall.
We have many flags flying,
so have they,
to make us believe that they
were happy, to
make them believe we were.
Translated by
RACHEL SAVER
Feature Sponsored by Tarbuth Foundation
for the Advancement of Hebrew Culture
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