Sol Liptzin's History Provides Thorough Evaluation of Role of Yiddish Literature

people spoke the language." man is, however, its princi- of Western Europe, North
New interest in efforts to lished by Jonathan David, is
Nov, he states, the prestige pal component, accounting and South America, Aus-
revitalize Yiddish is attract- perhaps the most extensive
of Yiddish has grown and for more than 85 per cent tralia and South Africa. But
the Yiddish courses have of its vocabulary and for its its vitality in Israel is still
ing wide attention not only yet produced regarding the
among Jews but in non- language, its great achieve-
grammatical struc- unspent and in Israel are
been introduced in a dozen basic
. i.el,
being ingathered writers,
Jewish ranks as well. Among meets, its present status.
ture," he states.
colleges.
A number of prominent
the latter, there is a wide-
So thorough is his account actors and educators who
It is impressively evident
are enriching the Jewish
ttra ction to the Jewish writers have dealt
spread attraction
that Dr. Liptzin's is a labor of Yiddish literature in its
homeland with Yiddish cul-
al issue.
literature of Yiddish writers with Yiddish as a vital
of love. He has devoted early stages, the Enlighten-
tural treasures."
which is appearing in Eng- Maurice S a m u e 1, Irving
many years to the cause of meet (Haskala) and subse-
lish translations. In Jewish Howe, Eliezer Greenberg
Dr. Liptzin's all-inclusive
quent
periods
that
his
lan-
popularizing Yiddish, to
antis, there is an interest and others 'have devoted
making the vast literature guage study is an impressive coverage of the Yiddish lit-
in the literature as well as serious attention to Yiddish.
erary treasures also touches
available for English read history.
i.:*,‘
the language.
' research. trans
Dr. Li
At the same time the upon the humorists, the buf
ers. His latest work defines
is:
::.:::::::-.: ...
Dr. Sol Liptzin. presently lations and other forms of
1.X.
Yiddish, describes its role in Liptzin history is a review foons, the entertainers, the
...,:i.
chairman of the faculty of relationships to Yiddish are
many lands, with emphasis of the works of the Yiddish artists and the magidim, the
critical preachers who have gain
a
and
humanities at the American especially noteworthy.
on Eastern Europe, taking masters
eminence in Jewish life.
In his preface to his new
College in Jerusalem, is un-
into account the Amer ican analysis by an expert.
His treatment of Yiddish
questionably the leader in volume, Prof. Liptzin recalls
It is his realism that has
and Israeli status retained
the movement to advance that 30 years ago, as chair
literature in the Soviet Union earned for Dr. Liptzin the
by the language.
'
is an additional cause for authoritative role he pos-
the glories of a g; - eat Ian- man of the Germanic and
Dr. Liptzin describes Yid is
DR. SOL LIPTZIN
literary Slavic department at New
to the noted scholar sesses in defining the role of
its
and
guage
guage
g ua g e
dish
as
a
"fusion
lan
York City College, he urged
for There
his evaluative
work, ac- the Yiddish language today.
treasures.
is
the splendid
spoken by Ashkenazic Jews
Already having written ex- the introduction of Yiddish Yiddish literary creativity
Linguist and historian, he
and
"when
since
the
Middle
Ages,"
with
s
_ count of the eminent writers
tensively on the subject, his courses in colleges. His sug- was at its peak
latest work, "A History of gestion was met with be- in the very metropolis of the components from many Ian in Poland, the Poets in War- has combined both talents in
new work
which an
adds
Yiddish Literature," pub- wilderment at a time "when college more than a million guages. "Middle East Ger- saw, the Yiddishists who the
immensely
towards
un-
elevated the language to derstanding of the role of
highest standards in world Yiddish during the centuries
literature.
of its tremendous influence.
Detroiters will be interest- The new interest in Yiddish
tion of the Bible, the project
JERUSALEM — The first University undertook to im- mon have been working on
ed especially in the listing
has also pu blished many re- among the eminent Polish- is greatly enhanced by this
part of the final edition of element the project, which is this major task.
eminent scholar. Dr. Liptzin
searches
connected
with
it.
On top of each page of this
Jewish writers of the works has earned gratitude from
the Hebrew University Bible not expected to be completed
They
appear,
in
English,
in
—the newest and most com- until the end of this century. scholarly Bible edition, a few
of Shlome Gilbert (1885- linguists everywhere, and
Soon after the plan was lines of the Hebrew Bible the Bible project's scholarly 1942), brother of Philip Gil- especially from lovers of
plete scientific publication of
annual,
"Textus,"
and
in
its
text appear, and below these
bert of Birmingham. Shlome Yiddish for hits complete
the Bible, compared with launched, the researchers are four so-called "critical special monograph series.
Gilbert was among the vic- history of the Yiddish lan-
versions translated into sev- had a windfall in the recov- apparatuses" of all genuine
Since
1960,
12
volumes
have
ery of the famous 10th Cen•
tims of Nazi brutalities. His guage.
—P. S.
eral languages over more
variants
of
the
Bible,
in
He
been
published..
tury, "Aleppo Codex", which
Detroit brother re-issued his
* :Y *
than 2,000 years — was pre-
The
Hebrew
University
re-
brew as well as other lan-
is
considered
the
most
trust-
sented to the Sixth World
guages. One of the innova- searchers have trained some works in a memorial volume Howe, Greenberg
Congress of Jewish Studies worthy representative of the tions is the inclusion of rab- 20 younger scholars to ensure about 15 years ago.
massoretic (traditional) text.
Stories, hymns, retention Edited Collection
in Jerusalem.
binic material, which until the continuation of the pro-
It contains 10 chapters of They made this codex the now has never been used in ject. The plans for the next of records not to be forgot-
basis of their scholarly Bible.
_ Of Yiddish Stories
the Book of Isaiah, edited by
10 years: to complete the ten by historians were corn
For 15 years, Profs. Gosh- Bible editions.
A classic collection of
,
-
Goshen
Gott
iled
during
the
Holocaust
.
Moshe
Prof
Along with this critical edi- study on the latter Prophets. P
Gottstein, Rabin and Tal-
and the Liptzin story in- creative Yiddish writings has
stein, H e b r e w University en -
by
reissued
been
eludes that period as well as just
professor of Semitic linguis-
a mark of completeness for Schocken Books in a 630-
tics and biblical philology,
a history of great merit.
and is part of a unique pro-
He gives due attention to page
ject, which will collect and
"A paperback.
Treasury of Yiddish
collate the wealth of existing
N. what is develooing in Israel,
-T,
-
the nostalgic devotion to the Stories" contains the works
Bible variants k n o w n at
language by many in the of Sholom Aleichem, Men
present.
Jewish state, and he makes Singer.
dele Moher
Seforim
J.
Bas-
I. I.
I. L. Peretz,
Working on this project
this interesting comment:
hevis Singer, Sholem Asch,
since 1958 is a group of some
In the 1970s, Yiddish David Pinski A b r a h a m
by
15 researchers headed
literature is almost extinct Reisen, Moishe Nadir, Jonah
three editors of the univers-
in Eastern Europe where it Rosenfeld, Jacob Glatstein,
itys institute of Jewish
arose and flourished. It is Z a 1 m a n Schneour
Itzig
studies, in addition to Prof.
,.-:,s,f:.,
declining in the Diasporas Manger, Joseph Opatoshu,
Prof.
'Go s h e n - Gottstein,
and many others.
Chaim Rabin of the Hebrew
It also includes Yiddish
language department a n d
which amounted to $470 mil-
***-
..:
:-. , . ..,. n
Prof. Shemaryahu Talmon of
lion
in
1973,
would
have
to
be
proverbs
and folktales, in-
veN.1.0
.
.......
--
........„:„..,
•
.:. A.5-. (A..:. I., .... -
increased by 25-30 per cent eluding "A Tale of a Can
the Bible department.
Publisher of the Bible pro
in 1974 to meet the inflation- delabrum" by Rabbi Nah-
man of Bratzlay.
ject is the Hebrew Univers-
ary trend.
...,..4 .,,iN .i6;, .::
There are also the stories
ity's Magnes Press. It is sup-
Moshe Rivlin, director gen-
ported by a number of
eral of the Jewish Agency, of Hershel Ostropoler and
institutions and foundations ,
disclosed that 33,000 Soviet the notorious Helem stories.
Edited by Irving Howe and
in Israel and abroad, includ
Y :.
1:'
Jews arrived in Israel during
.
s':'
hh
,.:
'
'..:?:..
ing the Rothschild Founda-
A Detroit delegation in the "Prime Minister's Mission" to Israel, participated in the past 12 months. He said Eliezer Greenberg, this vol-
-
tion (Yad Avi Ha-Yishuv), planning for the 1974 United Jewish Appeal campaigns in this country. The Detroiters met that if they continue to come ume is one of the most
.
. ex
the Yi is
the Lucius N. Littauer Foun- with top Israeli leaders during their Israel visit, Aug. 27-31. They were briefed at a at the present rate, by next pressive
i
of
dation and the M e m 0 r i a 1 breakfast meeting in Tel Aviv, Aug. 29, by Moshe Rivlin, director general of the Jew- year 100,000 Soviet Jews will writing skills. The inclusion
Foundation for Jewish Cul- ish Agency. In photo, from left, seated: Marvin Frenkel, Merle Harris, William David- have arrived in Israel since of the works of the ablest
ture.
with mass emigration began in Jewish writers gives this
It will eventually be used son, who has been named co-chairman of the 1974 Detroit Allied Jewish Campaign
volume special significance
throughout the w o r 1 d by Lewis S. Grossman, and Dr. Leon Fill; standing, William Avrunin, executive vice presi- 1968.
According to Rivlin, about in the consideration of the
thousands of students of the dent of the Jewish Welfare Federation; Lester Morris; Paul Zuckerman, general chairman
new visa applications genius of Yiddish creativity.
Bible as a basic means for of the UJA; Chaim Vinitsky, director general of the UJA office in Israel, and Moshe Rivlin. 6,000
— lodged with Soviet au- Howe and Greenberg ha -
checking biblical texts and
The . mission . had — after thorities by Jews every not overlooked the vital f
The . The mission announced con-
TEL AVIV (JTA)
related facts. It will help Prime Minister's United Jew- tnbutions of $14,250,000 for working sessions of. vario. uk s month. About 100 000 Jews tors in Yiddish literature,
scholars ascertain how the ish Appeal 250-member dele- the 1974 campaign, a 25 per
per committees on subjects li e
waiting for visa applies _ even to the extent of utilizing
Bible was actually under- gation had a heavy schedule cent increase
over last year s social welfare, housing c, ed u- a tions to be approved, he said. the magidim, the itinerant
i
stood at various periods,
total of $11,400,000, cation and Malben-JD
m
Rivlin estimated that 30 per Preachers.
—
on its last . day of the fact- mission
dating as far back as 2,200
Thus, by devoting six pages
finding mission. The dele- it i was announced at a special meeting with the new Amen- cent of the immigrants from
years.
Painstaking philological toil gates had a breakfast session dinner given by Premier can Ambassador Kenneth Russia come from Soviet in their collected Yiddish writ-
Keating.
Georgia were exit visas are ings to the stories of Hershel
w i t h Minister of Finance Golds Meir.
The decline of the U.S. dol-
has gone into implementing
Ostropoler they have added
more readily obtainable.
She told the group that
the project which is opening Pinhas Sapir who in reply to earlier she heard a record- lar and spiraling inflation all
zest to a valuable anthology.
Dulzin
said
there
were
still
over the world has increased
up completely new vistas to- housing
questions units
said that
Drawings by Ben Shahn
will 150,000
be con- in g of the battle waged d i
55,000 families — about 300,-
ward recovering the text
the Latrun area during the the cost of absorbing Jewish
add
magnificently to the
forms in which the Bible was structed within the next three
000 persons — who live in
i
immigrants from •the Soviet slum conditions, four or five mportance
known between the years 200 years: 50,000 will go to new War of Independence in which Union,
of this Schocken
the Jewish Agency's
immigrants, 50,000 for young the soldiers kept on yelling, acting chairman and treas- or more to a room. These paperback.
BCE and 200 CE and recon - couples and the remainder ,,
Notes on the authors whose
D't
on stop, don't stop. "
urer Leon Dulzin told the People came a generation
strutting its history, thus
le used for large fam -
ago and their children have works are included in this
have
I
"This
is
the
message
participants
in
the
mission.
furthering the understanding ilies. A small percentag e will
"Treasury of Yiddish
she said.
Dulzin said it now costs served in the army, and de-
of the launguage and content be for the private market as to bring to you
fended
the
country
and
Israel
Stories" also are of value
"Don't stop. As long as we $12,000 t to absorb a single
of the Holy Writ.
must lift them out of poverty, to the reader.
new
immigrant
from
the
don't
stop,
we
shall
get
to
Until this generation, Bible well.
The editors' 70-page intro
In view of the rising costs where we want to go."
USSR compared to $10,000 he said.
studies were largely the do-
Defense Minister Moshe duction to this work is a
main of Christian theologians, of immigration, Sapir urged
Replying to q u e s t i o n s last year. He predicted that
and the Hebrew University the delegates: "You must tell Mrs. Meir said that Israel the Jewish Agency's budget, Dayan reaffirmed that he scholarly evaluation of the
Bible project is actually the your friends in the American plans to do much more in the he remained in office he took full responsibility for history of Yiddish, the con-
revival of an old idea of pub- Jewish community that we next four years for Arab would not permit Jews to be the Aug. 10 interception of tribution of eminent writers,
r especially in the assaulted and murdered, eith- a Lebanese airliner. He de- the progress that had been
fishing a Bible produced
Hebrew
in need
than your
ever."
help
refugees,
now moe
by terrorists or b Arab sribed it as an act of self- made by Yiddish through
Israel by Jews. The
Gaza Strip, in housing, health
defense and asserted thtat as the centuries.
regular forces.
and education.

Hebrew U. Presents First Part of Its Bible Project

Detroiters in• UJA illission t0 Israel
Jo in in Plans for 1974 Campaign

? s

56 Friday, September 7, 1973 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

—