12 Friday, August 28, 1981;
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
(Continued from Page 2)
arriving on these shores in flight from oppression
in Europe found themselves facing a new villain:
the sweatshop. The Forward became their cham-
pion — exposing the ruthless working conditions
and the exploitation of child and female labor.
Soon it was shaping an important segment of the
American labor movement with its militant de-
mands for, the support-of, honest trade unionism.
Politically, it maintained a staunch anti-
Communist, democratic socialist stance, and al-
though it remained independent of any party, it
vigorously fostered the growth of a liberal social
consciousness.
For its Jewish readers, meanwhile, it also
served as a vehicle of acculturation — giving im-
migrants instruction on how to adapt to their new
homeland, informing them of the rights and re-
sponsibilities of citizenship, and offering advice
on how to cope with almost any personal problem.
In addition, it encouraged the development of
Yiddish literature and the arts. Through its pages
such writers as Sholem Asch, I.J. Singer, and the
Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, who to this
day first publishes his stories in Yiddish in the
Forward, reached a wider English audience.
The present plight of the Jewish Daily Forward is
to a large degree the result of a job, well done —
but hardly finished. It faces a necessarily di-
minished readership and constantly rising costs.
The $600,000 being sought would guarantee the
paper's survival for at least another five years.
Readers of this magazine will agree, we think,
that it behooves all of us to help mark its 85th
anniversary by sending a check to the Forward,
45 E. 33rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10016.
In a recent issue of Commentary magazine, the distin-
guished scholar and linguist, Lucy Dawidowicz, defining
the status of Yiddish, expressed pessimism about the abil-
ity of Yiddish to survive.
In a subsequent issue of Commentary, Joseph Mlotek,
education director of the Workmen's Circle in New York
City, disputed Dr. Dawidowicz. He quoted from her article
in Commentary:
"Once an organic community, indivisible as a
people and a religion, the Jews were split apart by
religious and class wars, and became estranged
from one another by new national loyalties." "In
the remarkable success of Yiddish as a secular
vehicle lay the seeds of its decline." "Evidence is
in any case at hand that Yiddish began to decline
somewhat after it became a secular language and
after its function as a vehicle for yidishkayt was
reduced."
Mlotek, in his reply, points out that Dr. Max Wein-
reich, whose Yiddish history Mrs. Dawidowicz reviewed
and referred to, maintains that "Weinreich indicates sev-
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"gab
eral times 'the strengthening of Yiddish by the transformed
socio-economic differentiation of the community, by the
conflicts between the mitnagdic sectors, by the growing
influence of secularism. - Mlotek's response to the claim
that Yiddish is perishing emphasizes:
Mrs. Dawidowicz's final remarks, namely, that
language loyalty is artificial and sentimental, and
that Yiddish has lost its function as a vehicle of
systematic communication are also questionable.
While it is true that the numerical strength of
Yiddish-speakers has declined and the manifesta-
tions of Yiddish may have assumed different
forms, love for the Yiddish language and culture
is still very strong among thousands of Jews in
this and other countries.
Yiddish has continued to maintain its strong
emotional hold as it did in previous eras. Nor is
there anything artificial, or anything wrong, with
a sentimental attachment to it. Fifty thousand
Jews attended the Workmen's Circle Yiddish Fes-
tivals during this past summer in New York City
alone, with many more thousands in other cities
in the United States. Tens of thousands 4ttend
Yiddish theaters — this year there are four in New
York— read the Yiddish press, partake of Yiddish
cultural events.
In the realm of Yiddish literature, we can point
with pride to the important Yiddish quarterly, Di
Goldene Keyt, edited by Abraham Sutzkever in
Israel; the Yiddish monthly Di Tsukunft in New
York; the works of two New York Yiddish
novelists, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Chaim
Grade.
In his time Weinreich was gratified that a few
colleges had introduced courses in Yiddish —
today over 60 colleges and universities are teach-
ing Yiddish in this country, in addition to the Max
Weinreich Graduate Center at YIVO. Why, then,
Mrs. Dawidowicz's haste to recite kadish?
With Mlotek's concession that there is a decline, much
additional must be said about the present state of affairs for
the dialects. There are fewer and fewer Yiddish typesetters
and in Latin American Jewish communities the demise of a
compositor also means the death of the newspaper.
There was an era when Yiddish books were published
in Argentina. Now that community's Yiddish adherents
are reduced to the barest minimum.
A paean of appreciation by Yiddishists must go to
Israel. In the Jewish homeland, where, half-a-century ago,
there was the battle of languages and Yiddish was ignored
and ostracized, there is now a daily Israeli Yiddish news-
paper, Dos Letzte Wort (The Last Word). Yiddish books are
published in Israel.
This commentator is in receipt, in a period of less than
six weeks, of three Yiddish books published in Israel:
"Lieder fun der Fergangenheit," the poetry and art
work of Dov Newman, serving as reminiscenses of the
Holocaust and as a tribute to the partisans; "Tzurick Tzu
Der Heim" ("Back Home"), a nostalgic novel by Shmuel
Levin; and "Gekliebene Lieder" ("Shirim Nivharim — Col-
lected Poems") by Yosef Rolick.
Additionally, the Congress for Jewish Culture has just
issued a voluminous Yiddish "History of Jewish Literature
From Earliest Times to the Haskala Era" by -Max Erik.
The revived interest in Yiddish is manifested in a new
movement, "League for Yiddish, - headquartered at 200
West 72nd St., Suite 40, New York, N.Y. 10023. It has
enlisted the support and interest of many lovers of Yiddish
and its magazine, "Oifen Shvell" — "On the Threshhold,"
adds to the inspiration for the language.
Such is the battle of languages in Jewish ranks. The
heroic struggle for the survival of Yiddish dominates the
scene. Its battle is not lost and the victory won't be an easy
one.
The cultural aspects of this collective interest in
Jewish dialects is a supplement to the cultural renaissance
of this century in which youth must play a major role. The
battle of dialects may be their war.
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A brief inventory of functioning Yiddish publications
shows a retention of activity in that field. .
In addition to the Forward, there are numerous quar-
terly, monthly and weekly publications.
In Israel besides Letzte Nayes there is the weekly
Israel Shtimme.
Die Zukunft retains its literary importance, continu-
ing the high standards with which it was formed originally
by the eminent Yiddish writer Avraham Liessin.
On the world scene, the Zukunft (The Future) is
matched by Die Goldene Keyt appearing quarterly under
the editorship of Avraham Sutzkever, the eminent poet
whose role as a partisan against Nazism in the under-
ground in Poland and Lithuania emphasized his leadership
in the resistance movement.
Numerous other Yiddish publications attest to the cle-
.
votion to the language by organizations publishing them
and by individuals.
There is uniqueness to many of the publications.
For example, in Los Angeles there is a publication
called Heshbon, which means accounting. There is indeed,
an accounting by the Yiddishists.
Equally applicable may be the title of another quar-
terly, Zain, To Be.
Then there is a Territorialists' magazine, Oifen
Shvell, On the Threshold. So, the Territorialists, who chal-
lenged Zionists in the early years of the struggle with
Jewish nationalists, are still alive!
Both Ladino and Yiddish are echoed in this con.
nity. While the last of the published periodicals, the Ladino
Weekly, ceased publication in 1951, there remain Ladino-
speaking elements.
In Detroit there are the Chicorels and the Behars.
There is the group of Sephardi Jews who sponsor religious
services on the High Holy Days and other occasions and are
mobilized here.
While Ladinoism is very minimal here, Yiddishism
retains a measure of strength. There is still the Jewish
Daily Forward. Books are published, poetry and novels are
written.
Perhaps in the top leadership as authority on Yid- .
dish as a language and possessing a great literature is Wolf
Snyder. His wife Esther shares his deep interests in the
language.
Allen. Warsen, the frequent contributor to these col-
umns, is definitely a Yiddishist. Several of his book reviews
included Yiddish publications.
Among the most devoted to the language are Sarah
and Moshe Friedman. Mrs. Friedman has for years man-
aged the Yiddish section of the annual Book Fairs at the
Jewish Community Center, and it is thanks to her that
there has been encouragement in including Yiddish as wel
as Hebrew visiting lecturers and Yiddish theatrical per-
formances during the Book Fairs:This task continues to be
Sarah Friedman's personal duty and dedication during
these events.
Then there are Dr. and Mrs. Abraham Rogoff, Dr. and
Mrs. Peter Shifrin, Esther (Mrs . Louis) LaMed, Dr. Henry
Chapnich, Bess Orecklin, Percy Kaplan, Emma Schaver, .
Michigan State Sen. Jack Faxon, Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion personalities Isidore Sobeloff, George M. Zeltzer, Sol
Drachler and his brother Dr. Norman Drachler, and scores
of others who retain a deep-rooted love for Yiddish. This
commentator's wife may be judged as among the most accu-
rate retainers of knowledge of Yiddish.
Lending strength to a declining language, Detroiters
serve the cause with dignity.
.
"Through cruel and bitter the realization that without
trials and tribulations, a tangible home-land, with-
through blasted hopes and out private national pre-
despair of the soul, through mises that are entirely ours,
innumerable huMiliations, we can have no sort of a life,
we have slowly arrived at either material or spiritual.
BEE KALT
would like to
THANK
all her
friends and relatives for their
good wishes, contributions and gifts
during her recent illness.
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