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14 0 Experience Of Elderly Useful To All
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Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will present a Yiddish
lesson entitled "Du Redst Yiddish
(Do You Speak Yiddish?)" whose
aim is to encourage further study of
Yiddish. The lesson will include a
brief story utilizing the Yiddish
words to be studied, a vocabulary
list with English translations and a
family activity which involves using
the new words. Two books which
may be helpful for beginning
Yiddish students are Yiddish for
Beginners by Dr. Joffen and Der
Yiddisher Lerer by Goldin.
Weinreich's English-Yiddish
Dictionary also may be useful. At
the conclusion of each lesson will
be a suggested list of books for
persons who wish to further their
knowledge.
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The lessons were prepared by
Mary Koretz of Oak Park. She has
taught both children's and adult
classes in Yiddish at the Workmen's
Circle.
Following is this month's
lesson:
In sahch societies, the ehlter of
the group bahkumin much respect.
In the Faraynikteh Shtahtn, we have
a yugent orientation. We seem to
bahvoyndern the energy, the
oyskuk, the clothes of the very
young. We ahfileh go to the extreme
of kosmehtish surgery. Somehow
ehpehs valuable gets fahrloyrin. The
fir .
fol.
wisdom and fahrshtahnd that comes
from experience is fahrlawzin. The
karbones that the old made for their
pehrzehnlehch families and friends,
for their lahnd, for scientific
kehntshahft and for kultur are too
often unappreciated. Everyone,
unless they do shlehchts, should be
respected. Let us not fahrgehsin our
ehltehrin and grandparents and the
riechkiet they have to offer.
Vocabulary
sahch
ehlter
bahkumin
faraynikteh
shtahtn
yugent
bahvoyndern
oyskuk
ahfileh
kosmehtish
ehpehs
fahrloyrin
fahrshtahnd
fahrlawzin
karbones
pehrzehnlehch
lahnd
kehntshahft
kultur
shlehchts
fahrgehsin
ehltehrin
riechkiet
many
elders
receive
united
states
youth
admire
the look
even
cosmetic
something
lost
understanding
neglected
sacrifices
personal
country
knowledge
culture
evil
forget
parents
richness
respectively, for "malicious
hooliganism."
Philip Slomovitz, editor and
publisher of The Jewish News, was
guest of honor at a World Union of
Jewish Journalists' luncheon.
20 YEARS AGO
Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will look back into issues
of The Jewish News to see what
was happening in the local Jewish
community or in the Diaspora ten,
20 and 40 years ago.
TEN YEARS AGO
Two Moscow Jewish activists,
Vladimir Slepak and Ida Nudel,
were sentenced to internal exile in
Siberia, for five and four years
Palestinian nationalist Sirhan
Sirhan assassinated Sen. Robert F.
Kennedy.
Detroit-based Chrysler Corp.
was added to the Arab Boycott
Office blacklist.
Family Activity
Visit a nursing home. Ask the
social workers for old people who
don't get many or any visitors and
meet with them.
Recommended
Reading
"A Treasury of Modern Yiddish
Poetry" by Howe and Greenberg;
"Selected Stories" by I.L. Peretz.
Vs Bridging The Generations:
t A Grandparent's Reflections
By MIRIAM WEINER
Along with 10,000 other readers and book enthusiasts, I recently
wandered through the aisles of the Jewish Book Fair in New York
City. Many books caught my eye. However, two captured my attention
and ultimately came home with me: "Reflections: A Jewish
Grandparent's Gift of Memories" and "Life in the Shtetl."
In "Reflections," Ronald and Leora Isaacs have designed a book
to teach children about their family heritage by connecting them to
their ancestors. For grandparents, it is an opportunity to look
backward and forward, to bridge the past and future generations by
recalling and recording their history, culture, values, thoughts, feelings
and aspirations.
The book provides space for photographs, stories and personal
reminiscences enabling grandparents to tell their grandchildren the
story of their family.
The book begins with "Tracing Our Roots" through a family tree.
There is space for a description of the grandparents' childhood,
Jewish education and religious milestones. The next section is entitled
"All About Your Parents" and is followed by "All About You." Space is
provided for a description of the family celebration of Jewish and
American holidays. Toward the end of the book there is a catalogue of
family facts that people should have: birthdates, addresses, yahrtzeits,
anniversaries, recipes and heirlooms.
Names of family members who perished in the Holocaust also
have a place to be identified and remembered.
A highlight of this book of memories is where each grandparent
has space to leave an ethical will for his or her grandchild. This
written legacy for children reflects the hopes and desires for the
future and how the grandparent would like to be remembered by his
or her children and grandchildren.
In his "Life In The Shtetl," Ilex Beller provides a record through
his colorful paintings and recollections of the world of Yiddish culture
that once thrived in the shtetls of Poland and exists no more.
Beller grew up in Grodzisko, a Jewish village in southern Poland.
The paintings depict both his personal experiences and daily life
there. The characters in his pictures are based on relatives and
schoolfriends„ all of whom perished in the Holocaust.
The 80 color plates contained in the book are accompanied by
poems and selected prose pieces along with Beller's commentary.
In 1983, the author returned to Grodzisko, after an absence of 54
years. At that time, he was unable to find any trace of Jewish life,
even though Jews had once accounted for 95 percent of the
population. All that remained was his grandfather's tombstone, which
was too large for the Germans to haul away, according to an old
peasant who remembered.
Miriam Weiner is an authority on Jewish genealogy and a syndicated columnist.
40 YEARS AGO
Former Undersecretary of State
Sumner Welles published a book,
"We Need Not Fail," within which
he advocated a truce between Jews
and Arabs in Israel.
Jeanette Serling won a free trip
to Israel for her activities on behalf
of Pioneer Women.
Quiz Answers
(From Page L-3)
1. D, 2. G, 3. H, 4. J, 5. B, 6. A, 7. C, 8. L, 9. N,
10. I, 11. M, 12. E, 13. K, 14. F
This quiz was created by Patricia A. Milner, assistant administrator,
Jewish Federation Apartments.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
L-5