Reprinted from: JEWISH CURRENTS JULY-AUGUST, 1998
Our Secular Jewish Heritage By Gerald Stillman
Networking Yiddish By PHILIP (FISHL) KUTNER
[Some years ago, Philip (Fishl) Kutner started a newsletter, Der Bay, as a calendar of Jewish events. It has grown to include happenings in. a number of countries, as he describes below, and serves also as an index of teachers, translators, klezmer players, etc. I believe this will be valuable information for all readers. Today this Anglo-Yiddish newsletter has over 1600 listings in the U.S. and 500 Abroad- G. S.]
How a nice Jewish boy became a storyteller - but that's another story. This is how The Yiddish Network (TYN) began, developed and came to play a role in the international Yiddish community. TYN consists of a network of Yiddish-lovers which sends information on local events and acts as a resource for travelers and those who relocate. Every state in the USA and 32 other countries are represented in the network.
It all began in the summer of 1990, when I myself, an amateur storyteller, decided that studying Gaelic was too difficult and should be left to the Irish - the number one storytellers - and that I would study Yiddish. As a child born in a household where both parents were native Yiddish- speakers from Tiktin and near Lodz, I had heard and spoken Yiddish as a preschooler.
My Yiddish networking effort started when I happened to read that the 75th yortsayt of Sholem Aleichem was coming up. It occurred to me that it might be worthwhile to have community programs to honor the famous writer's memory. Each day, about 25 people were called and asked if they would be interested in attending a program commemorating Sholem Aleichem. After a database of 300 people was created in the computer, the Greater Bay Area Jewish Community Centers (JCC) were contacted.
Six of the Bay Area JCC Program Directors met in San Francisco. After an hour presentation, of outlining programs, which could be produced to commemorate the occasion, material was distributed on how to create such a program. In April of 1991, the events were held. No two JCCs had the same program. Luckily, Bel Kaufman, a granddaughter of Sholem Aleichem, was visiting in the area, and graciously agreed to speak at the San Francisco celebration.
Meanwhile, several synagogues were contacted and asked to host a Yiddish club. None was interested. However, the Peninsula JCC in Belmont was very receptive. Its director, Judy Edelson, offered to host a Yiddish group. Her father had been a Yiddish poet. This club still meets monthly.
In addition, a one-page English newsletter was printed and mailed by the JCC to the members in the database. Thus was founded Der Bay. Der is the [masculine) word for the Yiddish definite article, the. Bay is an acronym for Bay Area Yiddish. At first, it covered only news and events of the immediate area. However, requests came in from friends and relatives of those who received issues. Today, the subtitle reads, "The Golden Gate to the World-Wide Yiddish Community."
Phone calls continued at the same pace, and as the database expanded, requests were received for information on Yiddish teachers, clubs, klezmer bands and translators. Lists were compiled and requests fulfilled. As the number of mailings increased and the size of the newsletter grew to 8 pages, it became necessary to have the printing done outside and to ask for contributions. The suggested amount was for chai ($18) and remains that today. It was decided not to accept paid advertisements. Thus, all information is true to the editor's knowledge, and no item is recommended which is not commendable. No negative reviews are published - the item or group is just not mentioned.
Today this international Anglo-Yiddish newsletter has a database of almost 1,600 listings in the United States and 480 in Canada, Mexico and overseas. Most of the listings are of key people in the worldwide Yiddish community -consisting mainly of Yiddish teachers, vinkl (comer, literally, or club) leaders, klezmer band leaders, translators, radio announcers, editors, performers, plus those who have attended any International Association of Yiddish Clubs conferences. These have been held at the Universities of Maryland, Toronto, Miami, Connecticut and, this year, Aug. 27-30, will be held at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA.
There are now 301 Yiddish clubs listed in the database. They have various titles such as vinkl, shmoozkrayz (conversation circle), leyenkrayz (reading circle), shraybkrayz (writing circle), and each club is unique. Projecting on the basis of the trend in new additions and attrition, it is safe to say that the actual number is probably about 350-360.
No single type of location seems to dominate the type of meeting place. Jewish community centers are popular, as are temples and synagogues. Clubhouses in condominiums and retirement areas are also popular. Many smaller clubs meet in members' homes. Also, several colleges have a Yiddish Tish, a weekly lunch-hour meeting, to speak Yiddish--encouraging staff, students and the community to participate.
Clubs usually have descriptive names. For an unusual title, it is hard to beat S.P.Y. (Society for the Preservation of Yiddish). Several larger groups in major cities, like Toronto and New York, use F.O.Y. (Friends of Yiddish).
Yiddish clubs are naturally concentrated in more densely populated Jewish areas and in major cities. There is a high correlation between the location of Workmen's Circle Branches and Yiddish clubs. This is natural, for this organization is the only major fraternal organization today which strongly fosters Yiddish.
Numerically, the largest concentration is in the southeast Florida area. However, this region is unusual in that it has a large transient population - mainly from after Thanksgiving to before Passover. These snowbirds (shneyfeygelekh) stay for several months. There is another group, the snowflakes (shneyelekh), who stay for a month or less. Such groups raise havoc with a database, for many do not notify me of the length of their stay. The result is that when the newsletter is returned, there is an additional charge, and then I need to send it out again for a third charge.
On the West Coast, the premiere Yiddish club is the Los Angeles Yiddish Culture Club, which has met weekly every Saturday night for over 70 years. It has an excellent Yiddish journal called Heshbon (Accounting).
Unique among the Yiddish groups is Yugntruf (Youth Call), for it is run by and caters to the "younger group." It is centered in New York and has the highest level of Yiddish competency. Its annual sof-vokh (weekend) is a family affair, with the young children truly participating.
Yiddish of Greater Washington is the major group on the East Coast. Its publication is the finest Yiddish club newsletter in the USA.
While Hadassah and Brandeis have notable Yiddish study groups, B'nai B'rith is totally lacking in any activity -although there recently have been Yiddish lodges in Australia and England.
Yiddish club events represent a significant portion of the listings in Der Bay's internatsyonaler kalendar - the only international calendar of Yiddish events. These monthly listings have the date, time, name of event and performers, city; and contact phone number. Most groups welcome guests, and this is a primary source of information for travelers and newly relocated people.
Our International Association of Yiddish Clubs (IAYC) is the only organization that is primarily focused on assisting both newly formed groups and long-established ones, with a clearinghouse for programming and contacts.
Der Bay recently became the official organ and clearinghouse of the IAYC. Announcements of club conferences are first made in Der Bay and monthly updates are published, as well as the call for nominations for Association board members.
Klezmer troupes, orchestras, ensembles and bands are all grouped under the title of klezmer "groups." There are 140 listed, and the forecast is that the total will be under 200, probably not more than 175. California has the largest number, 35. The groups are found in 34 states, including Oklahoma, Texas and Hawaii.
A problem early arose as to what constitutes a new klezmer group. The difficulty occurs when a band is named after the band member who gets the gig (event). Since each member could get a gig, a band with five players could be given five separate names. The decision was arbitrarily made that more than half of a band's members had to be new before the band could be considered a new outfit.
Another problem arose when a group plays some klezmer music, but it represents only a minor portion of their repertoire. It was decided that a klezmer group is one in which a major portion of their repertoire is klezmer music. Another occurred when several groups began branching out in an eclectic vein and introduced "a new sound."
In the world of klezmer music, Henry Sapoznik stands out for his historical writings and his formation of KlezKamp. This is the premiere klezmer meeting. He was affiliated with YIVO, but now has formed a new organization called Living Traditions.
Sixty groups have the prefix "klez" in their names. A characteristic of many klezmer groups is the use of an unusual name. Creative naming of the groups is widespread. Among the "catchy" ones are: Boychiks, Casco Bay Tummlers, Chutzpah, Hatsegana, Honorable Mentshn, Katz and Jammers, Lebedik, Machaya, Oomph, Shtikele and Yiddishe Kup.
Traditionally the clarinet has been the key instrument; however, several bands function well without a clarinetist. Having a vocalist has been a definite asset, and has enabled groups to produce successful cassettes and CDs.
Most groups are composed of hobbyists, for there aren't sufficient gigs to provide a livelihood. Many are fulltime musicians, but play in non-klezmer groups to obtain most of their income.
An interesting fact is that a small group of American musicians play regularly in Europe, notably The Netherlands and Germany (mainly Berlin). It seems that the Germans have more than a casual interest in klezmer music.
The significance of the increased interest in klezmer music is that the majority of the musicians is young and have a need for some knowledge of Yiddish. Comparing Yiddish teachers, clubs and klezmer groups, the highest percentage of younger individuals is definitely in the music field.
The major source of information on the Internet for klezmer groups is Ari Davidow. His listings include many which do not play traditional klezmer. He also has reviews.
In the database are listed 374 Yiddish teachers in the USA. It appears that a probable number is about 470. Since there is no generally accepted teacher certification, the question thus is, "Who is a teacher?" It was decided that anyone who has ever taught a Yiddish class is a Yiddish teacher. Some of the individuals haven't taught in 30 years, and some have taught only a beginners class. The number of Yiddish teachers is rapidly decreasing and they are becoming an "endangered species.'
While the most rigorous Yiddish courses are undoubtedly at the university level, their numbers are small. In the entire state of California there is only one school, UCLA, which teaches Yiddish as a full-credit, daytime course. While Stanford and UC Berkeley have had Yiddish courses in the past, only non-credit night classes now exist. Numerically, Ohio State University has the largest U.S. enrollment of Yiddish students, including the Masters and Ph.D. graduate programs.
Most non-college Yiddish classes meet weekly for an average of 90 minutes. They are taught at JCCs, synagogues and in private homes. Many are small ranging under 10 and very often in the three to five range. A large number do not use a textbook, but rely on handed-out material. Reading and speaking are usually taught, with writing to a lesser extent.
Translation of letters and memoirs is an important area of Yiddish activity. With increasing interest in genealogy has come the need for translations. Most teachers will do a small amount of it as a courtesy, but they don't want the bother and headaches it entails. Often problems arise in satisfying a client. The author has several caveats, which he shares with both translators and clients.
1. Never send original material. Always work from copies.
2. Send two representative pages to the translator, and then you should evaluate the work product.
3. Determine the manner of remuneration. Do you want it by the hour or do you want a fee for the entire job?
4. In what format is the final product desired? Does it have to be typed? Is an oral summation good enough? Do you want it on a disk?
5. Realize that handwritten manuscripts or letters are much more difficult for the translator because of the great variation in penmanship. Many turn -of- the -century writers had an artistic flair, and would connect letters.
6. The more information you can supply as to location of cities or names, the easier it is to decipher hard-to-read penmanship.
7. One does not need to have the highest-priced translator for a minor task.
JEWISH CURRENTS JULY-AUGUST, 1998