Tuesday, January 27, 2009

א בראך אויף שעיקספעיר


Romeo And Juliet in Yiddish/Working On Script

What's the broch, you ask? Well, do you think that Shakespeare would like a bunch of dropouts who speak neither language properly to do this kind of work? I see a Lubavitcher and a couple of Heimishes (Satmar and such) working on this translation, with an artsy type lady directing. These kids are still haunted by the fact that they weren't allowed to wear metal-framed glasses nor have buckles on their belts. It shows you what their intellectual capacity consists of. The fact that they would be chosen to translate the works of Willy Shake shows us what kind of knowledge of Yiddish the directors of this project have. Is all that's necessary for a monumental project like that the fact that these guys were once frum and spoke a distant relative of the Yiddish language? Isn't there anybody at the Arbeiter Ring that could do this? Maybe they want the frum flavor in the translation, so that they can begin to teach it at Beis Ruchel...

Which brings us back to the problem of OTD youth. It seems like these chevrah still are wandering around aimlessly, and have yet to be integrated into any society. They may dress like regular Joes and drink expensive, overpriced coffee, but they're still Yoelis and Mendys and Zalmys, if you get my drift. They can never get over the beliefs and feelings that they were taught as children, even if they do hate much of what they were taught. They also lack any kind of real skills, at least most of them do. Maybe that was the plan all along; teach them nothing, no language, no skills, that way if and when they leave they'll be so miserable that they'll eventually come running back! if that was the plan then they succeeded. On the other hand, maybe these kids have "issues," in which case we needn't worry about them........

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

who is shhakspir ? my teacher never spoke about hin

fakewood inc. said...

why are these people still hung up on their communities. just make a clean cut.

Mottel said...

It would seem she wants a modern flavor to her play, written in the colloquial Yiddish of today. Why Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish? Don't ask me, Macbeth or Halmet (not to mention the famous Yiddisher King Lear!) are more interesting plays.

They seem like decent chaps, it's a shod they were lost to the system . . .
What's with Moshy's paios by the way?

Anonymous said...

I'm really surprised they're working on a translation of Shakespeare. I have at home one of several volumes of Shakespeare translated into "literary" (not Heimish) Yiddish printed several decades ago.
to fakewood: Easier said than done! Boys like this have no formal education, no social skills, no knowledge of the "outside" world. Most of them live in a world of "bein hashmoshos" - its not day and its not night. It is very sad - but its the inevitable result of systems that do not allow for any individuality or individual expression. Some just cannot or will not fit in (a statement of fact - no judgement attached).

Anonymous said...

פֿאַראַן אַ שפּריכװאָרט בײַ יִידן
שױן פֿאַרגעסן כּתר און קען נאָכנישט נעריצך
װי קאָן מען זיך שמדן אַז אַפֿילו װי צו זיין יִידן װייסט מען נישט
מקאָן זיך אָנטון מעשה גױ און אױסקוקען ווי אשת פּוטיפר, פֿאַרפֿאַלן, דער צלם אלוקים רייט אױף זייערע נעזער, און זיי קוקן ארײַן אין שעקספּירן װי אַ האָן אין בני־אדם און ליימענע גולמים

מיט איין וואָרט
ס´גאַנצע מעשה קלעבט ווי אַרבעס צום וואַנט
נישט לה´ און נישט לעזאזל

אגבֿ
ס´שױן געװען אױף דער װעלט אַ טייטלבױם, אַ שנה ופירוש, וואָס האָט זיך געקאָכט מיט שעקספּירן, דאַכטזיך אַז ער האָט מער פֿארשטאַנען אַן ענין
נאַט אײַך דעם לינק
http://www.archive.org/stream/nybc207855

Anonymous said...

In the old days of the dawning Yiddish culture, self proclaimed Literati types translated the English bard ,the shaar blatt said Shakespeare ibergesetzt und varbesert fun ...
Zayt Gezunt !!
Derech agav in the Kuntres Vayehi Binsoah (I think Reb Grunfeld the mocher seforim and kvittel schreiber wrote the sefer) describing the Bobover rebbe's 1st trip to Israel after the war it mentions his stay in Venice, Italy as as top on the way to EY where he spoke about the Merchant of Venice to his travel companions. !

Amolike Yidden knew everything.
The Netziv once gave a wonderful mashal about why , which I'll write about some other time.

fakewood inc. said...

its a lack of guts that leaves the in between.

Anonymous said...

why does moshy still have peyos? and no yarmulke?

Anonymous said...

Why this video is on this site is beyond me.
Anyway
As usual the Tzig is a judgemental, fat mechilah.These kids are hurting, something your fargrebteh kop cannot fathom out.
Btw, out of this bunch of kids the guy who seems the least Jewish is the Lubab.
We've already said it before,Lubab have very little with yiddishkait, when they leave, they fit in so nicely with the goyishe world.
P.S I f I was you I wouldn't talk about "off the derech" vehamyven yuven

Nemo said...

Btw, out of this bunch of kids the guy who seems the least Jewish is the Lubab.

The least Jewish? And Tzig is the one being judgmental? Seriously, the Lubavitch kid is just frikking high.

We've already said it before,Lubab have very little with yiddishkait, when they leave, they fit in so nicely with the goyishe world.

Horrible, indeed, that good Lubavitch frayaken can get themselves college educated instead of translating Shakespeare for free pizza and doughnuts.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

You can never win with these haters. Here I was being nice and basically saying that we're in the same pekkel and they have to go and be all profane and just plain stupid.

Rationally pious said...

So Tzig, are you pro teaching the kids some basic cognitive skills?

Nemo, I thank G-D every day.

Anonymous said...

God, Mechila, have you ever heard of sarcasm?

Anonymous said...

"These kids are hurting, something your fargrebteh kop cannot fathom out."

Im also hurting.
Now everyone please bow down to me.

Anonymous said...

Anon, shut up.

Anonymous said...

Modeh, please! Im hurting. Please talk extremely nice to me, and also please walk on egg shells when your around me. While your at it let me act like a total pig in public and dont you dare say a word...lest I carry out my threat to you all that I will go frei!!
And it will be all you and your frum close minded cronies fault. You didnt bow down enough to me.

Anonymous said...

what isthe female directors name?

Anonymous said...

Eve Annenberg. Here is her IMDB entry:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0030329/

The translation she is working with is old, pre-WWII. I suppose she is using it as a working script, to be polished & updated by the actors involved - or rather, non-actors involved - for she is not working with professional thespians.

Her earlier work uses this approach: First become involved in a circle of young "marginal" rebellious-types who have something to say; then get them involved in a film project, both by helping you write it & giving them the acting roles. As long as the funding an be raised. Same benidude didan: First infiltrate the "Cholent" crowd & the like, even helping them in what they need; then get them interested your a project involving them; then have them assist in the writing & acting.

Only the final product will tell us if this will work in this case.

How about if it uses the "House of Aron" & "The House of Zalman" as the two quarreling mishpoches?

Romeo & Juiet = Rachmiel un Yehidis???

--- ZIY

Anonymous said...

Your condescending swipe at their yiddish is misplaced. Yiddish is a living spoken language, a jargon, it is defined as the language in which amchu-yidden communicate natively. So their yiddish is a gazillion time more genuine then the YIVO concoction that some circles love to push on silly public.

Unknown said...

I enjoy your blog, but you really let me down on this one, the Nivul Pe..."Se past Nisht:-(

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

truthfully, I only watched the whole thing, not realizing that I have to LISTEN to the whole thing too. I apologize if anybody was offended.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

UD

I understand your point, but even jargon needs to have SOME rules, no?

Anonymous said...

this is nothing new!
there was a yiddish production of hamlet
"fartiisht und farbessert by goldfeden

Anonymous said...

Schneur
The Bobover probably knows the merchant story from Zevin's Leor Halacha ( just kibitzing he never heard from Zevin)

A year or 2 ago the Hamodia Magazine ran a front cover story of the plays the Bobbover rebbe was producing with a chosid in the westside they were up nights for that, obviously it was all for the sake of Minhag Yisroel Torah. The play for the purim tish used to be the cornerstone of bobover chassidus

Anonymous said...

where did you all see the video?
a link please?

Anonymous said...

Just to add my two cents.

The reason Moshe, last name ----- DELETED BY BLOG OWNER----- from BP, is having his Payes behind his ears, is simple. All he has to do is, drop his Payes, and put a Kipah on. Bingo! He now can easily interject himself amongst the unsuspecting heimishe people and do what he does best, prey on them and eventually embezzle their bank accounts, bounce some checks on you or simply take stuff away from you. He does it with a Temimus and Pashtus, as if he is doing you a favor. Beware of this guy. He is a con artist, criminal and extortionist. He (and Mendy below) ran in to the law several times. First in Israel, where he took off from the authorities before they were able to arrest him. Then in Belgium, where he landed after Israel. He was arrested for Credit Card fraud and was in prison for quite some weeks until he was released on bail which he jumped and left behind. Then in the U.S. where he has many in roads with the Authorities.

He is dangerous Spiritually, Physically and Financially. He'll fool you with his Torah knowledge and charm, but he won't hesitate to rape your kids, boys or girls, not difference to his self serving sick personality.

The other moron, Mendy, last name ---- deleted by blog owner,--- from Williamsburg has the same story. Moshe is at least smart. This guy? Fuggetaboutit! A good for nothing. Same as with Moshe, con artist, (he is being used by Moshe and doesn't even realize it), crook, swindler, thief and will empty your bank accounts with the stroke of a key. Like Moshe, served time in Belgium (they were all released due to work of local heimishe yidden, for they promised that they will never run in with the law again, yeah right!) good level of understanding and learning Torah as a young boy, but on IQ, I'd give him a 55. Street smarts, oh, don't even mention it. A good for nothing, and a junkie.

As Lady Macbeth says:
A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight.

Shakespeare - Macbeth Act 2

HT: sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to publish their last names, for the sake of their families...

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Here's the link to the video for whomever asked for it. Click Here.

Anonymous said...

To anon at 9:30 ... Perhaps you are right about all the info you just so hatingly spewed forth on this blog...I have a questiopn for you "what's the point of putting all this in public??" I'm not gona debate the accuracy of those allegations... But beyond that... these people have families.m what are you gaining by being so hating???
They and many others that have left your "derech" have waay more reasons to be hating towards you.. More then not being able to wear certain belts and glasses.. Perhaps they can hold the people like you responsible for their limited knowledge on how to live a regular life in a secular world... Now ofcourse you might be upset by the fact that they even want to leave your world and join the secular one.. But that's their choice and it doesn't give you any right to be so hating..

Anonymous said...

Some time ago there were letters warning against heimishe, off the D, swindlers who had conned many people with checks etc.
Is the peyos guy one of them?
Shomrim hung up their names and pics in BP at the time.
Got to always watch.

Ravina said...

BTW zig, you only know about the kids still stuck inbetween, there are many people leaving the community and they're successful, you know why? because no one ever talks about them or knows about them, so before you're being judgemental learn the facts, and yes, the system makes it very hard for people to be successful, we we're robbed our education, we we're robbed our social skills and we we're robbed of anything and everything that could make us successful in life, but people who take the courage to leave and cut it all loose to get their much desired freedom are not only kids with issues, but also people who crave for knowledge, people who desire to have a successful life far away from the feminist orthodox community. and yes, if they can get a life on their own without ANY help of their past they can be successful in life. and you should admire people who took the courage to take the tough path to do the right thing (atleast as we see it for the right thing)

Anonymous said...

Dose anyone know whats happening with this film in the end ??? did it came out yet ??? did it not??? someone just send'd me a link to The Daily Forward sounds like they did it in the end
plz update here....

Anonymous said...

jewishspectacles.wordpress.com for a perspective of a kid who hung with these guys and decided to opt out of this movie and these guys lifestyle choices. The main actor is a cocaine addict who was married and ruined his marriage, losing his wife and two kids to cocaine.

Unknown said...

איז נאך ערגעץ דא די ווידאו?

Anonymous said...

The movie was finished. It played at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Jury Award. It also played at the NY Jewish Film Festival last month twice to packed houses. Now looking for distribution.

Anonymous said...

Good article! Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

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It was inspiring. Keep on posting!