This hasn't shown up on adg's schedule so I thought I'd post it here for those who might be interested...

'The Yiddish Woody Guthrie' Featuring The Klezmatics, Arlo Guthrie and other special guests!

"The Klezmatics and Friends present a special holiday concert featuring the world premiere of Woody Guthrie's Hanukkah songs and more. The Klezmatics have been working with Nora Guthrie and the Woody Guthrie Archives to uncover Guthrie's unknown Jewish holiday songs and his many songs about life in New York City. Also featured will be songs by Guthrie's mother-in-law and famous New York Yiddish poet, Aliza Greenblatt. Come celebrate on this second-night-of Hanukkah concert."

Kaufmann Concert Hall at the 92nd Street Y
Sat Dec 20 / 8 PM / $60 Front Orchestra;
$45 Rear Orchestra; $25 Balcony
Catalog # T-MM5PY03-01
212-601-1000

http://www.92y.org
http://www.makor.org

http://klezmatics.com

New material from Woody and an opportunity to see Arlo in a somewhat different setting, I'll be there.

Arlo, any additional info on this one?

I put it on the calendar! It should have been there! You gotta come see this one! These guys are great!

adg

Thanks for bringing ADG outta hiding! This sounds like a great show! If I were closer to NYC I'd go. Sounds like they will do some rare & interesting stuff. ADG we'll see ya in Staunton & Roanoke! Have a safe trip to VA hon!

This weeks Village Voice's take on the 12/20 concert:

"As if being one of the founding father's of folk weren't enough naches, good old Woody Guthrie had a hidden haimish streak. luckily , the Klezmatics and Woody's boychick Arlo plan to bring Woody's long lost Jewish holiday songs to life. The whole megillah: Martha Graham dancer Marjorie Mazia married Woody in 1945. Her mother, Aliza Greenblatt, the Yiddish poet, lived across the street in Coney Island. Aliza, like any good machatunim, schooled Woody on the ways of Jewish culture and history. The two traded verses and voila: Hanukkah songs for parties at the local JCC-just like the simcha to celebrate this match." Jennifer Snow

(italics and boldface as appeared in the Village Voice)


Recent ads bill this show as: Holy Ground, The Jewish Songs Of Woody Guthrie.

Also Phoebe Snow has been added to the show in addition to Arlo, the Klezmatics and other "special guests"

What's a machatunim?

Plural for son/daughter-in-law

you mean mother/father-in-law... Aliza's relationship to Woody in this case..

Right, works both ways... really means "in-laws"

Thank you Terrie and Arnie. I was pretty confident I knew the definitions of the other expressions in the original post, but now I'm not so sure. Anyone care to enlighten me?

The little Yiddish I know I learned by eavesdropping. It was only spoken as a "secret language" when we kids weren't supposed to know what was being said.

As you can imagine, many Yiddish words took the place of certain English words for me, and I learned a lot of words I shouldn't have known

In my Philadelphia home, words and phrases were interspersed with English, and some English words had Yiddish endings: i.e. yingala (small boy, affectionate term) became boyala. I learned to talk by mixing English and Yiddish (Yinglish) and my sentences would be partially English, partially Yiddish and some words were a combination of both. I even had a Jewish accent.

Here is what I remember of the words you asked for:

haimish -- a down-to-earth person
boychick -- affectionate term for son
megillah -- really no direct translation other than "story"
simcha -- celebration

Arnie?