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Forms to be Filled out for Eacn Interview
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE in you
NAME OF WORKER smANun vicummisra
ADDRESS 1419 Jesup Ave.
DATE Nov. 16, 193$
SUBJECT YIDDISH POMO= TENENBAUM
1. Date and time o interview Nov. 10, 1939
2. Place of interview
Alabama Awe. Congregation. Alabama Ame. near Blake
3. Name and address of informant
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
Mr. Tenebaum of 499 Riverdale Are. Rklyn
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
FOLKLOB
NEW YORK
Br. Tenenbaum
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
A small anyagogue, modern with the usual arrangements. Some of the orthodox members
foregather emery evening for the evening prayerss 41inehasaarev". OR the above
mentioned day there as also a little meeting dealing with the fraternal affairs of
the eongregation, Mr. Tenenbaum, an old man of TO, with a gray beard, an aequantanoe
of the limiter, a000mpanied him to the synagogue and in conversations with the
members and listening in to their abate he get the !alleging folk -tales.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, cacti
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
New York
STATE
1419 Jesup Ave.
NAVE OF WO:AEP.
Nov. 15, 19311
YIDDISH FOLKLORE TIMM=
FORM C
T,-xt of 1.-;-L',e:-vic.$4, 1)
_
Emanuel Verse&leiser
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
A FOIZ TALK ABOUT A PEASANT WOW AND Al NOG
FoLKumr
NE1,*: YORK
A peasant woman lived in a village* she had *any shildren sad she was very
poor and had nothing to feed this with. This peasant WORM found ease an egg, she
sailed all her ehildren sad tol thens shildren, yourwenot have to worry no more.
Why? The children asked. The peasant wean answered, I have found an egg but we
will not eat the egg. I will go to a neighbor and ask her to let no have her chicken
for a while. I will set the chicken to hateh the egg and we will get a small chick.
Is won't eat the chick but let it grew and set it to hatch. When will have many
(thicken we won't sat then, we'll sell then and bur for the stoney a calf. When the
milt will crow up and become a cow we will "silk her and .41 the milk and buy for the
money fields and gardens and we will never know what hunger mans. When the peasant
woman finished telling what riches the egg will bring then the egg 'lipped from
her hands and broke. The peasant woman crisis All the riches ars gone'
Consents This tale was told to as by an old Jew to illustrate the point
we wore talking about nonely that there are people who issagine they are groat and
self-sufficient and forget God when in reality they have little more than the
peasant woman. Is heard this story in the small Russian twin he earn. from.
-2-
TALE ABOUT "HOWFIDRE"
("Rol Iidre" is a prayer said on the eve of the Day of Atonement.")
In our to there was a Jew by the name of Solomonmaer, who always said
EolAidre. Ho had inherited this right he said from generation to generation. Re
was an old man in his nineties and he believe that he is living so long only on
aosount of this inherited right to the "Kol-Iidre". Of course being so old people
could hardly hoar him but he wouldn't give up this right for no money in the world.
The beadles tridd many times to talk to him about thiss Rob Solomon Ber- they
would say maybe this year you'll lot it go, we'll engage a cantor. But Solomon-
/ler became terribly angry they were afraid to talk to him any more about it.
Once a Jaw came to him and asked bias "You want to sell me your right to
"Eol-Nidret"
Rob Solamon-Ber became so angry that his hands and feet began to tremble.
He orieds They want to shorten my life.
When he became 91 years old the younger people protesteds Why you can
hardly hear his voice. Romrwill he say "Iol*Nidre"
But the olderpeople shook their head's Mat is there to be done? It his
right. (Chasokoh). But when it came to Kol-Ridre next year he became sick and
couldn't cams to the synagogue. BO improved, he could even walk again, but he
himself said that his fate is sealed- he missed one "Nol.Nidre" And so it was.
Re died before the next Atonement Day.
A TALE ABOUT RABBI ISRAEL SALANTER
Rabbi Israel Salanter went to the synagogue to say "Rol-21dr** suddenly
he heard a child crying in one of the houses. The cries tore at the rabbi's heart
strings. He looked in thru the window where the crying came from and he ewe
"Tam Kippur candles an the table, in the middle of the room stood a cradle with
a small child. The house was empty everybody went to pray seemingly. And
the child mails something terrible 4,
Rabbi Israel Salanter didn't think much he entered the house and began to
rook the cradle till the child became quiet.
In the synagogue meanwhile the people waited with "Kol-Nidren The sun
set long ago. The people became restlesss Mere is the Rabbi? Did something
happen, God forbid? People stand around terribly worried. Mena boy
appears and relates that he saw the rabbi thru the window rocking a baby.
Many people went to see if its true. And so it was. The Rabbi sat near
the cradle, rocking the child with the melody of "Kel4fidre"
When the Rabbi saw the Jews who came for him he put his finger to his
mouth motioning to them that they should not awaken the child and intoned in
sing song. The babies are more important to God than our prayers.