Document text
STATE NOW York
NAIVE OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
Emanuel Versahleisor
1419 Jessup Ave.. Bronx.
September 13, 1938
BITS OF YIDDISH RDIA4TUFF
FOLKLOBE
NEI!, YORK
From an interview with Mr. Tenonbaum, over seventy years old. 499 Riverdale Avenue,
Brooklyn,
sGOD'S DAY"
'God's Days (Gots Tog) to work from sunrise te sundown. This saying was
common among the immigrant workers whose hours of work were fourteen and sixteen
a day.
A TALE ABOUT ROTHSCHIIM
A poor man went onoe to Rothschild to ask for alms. He managed to pass all the
secretaries and servants and cams into Rothschild's living rooms. He oame into
a great hall and saw two girls sitting at a piano and playing. He was surprised
but didn't say a thing. He has his own troubles. Well. Rothschild came out and
asked: My :Isar Jews what is your :Iasi», The Jew answereds I cams to ask for
alms.
Rothschild said angrily: You had to bother me with it. You couldn't
ask my secretary for it? The Jar answered, Liston to me. Mr. Rothschild don't
teach me how to beg (shnoren).
Then the Jew WMA asked by his colleagues: Stylus is it there in such a
rich man's house? 11411. the Jew answered Rich man it's nothing two
girls sit and play at one piano
I
ANOTHER STORY ABOUT ROTHSCHILD
(Heard from an old man in the park)
Rothschild heard two Jews talking. One saids It's luck to be
rich. Not cleverness or sense. Take me. I have no luok. I have more
brains than Rothschild but what does it get me? Rothsohild said* Come
with me. He took the Jew with him into his treasury full of gold and diamonds.
leave you for five minutes, and what you take is yours. But the 'lawman
so flabbergasted that when Rothsohild returned, the Jew still stood with empty
hands.
You sees said Rothschild, that you have no muse (brains) either
ANOTHER VERSION heard by the interviewer before:
Rothschild heard a poor man sayings "Oh, if I could only got in for
one minute into Rothschild's treasury." Rothsohild told the men' "Come with
me," He took the man with him into his cellars stuffed with gold and diamonds and
told the mans "I leave you here for one minute as you wished and what you take is
yours," When Rothsohild returned after one minute the man stood with empty hands.
He was so mused he didn't know what to take first.
Heard from an old tramp living now on a barge in Jamaica Bay.
Sixty years old,
When I went to sehool, we lived in Essex Streets &unto= New York
there were no Jews, only one Jew named Levy, who worked for Goodin'. Matson
there were some Swedes and "Guineas" who worked for ninety cents a day when
the immigrants began comings let* of them* they went through the city tagged with
tags of the places where they were going to, led by men from societies who took
oare of them. During Harrison's presidency there were good times. The bosses
would A; you to ooLio to work. %unit .yo aorJa, r. ller, on Landayr
re er.,1,or.:, two popz.lar sons, "whi te ins' iule. "Little Annie Rooney" but MIL° t
ABOIA IL TISASJIE
(Told by :re. I3ras1 71 years old) in Park.)
ilwrc wt.4re zany stories told ill our villace about hidden treasures and
hay.- people er i's, I3 ci loa in the fore and lev Oft1:10 out alive.
1.313
iiaTad "1,t tile treasures are wa'sehed over by spirita and tiers are only
run: ousi en tiwy cau 1)4; oottan with i2ipunity. In our villace leis a
vim:4- '41 Lit rookue wok. how uhe tl4e iollowin..; story was falai The
woratinf "Ulor.L.1.3.avt, tin old peasant. OU:Itaa treasure in the 'mods but was
airai the 'Otte. spirits to rer,ove it. o arzued with his son he shouli send his
',rife to ...uteb. he son answered: Idly do ..'c you send your wife for it?
t.0.13 taccuLredi0u otor Wifa but you cens t. etLul.Q her mother.
on Wei uut his father is rii_;.c lit; made his wife ,o for the treasure. ;than
she has „eaten axis treasure out wit.out mishap and vas on the way hone she turned her
neck. UDIC auyixidy
uas the 11) tuk;o: oth.0 lAd spirits.
J eaula t straijiten it at;sin.
Ais.tis ....le way they ...old it in our villain).
A TALE AB(X.T A P.ABBI
(Told. by an old dew.)
ihe Austrian 7..a-iser decreed that a Jaw who vituits to ,:;ive his dau-Irter
marriaGe should pay a sum of money a few i.e.:wired "Gil", to the imperial
treasury. This was a bi sum of money and many a poor Jew could not afford it and
many -iris had to realain old maids and Jews were in despair.
in a village lived a pious Jaw and a very poor one. ae had a
marriageable daughter and a very eod match came her way, the bridegroom
did not demand any dowry but he father didn't have the few hundred "ailden"
to pay o the imperial treasury and the natch came to nau t. The Jaw was
in areat sorrow and he went to the rabbi of Lizensk. ahen la came before the
rabbi in his reat sorrow he cried oat: "Iwant to aall God to Justice. After
he said that he act frightened and renented it and wanted to run away but the
rabbi said: "Wait, my son. You said you want to aall God to Justice (Din Torah)...
You know one jud-aa is not sufficient for that go and call two other judges.
The Jew was astonished ant he obeyed. He went and called tan other judges.
.hey
came and sat near the rabbi and the rabbi said to *e Jew: "Say what you aocuse
G od af we are licten*na"... The Jew seids "1 have a dauahter and she found her
mate who is ready to marry her without a dowry and now Iaa poor and do not possess
the few hundred dollars to pay to he oaperor's treasury and she cannot marry God
aaeala era permit such alinas•.atT lahen the Jew finished the rabbi and the other
two judges sat silently concentrated in thouaht. The rabbi's face becaae red. a)
lifted his eyes to the sky then he told the JeweGo home. The Kaiser canoelled the
decree." The Jew went home. On aae way people told the news that ho
Kaiser oancolled the decree.