A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire

A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire
Author: Alexander Beider
Publisher: Avotaynu
Total Pages: 794
Release: 1993
Genre: Reference
ISBN:

For each name, the author describes the precise geographic distribution within the Russian Empire at the start of the 20th century. The meaning of every name is explained. Spelling variants are given.

Jewish Family Names and Their Origins

Jewish Family Names and Their Origins
Author: Heinrich Walter Guggenheimer
Publisher: KTAV Publishing House, Inc.
Total Pages: 932
Release: 1992
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780881252972

Origins of Yiddish Dialects

Origins of Yiddish Dialects
Author: Alexander Beider
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 646
Release: 2015
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0198739311

This book traces the origins of modern varieties of Yiddish and presents evidence for the claim that, contrary to most accounts, Yiddish only developed into a separate language in the 15th century. Through a careful analysis of Yiddish phonology, morphology, orthography, and the Yiddish lexicon in all its varieties, Alexander Beider shows how what are commonly referred to as Eastern Yiddish and Western Yiddish have different ancestors. Specifically, he argues that the western branch is based on German dialects spoken in western Germany with some Old French influence, while the eastern branch has its origins in German dialects spoken in the modern-day Czech Republic with some Old Czech influence. The similarities between the two branches today are mainly a result of the close links between the underlying German dialects, and of the close contact between speakers. Following an introduction to the definition and classification of Yiddish and its dialects, chapters in the book investigate the German, Hebrew, Romance, and Slavic components of Yiddish, as well as the sound changes that have occurred in the various dialects. The book will be of interest to all those working in the areas of Yiddish and Jewish Studies in particular, and historical linguistics and history more generally.

A Biographical Dictionary of Women's Movements and Feminisms

A Biographical Dictionary of Women's Movements and Feminisms
Author: Francisca de Haan
Publisher: Central European University Press
Total Pages: 698
Release: 2006-01-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 6155053723

This Biographical Dictionary describes the lives, works and aspirations of more than 150 women and men who were active in, or part of, women’s movements and feminisms in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Thus, it challenges the widely held belief that there was no historical feminism in this part of Europe. These innovative and often moving biographical portraits not only show that feminists existed here, but also that they were widespread and diverse, and included Romanian princesses, Serbian philosophers and peasants, Latvian and Slovakian novelists, Albanian teachers, Hungarian Christian social workers and activists of the Catholic women’s movement, Austrian factory workers, Bulgarian feminist scientists and socialist feminists, Russian radicals, philanthropists, militant suffragists and Bolshevik activists, prominent writers and philosophers of the Ottoman era, as well as Turkish republican leftist political activists and nationalists, internationally recognized Greek feminist leaders, Estonian pharmacologists and science historians, Slovenian ‘literary feminists,’ Czech avant-garde painters, Ukrainian feminist scholars, Polish and Czech Senate Members, and many more. Their stories together constitute a rich tapestry of feminist activity and redress a serious imbalance in the historiography of women’s movements and feminisms.

Where Once We Walked

Where Once We Walked
Author: Gary Mokotoff
Publisher: Bergenfield, NJ : Avotaynu
Total Pages: 744
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN:

Gazetteer providing information about more than 23,500 towns in Central and Eastern Europe where Jews lived before the Holocaust.