A Users' Guide to Yiddish on the Internet

Blitspost un Vebzaytlekh (Email & WebPages) af Yidish

Der BlitsBrivnShteler

The First Yiddish Text Email Discussion List - all in Yiddish Letters

What is it?

The BlitsBrivnShteler is a new, experimental Yiddish language email discussion list. The purpose is to use the new methods of sending Yiddish letters in a standardized text coding system called Unicode UTF-8. All email on this list is to be exclusively in Yiddish characters - no transcription with the western alphabet, which has long been the bane of Yiddish email. We do not wish to compete with pre-existing Yiddish email lists because the technology does not yet exist for all Yiddish email users to participate in the BlitsBrivnShteler (BBSh). It would be a problem if something of import were posted to the BBSh which would then be missed by readers of other lists who cannot participate here. Therefore, the content and tone of the BBSh should be that of a discussion, an email shmues. Perhaps, in the future, when the major Yiddish email lists are able to permit Yiddish characters, the BlitsBrivnshteler may be deemed unnecessary. Meanwhile, it give us a testing ground for the new technology and will enable us to meet others on line with whom we can exchange Yiddish email. See Rules and Guidelines, below.

Rules and Guidelines:

1. All Yiddish must be in Yiddish characters. (See "How to Join," below, for links to instructions.) No Yiddish transcription please! [Exception - message subject lines. See No. 2, below.]
2. Conversely, please do use only the western alphabet (e.g., Latin, English letters) in message subject headers. It's tempting to type with Yiddish characters in the message header, just because you can. However, doing so can cause problems to some people when trying to back up their files. Please resist the urge, and do transcribe all Yiddish message headers.
3. If your message content belongs on one of the pre-existing Yiddish email lists, please send a copy (in transcription) to the appropriate list. You can convert your Yiddish characters to transcription using the Yiddish Typewriter - directly accessible at  http://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/yiddish/makeyiddish.html. There are many people who, for technological reasons, cannot yet participate fully in Yiddish text email on this list. For example: Send important technological comments about Yiddish computing to UYIP (Understanding Yiddish Information Processing). Send important academic or literary comments about Yiddish to the Mendele list. Send announcements of New York City regional Yiddish language events to Yugntruf for inclusion in their announcement email list. Etc.
   

How to Join:

1. Important: You must first prepare your computer for typing and reading Yiddish text email in Unicode UTF-8. Click on  <http://www.shoshke.net/uyip/blitspost.htm> for detailed instructions for your operating system. Please do not go to Step 2, below, until you have completed this procedure.
2. To join the list, send a blank email to <blitsbriv-subscribe@topica.com>

How to Participate:

1. In order to participate in Der BlitsBrivnShteler, you must first "join" the list, per the above instructions.
2. To send a message to the list, write (in Yiddish letters) to <blitsbriv@topica.com>.
3. To unsubscribe, click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email that you recieve from the list (or you can send a blank email to <blitsbriv-unsubscribe@topica.com>).

• Back to A Users' Guide to Yiddish on the Internet for an overview.