Yona Sabar, Ph.D.
Professor of Hebrew
Office: 376C Humanities
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1511
310.206.1389 - phone
310.206.6456 - fax
sabar@humnet.ucla.edu
EDUCATION
B.A. in Hebrew and Arabic, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1963
Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, Yale, 1970
PUBLICATIONS
*1) "Belief in Demons and Evil Spirits Among the
Jews of Kurdistan," Yeda-'Am, Volume 8, #26 (1962) pp. 27-28
*2) "Tafsirim (Commentaries) of the Bible and Hymns in the Neo-Aramaic of the Jews of Kurdistan," Sefunot 10 (1965) pp. 337-412
3) "The Jews of Kurdistan," The Kurdish Journal, 5/1-2 (June 1968) pp. 20-22
4) "Isolated Community Becomes Part of Israel," HA' AM (UCLA), 3/4 (December 5, 1973) p. 5
5) "The Socio-Linguistic Aspects of the Bilingual Hebrew Neo-Aramaic Contact in Israel," Hebrew Abstracts, 15 (1974) pp. 44-47
*6) "The Hebrew Elements in the Neo-Aramaic Dialect of the Jews of Zakho in Kurdistan," Le†onenu, 38 (1974) pp. 206-219
7) "Nursery Rhymes and Baby Words in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Zakho (Iraq)," Journal of the American Oriental Society, 94 (1974) pp. 329-336
8) "First Names, Nicknames and Family Names Among the Jews of Kurdistan," The Jewish Quarterly Review, 65/1 (1974) pp. 43-51
*9) "Kurdish Refugees from Iraq in Iran," Yedi'ot Aharonot (Israeli Daily) (August 3, 1975) pp. 20-21
*10) "The Hebrew Elements in the Neo-Aramaic Dialect of the Jews of Azerbaijan," Le†onenu, 39 (1975) pp. 272-294
11) "The Impact of Israeli Hebrew on the Neo-Aramaic Dialect of the Kurdish Jews of Zakho: A Case of Language Shift," Hebrew Union College Annual, 46, Centennial Issue (1975) pp. 489-508
12) "Lel-Huza: Story and History in a Cycle of Lamentations for the Ninth of Ab in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan," Journal of Semitic Studies, 22 (1976) pp. 138-162
13) Neosyrische Chrestomathie, by R. Macuch and E. Panoussi, Journal of American Oriental Society, 96 (1976) pp. 436-439
14) "Jews Among Arabs," a review of three books written by Oriental Jews on Oriental Jews, HA'AM (March 9, 1976) p. 5
15) Pesat Wayhi Be†allah, A Neo-Aramaic Midrash on Beshallah (Exodus) Introduction, Phonetic Transcription, Translation, Notes and Glossary; Wiesbaden 1976, 226 pages (Includes an appendix, "A Survey of the Oral and Written Literature of the Kurdish Jews," which also appeared in Jewish Tradition in the Diaspora, Studies in Memory of Walter J. Fischel, ed. by Michael M. Caspi, Berkeley, (1981) pp. 197-210
16) "Midrashic Literature in the Neo-Aramaic Dialects of the Jews of Kurdistan," Association for Jewish Studies Newsletter, 16 (1976)
17) "Kurdistani Realia and Attitudes as Reflected in the Midrashic-Aggadic Literature of the Kurdish Jews," Studies in Jewish Folklore, ed. F. Talmage, Cambridge, 1980, pp. 287-296 le
18) "Multilingual Proverbs (Neo-Aramaic, Kurdish, Arabic) in the Neo- Aramaic Dialect of the Jews of Zakho," International Journal of Middle East Studies, 9 (1978) pp. 215-235
19) "From Tel-Kepe (A Pile of Stones) in Iraqi Kurdistan to Providence, Rhode Island: The Story of a Chaldean Immigrant to the U.S.A in 1927," in The Journal of American Oriental Society, 98/4 (1978) pp. 410-415
20) The Hebrew Language Tradition of the Baghdadi Community: The Phonology, ed S. Morag, Journal of Semitic Studies, 24 (1979), pp.284-286
*21) "Qistit Hanna: A Neo-Aramaic Rhymed Legend on the Martyrs Hanna and Her Seven Sons," Pe'amim (Ben-Zvi Institute, Israel) 7 (1981), pp. 83-99
22) "Jews of Kurdistan: A Bibliographical Review (1975-1980)," Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Newsletter, Vol. 4 (No.3-4), 1981, pp. 8-9
23) "A Bibliography of Secondary Literature on New Aramaic," Jewish Language Review, 1 (1981), pp. 123-125 (3 pages); 2 (1982), p. 98
*24) "On the History of the Jews in Kurdistan," Jews of Kurdistan: Way of Life, Tradition and Art, Israel Museum, Jerusalem 1981-82, pp. 16-41, 266-269 (29 pages); also appeared in Hamvaker, April 13, 1984, pp. 44-45 (2 pages), and April 27, 1984, p. 27
*25) "A Midrashic Commentary on the Book of Jonah in the Neo-Aramaic of the Jews of Kurdistan," Jewish Thought in Islamic Lands, ed. M. Zohory, Jerusalem, 1981, pp. 131-143
26) The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews: An Anthology, New Haven, 1982 (Yale Judaica Series #23)
27) "Legend vs. Reality: An Analysis and Comparison of Folktales about the Rabbis of Kurdistan with Documents Written by them or their Contemporaries," The Sephardi and Oriental Jewish Heritage, ed. I. Ben-Ami, Jerusalem, 1982, pp. 287-296
*28) "Loyalty and Deviation in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Translations of the Bible," Le†onenu 46 (1982/5742), pp. 124-140
*29) "The Literary Creativity of Kurdistani Jews," Pe'amim 13 (1982) pp. 57-70
*30) "A Midrashic Commentary on Isaiah 10:32 - 12:6 in the Neo-Aramaic of the Kurdish Jews," Studies in Aggadah and Jewish Folklore (Folklore Research Center) VII, ed. I. Ben-Ani, J. Dan, Jerusalem, 1983, pp. 317-336, 123
*31) "Two Midrashic Commentaries to Jeremiah 8:13 - 9:23 in the Neo-Aramaic Dialects of Zakho and Amidya," in Aramaeans, Aramaic and the Aramaic Literary Tradition, ed. Michael Sokoloff, Bar-Ilan University Press, 1983, pp. 11-41
32) "The Quadriradical Verb in Eastern Neo-Aramaic Dialects," the Journal of Semitic Studies 27/2 (1982), pp. 149-176
*33) The Book of Genesis in Neo-Aramaic in the Dialect of the Jewish Community of Zakho, Including Selected Texts in Other Neo-Aramaic Dialects, and a Glossary, Hebrew University, Language Traditions Project, Jerusalem, 1983
34) "The Arabic Elements in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Texts of Nerwa and 'Amadiya, Iraqi Kurdistan," Journal of American Oriental Society 104 (1984) pp. 201-211 (11 pages). Research Article
*35) Homilies in the Neo-Aramaic of the Jews of Kurdistan for the Biblical Portions of Wayhi (Genesis), Beshallah and Yitro (Exodus), edited and translated into Hebrew with Comparative Midrashic notes and glossary. Jerusalem, Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jewish Language Series, 1984
*36) "The Neo-Aramaic Dialects and the Other Languages Spoken by the Jews of Kurdistan," Studies in Jewish Languages ed. M. Bar-Asher, Jerusalem, 1988, pp. 87-111
*37) The Book of Exodus in Neo-Aramaic, in The Dialect of the Jewish Community of Zakho, including selected texts in other Neo-Aramaic dialects and a glossary, Jerusalem, Language Traditions Project, The Hebrew University, 1988
38) "Substratal and Adstratal Elements in Jewish Neo-Aramaic," Studia Linguistica et Orientalia Memoriae Haim Blanc Dedicata ed. P. Wexler et al, Wiesbaden, 1989, pp. 264-276 (13 pages). Research Article
39) "Studies of the Folklore, Ethnography and Literature of Kurdistani Jews: An Annotated Bibliography," Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review Vol. II, No. 1-2 (1989), pp. 35-38
40) "General European Loanwords in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan," Studies in Neo-Aramaic ed. W. Heinrichs, Atlanta, 1990, pp. 53-66
41) "On the Nature of the Oral Translations of the Book of Exodus in Neo-Aramaic," Maarav Vols. 5-6 (1990), pp. 311-317
*42) The Book of Leviticus in Neo-Aramaic in the Dialect of the Jewish Community of Zakho, Including selected Texts in Other Neo-Aramaic Dialects and a Glossary. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University, Language Traditions Project, 1990
43) Targum de Targum, An Old Neo-Aramaic Version of the Targum of Song of Songs, (Introduction, Eclectic Text, English Translation, and Glossary) Wiesbaden, 1991
*44) "A Comedy of Errors: Semantic Mistakes by students of Hebrew and How to correct them," Bulletin of Higher Hebrew Education: A Journal for Methodology and Pedagogy in University Teaching of Hebrew Language and Literature, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Spring 1991), pp 91-97
45) A Review-Article of: I. Avinery, The Aramaic Dialect of the Jews of Zakho, Jerusalem, 1988, JAOS Vol. 111, No. 3 (1991), pp. 653-656
46) "Lexicography of Modern Aramaic Languages," in Wörterbücher, Dictionaries, Dictionnaires (An International Encyclopedia of Lexicography), ed. F. J. Hausmann et al, Berlin/New York, 1991, 3rd Vol., pp. 2432, 2437-8
47) "The Hebrew Bible Vocabulary as Reflected through Traditional Oral Neo-Aramaic Translations," Semitic Studies in honor of W. Leslau, ed. A.S. Kaye, Vol. II, (Wiesbaden, 1991), pp. 1385-1401
*48) "Back to Kurdistan," Yediot Aharont, weekend supplement 7 Days, 10/30/1992, pp. 19-22 (4 pages). A shorter version appeared in Ha'am (UCLA), 3/13/1993, pp. 8-9, 13-14.
49) "The Folk Literature of Kurdistani Jews," an entry in Enzyklopädie des Märchens, Berlin, 1993, pp. 707-712 (5 pages). An English version appeared in Jewish Folklore & Ethnology Review, Volume 14, Nos. 1 and 2. 1992, page 10ff.
50) The Book of Numbers in Neo-Aramaic in the Dialect of the Jewish Community of Zakho, Including selected Texts in Other Neo-Aramaic Dialects and a Glossary. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University, Language Traditions Project,1993
51) "A Folktale and Folk Songs in the Christian Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Tel-Kepe (Northern Iraq)," Semitica Serta Philologica Constantino Tsereteli dicata, ed.R. Contini, et al., Torino, 1993 pp. 289-298
52*) A review article of Y. Avishur, The Folktales of Iraqi Jews (Haifa, 1992,) in Pe'amim, Studies in Oriental Jewry, 56 (1993), pp. 145-149
53) "Tafsir žir Ha††irim: An old Neo-Aramaic version of the Targum on Canticles," Maarav 8 (1992) pp.303-317
54) "Today Palestine, tomorrow Kurdistan?" Jerusalem Post 10/19/93, Daily Bruin 10/26/93
55) "Iraqi Kurdistan after the Gulf War: Christian and Jewish Vestiges," Kurdistan Times 3 (12/1993), pp. 139-145
56) "Reflections of Social Values in the Folk Literature of Kurdistani Jews" in History and Creativity in the Sephardi and Oriental Jewish Communities, ed. T. Alexander et al. (Winter 1995) pp. 117-146
57) Review of The Jews of Mosul (Iraq) by E. Laniado in Mediterranean Language Review, Vol. 6-7, pp. 283-285 (1993).
58) Review of Grammatik des Christlich-Palästinisch-Aramäischen by Ch. Müller-Kessler in Bibliotheca Orientalis 51, n. 1/2 (1994) pp. 154-155.
59) The Book of Deuteronomy in Neo-Aramaic , in the Dialect of the Jewish Community of Zakho, Including selected Texts in Other Neo-Aramaic Dialects and a Glossary. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University, Language Traditions Project,159+47 pages (1994).
60) "The Christian Neo-Aramaic Dialects of Zakho and Dihok: Two Text Samples," JAOS 115/1 (1995), pp. 33-51
*61) "Jewish Neo-Aramaic" an entry for Encyclopaedia Hebraica, supplement Vol. 3, pp. 1010-1012
62) Review of E. Brauer, The Jews of Kurdistan, Detroit (Waine State University Press), 1993. Requested by editors of Studies in Contemporary Jewry (Oxford UP), vol. 11, pp. 261-262 (1995).
*63) "A Comedy of Errors, part 2: Semantic Mistakes by students of Hebrew and How to correct them," Bulletin of Higher Hebrew Education: A Journal for Methodology and Pedagogy in University Teaching of Hebrew Language and Literature, Vol. 7-8, (1994-95), pp 39-41
64) "Jews of Kurdistan," an entry-article for Encyclopedia of World Cultures, ed. D. Levinson, vol. IX: Africa and the Middle East, 1995, pp. 144-147.
65) "Christian Neo-Aramaic Love Songs in a Jewish Manuscript," Israel Oriental Studies Vol. 16, Studies in Modern Semitic Languages, 1996, pp. 85-91.
66) Review of Men's Folk Songs in Judaeo-Arabic of Iraq by Y. Avishur, Journal of American Oriental Society, vol. 116 (1996), pp. 332-333.
67) "The Famous Barzani Family of Rabbis of Kurdistan," Kurdistan Times, vol. 4 (1995), pp. 186-188.
68) Review of Dictionary of Iraqi-Judeo Arabic Dialect , by G. Yona-Swery and R. Rajwan, Yosef Hayim , vol. 1, Issue 1 (1996), p. 2.
69) Compiled "Jewish Neo-Aramaic" for International Dictionary Series, ed Mary Ritchie Key, UCI, 58 pages.
70) "The Story of Balaam and His She-Ass (Numbers, Chapter 22) in four Neo-Aramaic Dialects: A Comparative Study of the Translations," in Humanism,Culture and Language in the Middle East, Studies in Honor of Georg Krotkoff, ed. A Afsaruddin and A.H.M.Zahniser, Winona Lake, 1997, pp. 301-317.
71) Review of A. Dotan, The Dawn of Hebrew Linguistics, The Book of Elegance of the Language of the Hebrews by Saadia Gaon, 2 vols., Jerusalem, 1997, in Journal of American Oriental Society 119:516-17.
72) "Family and community Values as Reflected in Proverbs of the Jews of Iraq," Yosef Hayim 3, 1998, p.2
73) "Kurdish Influence on Pet Names of Kurdistani Jews," Kurdica Website 8, 1999.
74) "The Hebrew Elements in Written Jewish Neo-Aramaic Texts (in Manuscripts and Printed Editions)," Vena Hebraica in Judaeorum Linguis, ed. Sh. Morag, et al., Milano, 1999: 387-397.
*75) "The Neo-Aramaic Pentateuch -A Summary of Findings," Pe'amim 83 (2000):108-117.
76) "Migdal Babel: The Linguistic Heritage of Iraq," Yosef Hayim 4 (2000):3-4
77) A Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Kurdistan, Text, Grammar and Vocabulary, by G. Krotkoff, New Haven, 1982. Mediterranean Language Review 10 (1998):197-209
*78) "Parallel Patterns of Development in Jewish Neo-Aramaic and Modern Israeli Hebrew," Leshonenu 62 (1999), pp. 334-344.
79) Review of M. Piamenta, Jewish Life in Arabic Language and Jerusalem Arabic in Communal Perspective, A Lexico-Semantic Study, Leiden, 2000, in Al-æarabiyya 33 (2000): 111-112.
*80) A Note on Wa-Yiddom (Lev. 10:3) in Leshonenu 63 (2000-2001):175. Response Note
81) "Zakho", an entry for the new Encyclopaedia of Islam 2nd ed. Vol. XI: 425.
82) "The Story of Brothers Ali and Amar in the Jewish Dialect of Zakho. Based on Albert Socin's Text from 1870, transcribed anew as if it were told ca. 1950, and emphasizing the linguistic changes that ooccurred in the dialect since Socin's time," Festschrift für Otto Jastrow zum 60. Geburstag, , ed. Werner Arnold, Wiesbaden, 2002, pp. 613-627.
*83) "Ma Nishtana: A Comparison of the Neo-Aramaic Translations and the Hebrew Text of Two Kurdistani Passover Haggadot: A Historical-Linguistic Study, Including Remarks on Kurdistani Passover Folklore," Leshonenu 64 (5762 [=2002]), pp. 73-91, and Leshonenu 65 (2002), pp. 95-96.
84) Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dictionary, based on old manuscripts, Bible translations, recorded folktales, and diverse registers of everyday speech , Wiesbaden (Harrassowitz , Semitica Viva Series #28), 2002.
85) "ARAMAIC, ONCE AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE, NOW ON THE VERGE OF EXPIRATION: ARE THE DAYS OF ITS LAST VESTIGES NUMBERED" at When Languages Collide: Perspectives on Language Conflict, Language Competition, and Language Coexistence, edited by: Brian D. Joseph, Johanna DeStefano, Neil G. Jacobs, and Ilse Lehiste, The Ohio State University Press, 2002, pp. 222-234.
86) "TARGUMIC INFLUENCE ON JEWISH BIBLE TRANSLATIONS IN NEO-ARAMAIC," Aramaic Studies 1/1 (2003), pp. 55-65.
*87) "Names and Nicknames among various Jewish Communities," Hado'ar spring 2003, pp. 67-69.
*88) The Blackman as the 'other' in Jewish Culture," Hadoar Fall, 2003, pp.67-69.
*89) "Mi Kamokha - A Purim Poem in the Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Birdug (Iran, 1780)", Ben 'Ever le-'Arav, vol. 3 (2004), pp. 95-120.
*90) A book review of D. Rosenthal, The Israelis, New York, 2003, in Hadoar 2004.
*91) "A Comparative Study of the Hebrew Elements in the Judeo-Arabic Dialects of Iraq with those in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialects," In Y. Avishur Festschrift, Tel-Aviv, 2004, pp. 261-294.
*92) "Proper Names and Family Names among the Jews of Iraq," Nehardea 14, 2003: pp. 11-12.
93) Review of Der neuostaramäische Dialekt von Särdä:rïd. By Helen Younansardaroud. Semitica Viva, ed. Otto Jastrow, vol. 26, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2001, in JAOS 122.4 (2002), pp. 903-4.
94) Review of The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Qaraqosh, by Geoffrey Khan, Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics, vol. 36, Leiden, in JAOS 124.1 (2004), pp. 1-3
*95) Review of a book on Zionizm in Northern Iraq by Prof. Haya Gavish, in Haaretz/Book Review, 2/2/05.
96) "The Multiple Faces of Eve :The Images of Woman in the Folk Literature of A Near Eastern Jewish Community," International Sephardic Journal 2/1 (2005): 146-157
97) "Torah in the Mouth an Torah in the Heart: How Judaism was Transmitted in a Minimally-Literate Near Eastern Jewish Community," Queens College Journal of Jewish Studies, Spring 2005 vol. VII, pp. 67-74.
98) "Some Comparative Observations on the Lexicons of Nerwa Texts in Jewish Neo-Aramaic and the Neo-Syriac Poems of Alqosh and Telkepe, both from ca. the 17th Century and Both from Kurdistan, Northern Iraq, "Studi Afroasiatici IX Incontro Italiano di Linguistica Camitosemitica, A cura di Alessandro Mengozzi, Milano, 2005, pp. 391-96.
99) The Five Scrolls in Jewish Neo-Aramaic Translations, Dialects of 'Amidya, Dihok, and Urmia, a Critical Edition, Based on Recordings and Manuscripts, etc., (Hebrew University Jewish Oral Tradition Center, Edah ve-Lashon # 26,) Jerusalem 2006.
100) "Yona Gabbay, A Jewish Peddler's Life Story from Iraqi Kurdistan, As Narrated by him in his Aramaic Dialect of Zakho (Four Episodes)," Mediterranean Language Review 16 (2005), pp. 167-220.
101) My book The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews: An Anthology, New Haven, 1982 (Yale Judaica Series #23) was translated into Turkish :(Bir Antoloji: Kurdistani Yahudilerin Halk Edebiyati, Istanbul, (DOZ Yayinlari), 2005).
102) Review of Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Koy Sanjaq by Hezi Mutzafi, Semitica Viva vol. 32. Wiesbaden, 2004, in Journal of American Oriental Society 125.2 (2005): 298-99.
CURRENT RESEARCH
Hebrew Piyyutim (Hymns) in Jewish Neo-Aramaic Translations.
