By Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
Aaron Lansky, President of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA, wrote, "In short, after forty years we're working harder than ever to preserve the treasures of Yiddish culture and share them with the world."
Shown below is a chronology of fascinating facts, figures, and quotes about Yiddish:
- 2022 There's a new Jewish-themed offshoot of the word game, "Wordle"--"Jewdle." Created by Alan Meltzer, it was sold to The New York Times for at least 1 million dollars.
- 2021 The number of people studying Yiddish has increased in the last 8 years. Online classes at the Workman's Circle has more than 1,000 students. The Forward's own You Tube offers a Yiddish word of the day and has 750,000 viewers.
- 2020 The Oxford Dictionary has added a slew of Jewish themed and Yiddish terms. They include: chrain, chutzpadik, farbrengen, farkakta, kibitz, kvetchy, and the phrase "Shiksa Goddess"--a non-Jewish woman regarded as attractive to Jewish men.
At Michael R. Bloomberg's campaign event, supporters held up posters which said, "Mishpucha for Mike."
New York Magazine published a one-page "Guide to Shvitzing."
In San Diego, a license plate maven, Melanie Rubin, spotted a Jewish-inerest license plate: KPL DOC She guesses that the driver is a pediatric psychiatrist. - 2019 When Kate McKinnon--from Saturday Night Live--went to see "Fiddler on the Roof" [in Yiddish], Jackie Hoffman, who plays Yente, tweeted: "The fabulous Kate McKinnon was at our shtetl tonight wearing stilettos, which I'm calling 'shtetlettos.'"
The New York Post [Sept. 20] carried this headline: "ABOUT L'CHAIM, Disney! First Jewish Princess." Hannah Frishberg adds, "Finally a princess with some chuzpah."
Lauren Le Vine, "A Beginner's Guide to American Yiddish (AKA "Yinglsh"), wrote: "In my family, you're not on pins and needles, you're on shpilkes. When you're down in the dups someone will ask why you're so ongebluzen (or tell you to stop looking so ongebluzened). They might tell you to stop "hocking my chainik."
Mandi Katz ("Moving Yiddish from my heart to my Mouth"), wrote, "I'm learning Yiddish to address a condition I call 'mamaloshen envy' that I first developed 30 years ago but which has become acute in the last 10." - 2018 Andrew Silow-Carroll wrote an article titled, "Florida seniors are getting self-driving cars? Gavalt!"
Jack Hazen wrote: "It's a custom where we come from, when somebody is trying to get pregnant, you make a challah and say a "brokhe." - 2017 Bill Maher ripped Jared Kushner as an "underserving schmuck" who has no business running a major company--let alone the White House."
Actor, Harrison Ford, described himself as a "schmuck" after he mistakenly landed his plane on a taxiway at John Wayne Airport in Orange, CA.
Linda Pressmen ("Honoring My Mom Wth 7 Fabulous Words"), shares the Yiddish words: drek, potchke, goniff, ongeblozen, schlomozel, schpikes, and meshuganah.
According to allanagrams.com, "Halvahs," the sweet candy like confection of Turkish origin, consists of ground sesame seeds and honey, is worth 15 points in Scrabble. - 2016 Frank Cerabino, columnist for The Palm Beach Post, wrote about the Boynton Beach (FL) "alta cockers."
- 2015 Cindy Adams (NY Post) reports: NEW TRENDS. Forgoing platform shoes, ladies are into flats and schlepping their restaurant left- overs home. Once was "for the dog." Now it's for them. Only in New York.
Deena Yellin (The Forward), asks, "But in today's frantically paced world of fast food and career couples, has the balabusta become as obsolete as the meat grinder or pop-up toaster?" - 2014 Yiddishists coin the words "helikopter eltern," meaning "helicopter parents."
Jane Horwitz reviewed "Golda's Balcony": "actress Tovah Feldshuh holds the theater and stage and her audience in a nearly hypnotic grip. "Here is no traditional 'Yiddishe mama' proffering chicken soup."
In this year's National Spelling Bee contest, a child of Indian immigrants won by correctly spelling the word "knaidel" (matzo ball). Note: YIVO-style would be spelled "kneydl"). - 2013 The Long Island Kosher BBQ champion- ship was held in Westbury, New York. Two of the teams were named "M.O.B." (Mavens of Barbecue), and "50 Shades of Flayshik."
Cindy Adams wrote, "Mama Middleton? Her copied shmattews are already on sale. At Banana Republic yet." - 2012 Lenore Skenazy ("5 Things To Do Before You're 13") wrote, No. 2. Learn some Yiddish (even curses) or Ladino...
- 2011 Scott Sherman ("BAD For the Jews"), wrote about Joe Lieberman: "First member of his family to attend college. Oh, his parents must have been filled with such naches!"
- 2010 Barbra Streisand, at the gala launching of the New American Jewish Museum in Philadelphia, sang a parody of the song "People." "People/I'm here with my people/the most heymishe people in the world..."
MARJORIE GOTTLIEB WOLFE is the author of two books on Yiddish.
