Yiddish words used in daily lexicon

By LINDA M. LINONIS

linonis@vindy.com

boardman

If you’ve described an assertive person as one with chutzpah or lamented some misfortune with “oy vey,” you’ve used Yiddish and probably don’t know it.

“Yiddish words have worked their way into the daily lexicon of American life,” said Irv Lev, who leads a Yiddish class at Congregation Rodef Sholom, 1119 Elm St.

He cited such examples as chutzpah (nerve), kibitz (to offer comments or joke), klutz (uncoordinated person), kosher (food prepared according to Jewish law), maven (an expert), mazel tov (good luck), nosh (to snack), oy vey (how terrible things are) and shlep (to carry or move about).

Yiddish literally means Jewish according to the website www.myjewishlearning.com. It is the language spoken by Ashkenazic Jews from Central and Eastern Europe and their descendants. Google “Ganteseh Megillah” and you’ll find the Yiddish glossary and more including a Facebook page.

Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet, so being able to read Hebrew is the first step.

“I don’t know how I learned it; I just know it,” Lev said. “My parents must have spoken it.” His ancestors came from Belarus, a province in Russia.

About a dozen people attend the Thursday sessions led by Lev with assistance from Rabbi Franklin Muller. The rabbi said the class was suggested by Lynne Bolotin, who came from Temple Beth Israel in Sharon, Pa., which merged with Congregation Rodef Sholom.

“I remember my grandma speaking it,” Bolotin said. “I thought it was important to preserve it and pass along in my family.”

Lev takes everyday phrases such as “How are you doing?” and “What time is it?” and asks class participants to turn them into Yiddish.

Rabbi Muller said saying some words such as chutzpah involves a “throaty pronunication.” He took a class in Yiddish as part of his rabbinical studies.

For Lev, the classes are a way to “keep the language alive.”

The synagogue is the place of many languages. English and Hebrew are spoken at services and Yiddish in the temple classes. The synagogue also is the new site of The English Center, where people from 32 countries who speak other languages come to learn English.