Culture  Art&Culture
Yiddish becomes hit among Israeli Arabs
Dudi Goldman
Published: 22.12.12, 07:44
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24 Talkbacks for this article
1. Where are all the haters.
Marc ,   Tel Aviv   (12.22.12)
I guess whe're not going to see too many talk-backs on this article.
2. Yiddish for arabs
Yisraeli   (12.22.12)
Oy vei gott zol unz helfen as bei dem nexte o tzweiten dor nor di aribishe vett kennen redden yiddish ribbono shel olam, rachmoono litzlan.Yidden vek oof. Ich veiss az doos iz a medinas Chelm odder darfs dos nisht helfen. Nu arab Yiddish speakers, how did you go with the above?
3. Oy Vey
e ,   USA   (12.22.12)
Oy Vey Shmear. How my Bubbeh would kvetch about this development.
4. very nice
PersianJew ,   Holon, Ta, Israel   (12.22.12)
this is a nice story to read in times like this, all my children are multi lingual, Hebrew, Parsi, Arabic and my daughter and youngest son speak Yiddish, I believe all of these languages reflect the culture and history of Israel and her people.
5. #4 really good point
Zvi   (12.22.12)
6. #1 Not Sure Which Haters You're Talking About
EGGM ,   Petah Tikvba, Israel   (12.22.12)
If you're referring to the many talkbackers here who often say seemingly anti-Arab things, then from my experience it usually reflects anti-terrorist sentiment, not anti-Arab. The Arabs described in this article want to connect to the Jewish and Israeli culture, and want to fit in. That's a good thing, and I think that Jews from the entire political spectrum will agree.
7. "Gurnicht helfen…
Cuasimarrano ,   Limbo   (12.22.12)
…is all I can say in Yiddish, ever since I came across a book by Harry Golden titled GURNICHT HELFEN. Years ago I read some German novel in which someone says that Yiddish is a horrible dialect. I wonder if it's as harsh as German, as spoken in places other than Austria, where it's so soft that it sounds like something else. Semitic languages, too, are terribly gruff, due to the guttural letters that sound like someone clearing his throat before spitting on the ground. It seems like only Latin-based languages are sweet, except Spanish as one hears it in dry, desolate Castille and thereabouts." (From a treatise at yyy.gurnicht.oy/trts#357013)
8. Why shouldn't arabs learn Yiddish?
A ,   Belgium   (12.22.12)
These are respectable and honorable citizens of the Jewish state, who are willing to learn how Israel and Judaism are inseperable, not like Zoabi and Tibi and the rest of THAT group. THEY should be deported.
9. DON'T DREI MY KOP
DA RAP YID ,   YID ROW   (12.22.12)
Oy vei izmir. Seriously ,good luck to those fine arabs who are making the effort to learn the wonderful yiddish languague. I have 100% admiration for them .RESPECT.
10. Nice Story Indeed
Ginette Golden ,   Toronto, Canada   (12.22.12)
# 4, Persian Jew in Holon you said it the best. # 1, Marc in Tel Aviv, you are either ignorant, dumb or both! We, the Jewish Nation know how to see the difference between a terrorist Arab from a normal Arab for whom the latter is just like you and me and lives without constant hate in their heart...Vive la difference! Shabbat shalom
11. 25% of students
aaron ,   toronto,canada   (12.22.12)
Now that these students took the FIRST STEP on their long journey through life their second step should be to educate the younger generation about their studies and experiences with Jewish Cultures and its people.We will all benefit from these arab students.GOOD FOR THEM.
12. Maybe....just maybe....
Chaya ,   Bat Yam   (12.22.12)
Some of them are descended from Jews....
13. Another sign that Moshiach is comming
Dr. Hiner Pupik ,   Baltimore   (12.22.12)
Miracle after miracle indeed. Arabs who are learning yiddish. Who would have thought.
14. Jews in Israel should learn Arab.
ORA ,   JERUSALEM   (12.22.12)
15. Jews in Israel do learn Arabic, Ora.
Aviv ,   Jerusalem   (12.22.12)
16. 12 I just learned that many are ...
ORA ,   JERUSALEM   (12.22.12)
genetically Jewish [see tb the oldest woman...in "News"]
17. #9 Lawrence..I agree with you
Mark ,   Lodz, Poland   (12.24.12)
18. Would love to read Bashra's thesis
William ,   Israel   (01.10.13)
on similarities between Yiddish and Arab literature, when its written.
19. Yes, Lots Of Similarities: For Jews Its "L'Chayim! - To LIFE
Alberto   (01.11.13)
- For arabs it's "KILL EVERYONE NOW {who is not an arab} !
20. Arabs and Haredim United!
Sherlock Holmes ,   London England   (02.03.13)
Now we have United Torah Judaism. Will we soon have a coalition of Agudah, Degel, Shas and Yiddish-speaking Arabs? Some Palestinian Arab clans admit they descend from Jewish converts to Islam. Could that explain their affinity to Yiddish? Ich weis nicht!
21. Sitting shiva revisited
Joseph ,   London England   (02.03.13)
There is a deep misunderstanding about sitting shiva for a child who marries out. The Halacha is that for a person who denies his Jewish faith we do NOT sit shiva. The original story was most likely that the rav's son married out and then predeceased his father, who nonetheless honoured his son by sitting shiva for him. Sitting shiva, saying kaddish, learning Mishnaos etc are to honour the dead and would not be done for an apostate.
22. Number three. 'shmear'???
Danny ,   London England   (02.03.13)
Oy vay ist mir! nicht 'shmear'! 'shmear' is a totally different word.
23. Number 7. Judischer Deutsch
Akiva ,   NYC   (02.03.13)
Yiddish began as Judischer Deutsch or German written in Hebrew letters. Fleeing persecution in Crusader Germany Jews kept their German dialect in Poland, Russia and Lithuania, sometimes changing some of the vowel sounds in Poland. When Eastern European Jews arrived in large numbers in German-speaking countries after 1880 the Germans saw Yiddish as bastardised German and Jews did their best to adjust to modern German.
24. Jews and Arabic ...
Yossi ,   London UK   (02.03.13)
Maimonides and many of the greatest Jewish scholars of the Middle Ages spoke and wrote Arabic, and even today in Israel a very large number of Jews speak Arabic. It's a trwo-way street.
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