Regaining My Heritage

With Gregory being at Lieberman Center for Health and Rehabilitation, which is run by CJE, Council for Jewish Elderly, my "roots" have been talking to me more and more. 

Many of the residents speak Russian, or Polish, or German but often Yiddish. My childhood experiences with listening to my Grandparents and parents speak Yiddish come back to me along with the meaning of many of the expressions. Fluent speaking Yiddish, no. Use of expressions, easy.

The adults would speak in Yiddish so the children wouldn't hear. The topics were gossipy, sexy joke dirty, about the kids, etc. But guess what. The kids began to understand what the adults were saying. We had to be careful not to giggle which would give away the fact that we understood what they were saying.

Meanwhile, my one word communications with many of the residents at Lieberman bring smiles, acknowledgements, and torrents of untranslated replies to which a smile seems enough. ZieGazunt - Stay well, Be good, Good Bye. Bisel - A little. Voos Maxtu - What's new? 

I am trying to learn more: 

The First Words You Learn

Selected Yiddish Words and Phrases - impress your friends and family
http://www.sbjf.org/sbjco/schmaltz/yiddish_phrases.htm
 
A BI GEZUNT: So long as you're healthy. Expression means, "Don't worry so much about a problem, whatever it is. You've still got your health."

ALTER COCKER: An old and complaining person, an old fart.

AY-YAY-YAY: A Joyous, or at times sarcastic, exclamation.

BALABUSTA: The wife of an important person or a bossy woman.

BEI MIR BIST DU SHAYN: To me you're beautiful.

BERRYER: Denotes a woman who has excellent homemaking skills. Considered a compliment in the pre-feminist era.

BISSEL, BISSELA: A little.

BOBBEMYSEH: Old wive's tales, nonsense.

BOYCHICK: An affectionate term for a young boy.

BROCHE: A prayer.

BUBBA: A grandmother.

BUBBALA: A term of endearment, darling.

BUPKES: Something worthless or absurd.

CHAYA: An animal. "Vilda Chaya," a wild animal, is a term used to describe unruly children.

CHAZEREI: Food that is awful, junk or garbage.

CHUTZPAH: Nerve; gall, as in a person who kills her parents and asks for mercy because she is an orphan.

DRECK: Shit. Can refer to the ugliness of objects or people.

ESS: Eat.

FAYGALA: A male homosexual. (literally, little bird.)

FERBLUNJIT: Lost, mixed up.

FERCOCKT: All fucked up.

FERDRAYT: Dizzy, confused.

FARPITZS: All dressed up.

FERMISHT: All shook up, as in an acute disturbance.

FERSHTAY?: Do you understand.

FRESS: To eat like an animal, i.e., quickly, noisily, and in great quantity. (Compare with ess, to eat like a human being.)

GAVALT: A cry of fear or a cry for help. Oy Gevalt is often used as expression meaning "oh how terrible."

GAY AVEK: Go away, get out of here.

GAY GA ZINTA HATE: Go in good health. Often said in parting but can be spoken with irony to mean, "go do your own thing."

GAY SHLAFEN: Go to sleep.

GELT: Money.

GONIF: A thief, a tricky clever person, a shady character.

GOY: A derogatory term meaning gentile, goyim is the plural, and goyisher is the adjective.

GREPSE: To belch.

GORNISHT: Nothing. Often used in a sarcastic manner, as in what did you get from her? Gunisht.

HAYMISH: Informal, friendly. A haimisher mensch is someone you feel comfortable with.

HOK A CHAINIK: To talk too much, to talk nonsense.

KIBITZ: To offer comments which are often unwanted during a game, to tease or joke around. A kibitzer gives unasked for advice.

KINE-AHORA: A magical phrase to ward off the evil eye or to show one's praises are genuine and not tainted by envy.

KLUTZ: An awkward, uncoordinated person.

KOSHER: Refers to food that it prepared according to Jewish law. More generally kosher means legitimate.

KVELL: To beam with pride and pleasure, Jewish parents are prone to kvell over their children's achievements.

KVETCH: To annoy or to be an annoying person, to complain.

LOCH IN KOP: Literally a hole in the head, refers to things one definitely does not need.

LUZZEM: Leave him be, let her or him alone.

MACH SHNEL: Hurry up.

MACHER: An ambitious person; a schemer with many plans.

MAVEN: An expert, a connoisseur.

MAZEL TOV: Good luck, usually said as a statement of support or congratulations.

MEESKAIT: A little ugly one; a person or thing.

MEGILLAH: Long, complicated and boring.

MENSCH: A person of character. An individual of recognized worth because of noble values or actions.

MESHUGGE or MESHUGGINA: Crazy.

MISHEGOSS: Inappropriate, crazy, or bizarre actions or beliefs.

MISHPOCHA: Family, usually extended family.

NACHES: Joy. To "shep naches" means to derive pleasure. Jewish children are expected to provide their parent with naches in the form of achievement. 

NARRISHKEIT: Foolishness, trivia.

NEBBISH: An inadequate person, a loser.

NOODGE: To bother, to push, a person who bothers you.

NOSH: To snack. 

NOSHERYE refers to food.

NU: Has many meanings including, "so?; How are things?; how about it?; What can one do?; I dare you!"

NUDNIK: A pest, a persistent and annoying person.

ONGEPOTCHKET: Messed up, slapped together without form, excessively and unesthetically decorated.

OY-YOY-YOY: An exclamation of sorrow and lamentation.

OY VEY: "Oh, how terrible things are". 

OH VEZ MEAR means "Oh, woe is me".

PISHER: A bed-wetter, a young inexperienced person, a person of no consequence.

PLOTZ: To burst, to explode, "I can't laugh anymore or I'll "plotz." To be aggravated beyond bearing.

POTCHKA: To fool around; to be busy without a clear goal.

PUPIK: Belly button.

PUTZ: A vulgarism for penis but most usually used as term of contempt for a fool, or an easy mark.

RACHMONES: Compassion.

SAYKHEL: Common sense.

SCHLOCK: A shoddy, cheaply made article, something thats been knocked around.

SCHMALTZ: Literally chicken fat. Usually refers to overly emotional and sentimental behavior.

SCHMUCK: A vulgarism for penis, strong putdown for a jerk, a detestable person.

SHADKHEN: a professional matchmaker.

SHANDA: A shame, a scandal. The expression "a shanda fur die goy" means to do something embarrassing to Jews where non-Jews can observe it.

SHAYGETS: A gentile boy and man, also means a clever lad or rascal.

SHAYNER: Pretty, wholesomely attractive, as in shayner maidel (woman.)

SHIKSA: A gentile girl or woman.

SHLEMIEL: A dummy; someone who is taken advantage of, a born loser.

SHLEP: To carry or to move about. Can refer to a person, a "shlepper," who is unkempt and has no ambition.

SHLIMAZL: A chronically unlucky person, a born loser, when a shlimazl sells umbrella the sun comes out.

SHMENDRICK: A weak and thin pipsqueak. The opposite of mensch, a a physically small shlemiel.

SHMEGEGGE: A petty person, an untalented person.

SHMATTA: A rag, often used as a putdown for clothes of the unfashionably dressed.

SHMEER: To spread as in to "shmeer" butter on bread. Can also mean to bribe and can refer to the "whole package", as in I'll accept the whole shmeer.

SHMOOZ: To hang out with, a friendly gossipy talk.

SHMUTZIK: Dirt.

SHNORRER: A begger, a moocher, a cheapskate, a chiseler.

SHNOZ: A Nose. Jimmy Durante was known as a the great shnoz.

SHTETL: A Jewish ghetto village.

SHTIK: A stick or thing. Often refers to an individual's unique way of presenting themselves, as in "She is doing her shtik."

SHTUNK: A stinker, a nasty person or a scandalous mess.

SHTUP: An expression for sexual intercourse, to "screw."

SHVITZ: To sweat, also refers to a Turkish bath house. A shvitzer means a braggart, a showoff.

SHVANTZ: A word for penis.

SPIEL: To play, as in to play a game.

TCHOTCHKA: An inexpensive trinket, a toy. Can also mean a sexy but brainless girl. The affectionate diminutive is tchotchkala.

TSETUMMELT: Confused, bewildered.

TSIMMES: A side dish, a prolonged procedure, an involved and troubling business, as in the phrase, "don't make a tsimmes out of it."

TSORISS: Suffering, woes.

TUCHES: Backside, ass, "tuches lecker" means ass kisser, one who shamelessly curries favor with superiors.

TUMMEL: Noise, commotion, disorder.

VER CLEMPT: All choked up.

VUS MACHS DA: What's happening? What's up?

YENTA: A busybody, usually refers to an older woman.

YENTZ: Course word for sexual intercourse. Also means to cheat or screw someone. Yentzer is the noun.

ZAFTIG: Juicy, plump. Can refer to food, ideas or people. A buxom woman.

ZIE GA ZINK: Wishing someone good health.

ZETZ: A strong blow or punch.

ZEYDE: Grandfather, or old man.

ZHLUB: An insensitive, ill-mannered person, a clumsy individual.

Sometimes People Need To Talk

For some reason people have always been comfortable talking with me, opening up about private and/or painful topics. Maybe I am a good listener. Maybe I look kind and loving. Maybe it is my Santa Claus image. Or maybe I am just in the right place at the right time.

Today at Lieberman:

I greeted Barry who is always sitting in the same seat by the front door and he replied, "Hi Michael!"

Sandy told me that she is going in for a knee replacement next week. She told me all about it in detail. She is fortunate that her daughter will come in to help. Could I please keep an eye on her husband (a Lieberman Resident.) Can I chat him up when I see him and can I make sure he gets down to the Sunday Entertainment?

Batia shared that she got a new wheel chair, a handsome black leather one, and that it is good.

Bill wanted me to sit by him in the community room during the entertainment so I put my chair between him and Gregory.

Shirley, Rose, and PK were sitting outside the front door by the circle drive. I always say hello to Shirley and PK but Rose was new to the group. I introduced myself to her and PK joined that she "convinced Rose to join the Circle Group"

To which Rose asked, "What is the Circle Group?"

To which Shirley replied, "The group of AKs (Alta Kockers - Old Shits in Yiddish) who sit around the circle driveway like we are doing.

Somehow PK got around to sharing that she was a "Mick." I told her I was not familiar with that expression and she explained that it was a derogatory word for an Irish person. "At least," she added, "It wasn't Lace Curtain Irish which referred to a blue-collar or working class Irish person who was trying to leave behind their roots and become middle class hoitey toitey.

PK remembered that there was a time when employment classified ads said, "Irish need not apply." Shirley said that it was the same for Jewish.

Upstairs I chatted with Monroe. He joked that the president was named after him. He is a friendly, sweet looking man who is in his middle 90s and comes to visit his wife who is in her late 80's. She has very advanced Dementia / Alzheimer's but still smiles a lot and is full of love. Every now and then she will come up to me and give me a big, unexpected hug. Of course I hug back.

Monroe asked who I have at Lieberman and I told him, "That young tall good looking guy in the wheel chair that just passed us." He asked if I was his father and laughing I told him no, Gregory is my boyfriend, accent on boy! We have been together in a relationship, I explained, for over 40 years. Mazel Tov he told me, "Congratulations!"

I have found that most of the AKs accept Gregory and my same sex commitment as if it were everyday ordinary. I guess by the time you get that old, you gain some perspective on the fact that the only things that matter is when two people love each other.

Jordan, one of Gregory's table mates at dinner, has decided that I am part of the management team for his large furniture company. He'll ask for my advice on how many men and trucks I think we'll need, if the traffic will allow for an early delivery, and how I think the customer relations department is doing. Other times he is pissed at me when I cannot "Drive me home!" "Call my G-d Damn son to come get me for dinner." "Get me out of here!" etc The other day he fired the Fifth Floor's Social Worker!

I do consider conversation and listening as something that I can freely share. How much does it cost me and what a priceless gift it is to give!