r/Yiddish Mar 06 '22

subreddit news Support for people in Ukraine

105 Upvotes

Many members of r/Yiddish are in Ukraine, have friends and family or ancestors there, have a connection through language and literature, or all of the above. Violence and destruction run counter to what we stand for in this community, and we hope for a swift and safe resolution to this conflict. There are many organizations out there helping in humanitarian ways, and we wanted to give this opportunity for folks of the r/yiddish community to share organizations to help our landsmen and push back against the violence. Please feel free to add your suggestions in comments below. We also have some links if you want to send support, and please feel free to add yours.


r/Yiddish Oct 09 '23

subreddit news Posts Regarding Israel

59 Upvotes

Please direct all posts concerning the war in Israel to one of the two Jewish subreddits. They both have ongoing megathreads, as well as threads about how and where to give support. Any posts here not directly related to Yiddish and the Yiddish language, as well as other Judaic languages, will be removed.

Since both subs are updating their megathreads daily, we won't provide direct links here. The megathreads are at the top of each subreddit:

r/Judaism

r/Jewish

For the time being, r/Israel is locked by their mods for their own sanity and safety.

We appreciate everyone who helps maintain this subreddit as one to discuss and learn about Yiddish and the Yiddish language.


r/Yiddish 7h ago

Yiddish language The Jews of Vabalninkas, Lithuania, in front of one of the torched synagogues in the town, on the eve of Rosh Hashana 1927

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26 Upvotes

r/Yiddish 6h ago

Yiddish pronuciation

2 Upvotes

Hello all. Is there a rule about when to pronounce "v" as "u" and when as "i"? I don't see any pattern. How do kids learn this in school? Thanks.


r/Yiddish 13h ago

Translation of a letter

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2 Upvotes

Would appreciate it if someone could help me with general storyline of this greeting.


r/Yiddish 1d ago

בעשיץ טראַנסקינדער בילדל

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34 Upvotes

ניצט עס, חברים


r/Yiddish 1d ago

Yiddish’s ‘revival’ points to its resilience as a portable homeland – and a global reach, from Russia to Mexico to the US

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16 Upvotes

r/Yiddish 1d ago

Translation request Traducción de reverso de fotografias

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3 Upvotes

Hola. Estoy revisando viejas fotografias familiares y encontré algunas de la década del 1930 enviadas en correspondencia de argentina a Polonia. Tienen en el reverso algunas frases en idish, me podrían ayudar a entenderlas? muchas gracias

Hello. I'm going through old family photographs and I found some from the 1930s that were sent in correspondence from Argentina to Poland. On the back they have some phrases in Yiddish — could you help me understand them? Thank you very much


r/Yiddish 1d ago

Translation request Please translate

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3 Upvotes

Found in an autograph book belonging to my aunt born in 1920


r/Yiddish 2d ago

Groyser Puris?

9 Upvotes

I was talking with my grandma and aunt (both born and raised in Kyiv) and upon mentioning I was nominated for a position in an association they called me a "groyser puris". They explained that it meant something like an important individual (like a president or a bigwig) and it was one of the few Yiddish phrases they learned and it was used all over Kyiv.

Now I'm barely A2 in Yiddish (thank you Duolingo), but this was not something I'd ever heard them say before and looking around, I didn't find much info online. My best guess is this is a corruption of "groyser parizer" (גריוסער פּאַריזער), and I've definitely encountered things like "groyser berliner" before (used sarcastically, from what I read.)

But maybe someone has a better etymology and definition?


r/Yiddish 2d ago

materials / advice for new learners

8 Upvotes

!אַ גוטן טאָג

my friend and I are moving in together at the end of the year and we really want to start learning Yiddish (he's Jewish & has/had Yiddish-speaking relatives; i'm a non-Jewish linguistics student who really loves the Yiddish language).

we're in Australia so there's not a great deal of speakers available to us but we are quite committed to learning the language to a decent level (my friend has also expressed his desire to raise his kids at least partially in the language; that's still many years away but a good goal of sorts).

i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for resources to use? we were thinking of self-directed study (like from textbooks or similar), we both have experience learning languages but we're starting from essentially no Yiddish (though i can read the script). if anyone has any particularly good resources or any other general advice i'd really appreciate it.

it doesn't have to be dialect specific but we'd be aiming for as close to Litvish / North-Eastern Yiddish as we could, though any resources would be appreciated.

אַ גוטע דאַנק מײַנע פֿרײַנד


r/Yiddish 3d ago

Yiddish language This is why Yiddish is NOT a dead language

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25 Upvotes

A Munkacz Hasidic sect's summer camp activity.

חסידות מונקאַטש

Munkacs Hasidic sect traces its origins to the historical region of greater Hungary in Europe. It reestablished itself in the United States after the Holocaust with the Satmar Rebbe's encouragement (another Hungarian Hasidic sect, the largest worldwide and in the US).

They are primarily Yiddish-speakers, similarly to Satmar Hasidim.

When a language has a living active intergenerational transmission to kids, and especially dozens of thousands (primarily in the NY metro non-Chabad Hasidic population), it ensures that language survives and even thrives into the future. Decades and even centuries to come.

And is basically what grants it the status of a living language.

Especially considering Haredi-hasidic Jews maintain one of the highest TFR birthrates worldwide, at around 5.5 to 6.8 babies per woman. (Not all Haredis speak Yiddish fluently, but the ones that do ensure it lives on, despite the Holocaust).


r/Yiddish 3d ago

Can someone help me read this

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8 Upvotes

We found this letter from my great great grandfather after him and his family were taken to the concentration camps. Can anyone please help translate it? I would love to know what it says. Thank you


r/Yiddish 2d ago

Translation request Letter from 6 weeks before German invasion

4 Upvotes

Hi! Please someone dm me. I found a letter to my safta which I believe is from her sister. My mother passed and she is a Holocaust survivor who did not share much with us about her childhood. I would love help translating because it is very difficult to read cursive in Yiddish. Thank you.

Edit: I didn’t post the letter because I do not know how personal it is. I’d rather send privately. Thanks so much


r/Yiddish 4d ago

Joy of the Yiddish Word

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5 Upvotes

A contemporary song cycle in Yiddish! Yiddish texts and translations in a PDF below the video. Enjoy!


r/Yiddish 4d ago

Yiddish language Seeking a noun that means hassle/bother/annoyance. Example sentence might be something like: "You have to do five interviews instead of two? What a pain." Not looking for a verb or way to refer to a person, just a situation.

12 Upvotes

Tsuris isn't it. Nudnik isn't it. Schlep isn't it but it's closest to what I'm looking for. Mutche might be, except I've only heard that as a verb.

All help appreciated!


r/Yiddish 4d ago

I.J. Singer is part of Italy’s Yiddish moment

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6 Upvotes

r/Yiddish 8d ago

Rugrats

11 Upvotes

In an older episode when the grandparents are babysitting, Didi's father asks one of them if they hurt their shmegeggi, What does it mean?


r/Yiddish 9d ago

“Strictly Kosher”

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68 Upvotes

—From the Brooklyn Museum—
Interesting that the store chose to transliterate English words into Yiddish script rather than using actual Yiddish words for the top of the signage


r/Yiddish 8d ago

Rugrats

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2 Upvotes

r/Yiddish 9d ago

Translation request Translation request, postcard from relatives

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6 Upvotes

r/Yiddish 9d ago

Yiddish literature Looking for two rare Yiddish books by my great-grandfather and his brother (Tigel/Tygel)

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30 Upvotes

Anyone while back I’ve learned my great-grandfather Avrom Tigel (editor of Di Yidishe Tsaytung, Antwerp, d. 1928) and his brother Zelig Tygel (Federation of Polish Jews, NYC) were both writers. I’m searching for two books I can’t find anywhere:

**1.**  Zelig Tygel, *Fun di kvorim: akht briv fun mayn tatn* (New York, 1946) — פֿון די קבֿרים  
**2.**  Avrom Tigel, *Dos Yidishe Lebn in Antverpn* (Köln, 1921)

Neither is on archive.org / Yiddish Book Center. If anyone has seen these in a library, private collection, or knows where to look, I’d be grateful.


r/Yiddish 11d ago

Translation request [Translation request] Family letter in Yiddish

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4 Upvotes

Here are a few letters from my great-grandmother’s sister Mira to my great-grandmother Bella. My grandmother Zhenya (Gitl) is also mentioned in the letters. I managed to understand most of the content but I would appreciate seeing translations from someone more fluent. Many thanks in advance!


r/Yiddish 12d ago

Yiddish language Photograph depicting a butcher shop sign in Buenos Aires, Argentina, written in both Spanish and Yiddish, in 1930

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30 Upvotes

r/Yiddish 12d ago

Translation request What is the meaning of patutz?

1 Upvotes