THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, July 23, 1976 25 Koor Ltd. Develops Writer Says Role of Yiddish Humor Is to Keep You 'Treffing' BY DAVID SCHWARTZ "Yes," smiles the stran- ger. Whereupon Mr. Jacobson smacks the stranger right across the face, but the stranger only laughs. "Why are you laughing — I slapped you," said Mr. Ja- cobson. "I know," says the stran- ger, "but you see, I fooled you. I am not Sam Kagonov- ich at all. My name is Gold- farb." Besides laughter, Jews also like something to worry about. For instance, take a bagel. It is some- thing to eat, but are Jews satisfied with eating it? No, you will find discus- sion among Jews on the question — what happens to the hole of the bagel after the whole bagel is eaten? The conclusion some reached is that after the bagel is eaten, the hole moves to the kesheneh (the pocket) which of course has to pay for the bagel. Other people might not have much regard for such things as the hole of a bagel, but to the Jew, nothing is (Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.) A Jew goes to a dentist to have a bad tooth extracted. "Which tooth is it?" asks the dentist. "Treff," (guess) said the Jew. The dentist guessed wrong and pulled out the wrong tooth. Again he asks which tooth hurts him and again hears "treff." So the dentist goes on "treffing" incorrectly until the patient has no teeth. But the Jew of course had his laugh at the mistakes the dentist was making in "treffing." What won't a Jew do for a laugh? As they say in Yiddish, tatti, du lachst. (Papa, you are laughing.) The cir- cumstances may not be pleasant, but at least we can get a laugh out of it. Suffering has probably made the Jew appreciate humor more. No wonder our greatest Yiddish writer was Sholom Alei- chem. Max Weinrich, the great authority on the Yiddish language gives another characteristic example of Yiddish humor. A Mr. Jacobson sees a stranger and asks, ''Are you, by any chance, Sam Kagonovich?" Extraordinary people Are our Israeli brothers, For the impossible accomplished By means incredible to others. The hijacked plane, the anguished hearts, Then, suddenly, gone was despair! Like messengers from God they came, Twenty-five hundred miles by air! BILL CAPLAN 12711 W. 7 MILE RD. 341-3366 r W From clutches of the hijackers, The doomed, to life recalled, W VALUABLE COUPON 1 Gal Plastic 1 And through coming generations Its daring exploits will be told! The world was stunned, it held its breath, And then burst forth in loud acclaim For the assault, unparalleled, Against civilization's shame. Will the world at last be willing The truth of prophesy to see, That Israel with wisdom shall "A light unto all nations be"? Free people everywhere rejoiced, Their spirits lifted by new hope, For Israel, with brains and guts Showed how with hijackers to cope - Added to our nation's glory Will be this rescue mission bold, Or, will it, lulled by apathy, Retreat behind self-centered shield And to barbaric terrorists, With non-concern its conscience yield? be Cherow, Says: THE FURNITURE YOU BUY IN A STORE OR THRU YOUR DECORATOR MUST FIRST BE BUILT THAN SOLD TO THE STORE, THEN SOLD TO THE DECORATOR THEN TO YOU. WHY NOT SKIP THE LAST TWO EXPENSIVE STEPS AND BUY YOUR FURNITURE DIRECTLY FROM ARTISTIC UPHOLSTERERS. AND IT WILL BE GUARANTEED FOR 10 YEARS. CALL OR VISIT. . • "lb ..116 formerly Barbara's Stationery • Bar Mitzvas • Bat Mitzvas, • Confirmations ABE CHEROW, President CALL LU 4-5900 Mb, • II. ■ .. .11 . 1%. • 1111. 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ASSOCIATES ALADDIN DRUGS Off new address 135 pierce Let professionals han- dle your household and estate sales. Harvard Row Mall 11 Mile & Lahser 353-9898 , —.1 20% Invited ESTATE LIQUIDATIONS APPRAISALS Valid Only 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. No Exceptions TEL AVIV — With the introduction of direct over- seas dialing to many areas of the country, Tadiran, Is- rael Electronics Industries Ltd., a division of Koor In- dustries Ltd. was requested by the Ministry of Corn- munications to develop and produce automatic number identification systems simi- lar to those used abroad. sere HOUSEHOLD SALES 99c Limit one (1 block North of Ford Rd.) LU 4-5900 Dearborn Open Daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Papa, you're laughing. But perhaps, there is some- thing to it. After all — is not the language of a people the thing that most establishes the validity of its existence? It is a kind of music which rises above and drowns out the discords of prejudice. Once an use and ever a custom. Telephone System Boutique Items they snatched And flew them back to Israel With skill and cleverness unmatched. HOMO MILK 5755 SCHAEFER RD are confounded in silence. who boasted of her igno- rance of Yiddish. "Before I met my husband," she said, "I never even knew what a schlemiel was." Yiddish is spoken less to- day. Isaac Carmel used to tell of the small boys listing the four stages of life: first, infancy; second, when you grow up; third, when you get married; fourth, when you get old and speak Yid- dish. Today, even among the old, Yiddish is spoken less, but it has its ardent devo- tees and they tell even of the Jewish mother in Israel who insists on speaking Yiddish to her children. "I want them to remember they are Jews," she says. Of late there has been something of a revival of Yiddish in Is- rael. Sometimes, I have a queer feeling — like in a dream state. I see Chaim Herzog rise in the United Nations, and he speaks in Yiddish, winding up in He- brew, and in this dream it seems to me the world is listening as never before and even the enemies of Is- rael in the United Nations The Miracle at Entebbe GRAEME FLOWERS FREE ESTIMATES AT YOUR HOME FOR Alt PARTIES unimportant. According to the Yiddish writer, B. Kov- ner, many Jewish bakers discontinued making bagels because they ran out of holes. Of late, one notes an old Yiddish expression has be- gun to be seen and heard in the English media — the bottom fact. This is derived from the Yiddish expression untershten shurah. Jews like to go down to the root of things. The Yiddish lan- guage itself, it seems to me, partakes of this characteris- tic. It is blunt. Sometimes the Yiddish speaker does not even require words. A shrug of the shoulders and the word "nu" will suffice. Tone of voice is important. "He has his nerve, I won't do it," says Mr. Rubenstein, when he read a letter from his son ask- ing for $100. When the same letter is read to him by another in a softer, pleading tone, he says, "Well now that he speaks that way, I'll send my dear son the money." There are the snobs. Like the swank English Jewess 14 K & 18 K GOLD DIAMONDS & FINE JEWELRY Danny Barry EINTRAUg Jewelers I .- i Al! Bank Cards Honored WHERE THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST" Mon. thru Fri. 9 to 5 Sat. 9 to 3 Quality Jewelers for 3 Generations 23077 Greenfield, Advance Bldg., Suite 354, Southfield, Michigan 557-5544