cs Pt Celebrating Chanukah From Child To Adult
Viti
si t&
Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will present a Yiddish
Joshua said, "What's the
lesson entitled "Du Redst Yiddish
matter? Don't you believe in
(Do You Speak Yiddish?)" whose
miracles?" He turned around,
aim is to encourage further study of
picked up a tin can, and said, "I
Yiddish. The lesson will include a
bet you that this will land on the
brief story utilizing the Yiddish
menorah."
words to be studied, a vocabulary
To this day, I don't know hcw
list with English translations and a
he did it. I don't think Josh knows
family activity which involves using
either. He threw the can high in the' the new words. Two books which
air. It went way up and then came
may be helpful for beginning
down on top of a big pile. When it
Yiddish students are Yiddish for
hit, a tire rolled off of the pile and
Beginners by Dr. Joffen and Der
crashed into a cardboard box. The
Yiddisher Lerer by Goldin.
box moved. All of a sudden I saw
Weinreich's English-Yiddish
the shamash of my chanukiah
Dictionary also may be useful. At
sticking through an egg carton. We
the conclusion of each lesson will
be a suggested list of books for
both ran.
persons who wish to further their
I picked up the chanukiah and
knowledge.
kissed it. I knew just how the
The lessons were prepared by
Maccabees felt when they cleaned
Mary Koretz of Oak Park. She has
the Temple. I didn't know what to
taught both children's and adult
say. Joshua reached into his
classes in Yiddish at the Workmen's
knapsack and took out a box of
Circle.
Chanukah candles. He didn't say
Following is this month's
anything. He put them in the
lesson:
menorah, and right there — in the
Chanukah is observed a sach
garbage dump — we lit the candles
differently heint than when I was a
and sang the blessings. I think I
child many yorin ago. At that time,
cried again.
no child received matones for the
When he rode me home, Josh
eight days of the yom tov. As a
pointed to a neon sign. He said, "A
matter of fact, no one hot bakumen
chanukiah is just like that neon
any gifts at all. What we did get was
sign. That is why we put it in the
Chanukah gelt. For the merstn
window. It lets everyone know that
tayl, it was pennies.
as Jews we are proud to be
I gedenk particularly the
different. For us, the light of Torah is
pennies we received from Bunim
the most important thing in our life."
and Abraham. They were two
That night, my father and I lit
bocherim who were boarders of my
the Chanukah menorah again, and
mume Kayle and feter Motel.
put it in the window for everyone to
Abraham would give me my
see. I told my father that I was
Chanukah money with a shmaychl.
proud to be different. I said, "If
I would say, "A dank" and he
someone needs help, I will always
would say, "You bahnits it in good
be the one to help. If something is
health. The exchange was kurts
right and someone must speak up, I
and sweet. Not so with his bruder.
will be that person. I am going to be
Bunim would use the giving of the
a good Jew."
money as an opportunity to raytsn
me, to express his macht as the
Later that night, I sneaked out
giver
and to eat my harts out. He
of bed into the kitchen. I spent
would say, "I vays you want this
hours polishing and cleaning the
money." I said gornit. He said, "I
chanukiah. I felt just like the
bet you have it already oysgegebn
Maccabees. The chanukiah that
in your mind." I said nothing. He
Great-Great-Grandmother
said, "I'll bet you would be
Rosenberg brought from Bavaria,
antoysht if I didn't give it to you."
and which came from Baltimore on
He was wrong. In emes, I wished
a covered wagon was always going
he wouldn't give it to me and make
to be protected. Late that night, I
me leidn this humiliation. But in
had my own Chanukah. My
those teg, children never spoke up
chanukiah had its own dedication.
to their elders so I said nothing.
Finally, he oysgetsaylt the 10
Reprinted by permission from
pennies he gave me. I remember it
Building Jewish Life: Chanukah by
was 10 because he parted with
Joel Laurie Grishaver.
yeder penny as though it was the
of my life for coming late."
Hope diamond. Then the torment
was fartik. It took a lot of potato
latkes to compensate me for this
ordeal!
Vocabulary
sach
heint
yorin
matones
yom tov
hot bakumen
gelt
merstn tayl
gedenk
bocherim
mume
feter
shmaychl
dank
bahnits
much
today
years
gifts
holiday
received
money
for the most part
remember
bachelors (or boys)
aunt
uncle
smile
thanks
use
kurts
bruder
raytsn
macht
harts
vays
gornit
oysgegebn
antoysht
emes
leidn
teg
oysgetsaylt
yeder
fartik
short
brother
tease
power
heart
know
nothing
spent
disappointed
truth
suffer
days
counted
each
finished
Family Activity
Go as a family to a
convalescent home or an old folks
home and bring a Chanukah
present to someone who never has
visitors.
VIDEO CASSETTES
(VHS format)
The Jewish Customs; The Miracle of Chanukah —
Small Wonder Puppet Theater, both at Spitzer's.
TOYS AND GAMES
Dreidel paddle, UFO spin top dreidel, Simchah
Charades, Jewish Brain Teaser, all at Spitzer's. Yom
Tov Bingo, at Borenstein's.
BOOKS
Shira's New Start, Libby Lazewnik; Living Each Day,
Rabbi Abraham Twerski, at both Spitzer's and
Borenstein's. Building Jewish Life: Chanukah, Joel
Grishaver; All about Chanukah, Groner and Wikler; It's
Not the Jewish Christmas, Norman Geller; The Story
of Chanukah, Maida Silverman, all at Spitzer's.
K'tonton in the Circus: A Chanukah Adventure, Sadie
Weilerstein; The Dreidel Champ, Smodar Shir Sidi; The
Happy Draydel, Ruth Samuck; Chanukah of Great-
Uncle Otto, Myron Levoy; Light Another Candle,
Miriam Chaikin; The Lost Side of the Dreydl, Barbara
Birenbaum; The Dangerous Dreidle Ride, Chaiky
Halpern.
Spitzer's is located at 21770 W. 11 Mile, Southfield. k.
rnestein's is located at 25242 Greenfield, Oak Par
Bo
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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