Hava Nedaber Ivrit: Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel

By NIRA LEV

Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will present a Hebrew
lesson entitled, "Hava Nedaber
Ivrit!" (Let's Speak Hebrew), whose
aim is to encourage further study of
Hebrev The lesson will include a
!lief story utilizing the Hebrew
words to be studied and a
vocabulary list with English
translations. The lessons will be
prepared by Nira Lev, associate
professor of Hebrew language and
literature at the Midrasha College of
Jewish Studies. Mrs. Lev also
teaches Hebrew language and
literature at the Community Jewish
High School at the United Hebrew
Schools.

are set up where music is played
and entertainers are leading the
kahal in shirim and rikudim.
The annual Cheedon
Ha'Tanach is held in Yerushalayim
for youth from all over the world,
and in the evening the prestigious
Pras Yisrael is being awarded for
outstanding achievements in all
fields of life.
Many mesibot in private
homes, as well as special
toch'neeyot on the radio and TV
add to the unique ruach of
exhilaration and joy, and the whold
country becomes one in celebrating
the nes of hakamat ha'medinah.

etzev

Yom Hazikaron

sadness
Day of
Remembrance

rikudim
dances
shirim
songs
chagigot
celebrations, parties
yom
day
medinah
state, country
chayalim
soldiers
geeborim
brave, heroes
milchamot
wars
Hakamat Ha'medinah
the
establishment of the state
erev
evening
tz'feera
a siren
Hadlakat Ner Hazikaron
the
lighting of the
memorial candles
the president
Ne'see Ha'medinah
of the state
joy Ne'um La'umah
an address to
sorrow
the nation

Meelon (Dictionary)

Following is this month's
simcha
lesson:
tza'ar
Yom Ha'atzmaut in Yisrael is
marked by simcha and tza'ar at the
same time.
On the one hand we have the
tza'ar, etzev and solemnity of Yom
Hazikaron, and on the other hand
the rikudim, shirim and joyful
chagigot of Yom Ha'atzmaut.
Yom Ha'zikaron, Israel's Day of
Remembrance, precedes Yom
Ha'atzmaut. On this yom, the whole BY BETTY PROVIZER STARKMAN
medinah remembers and honors its
FINGERHUT is an Ashkenazic
fallen chayalim, the geeborim who
name which literally means "finger
lost their lives in the milchamot that
hat" or "thimble." Of occupational
we have been fighting since
origin,
it was adopted by ancestor
Hakamat Ha'medinah.
who
was
a tailor.
Erev Yom Hazikaron starts with
A
Sephardic
family name still
a one minute tz'feera and Hadlakat
ZAMORA. It
used
in
Israel
is
Ner Hazikaron by N'see
denotes origins in Zamora, Portugal,
Ha'medinah at Ha'kotel
prior to the 15th century.
Ha'ma'aravi. On the following boker,
From the Hebrew for Rachel,
another tz'feera is sounded and kol
some families took the name
ha'medinah stops all activity and
ROCHLIN. The Jewish people are
observes a two minute silence in
among
the very few who use
memory of our fallen chayalim. All
surnames
of matronymic origin.
dgalim are at half mast, and the
YAGODA as a surname is of
deep etzev, and evel is shared by
Russian root. It describes an
every single person because Tzahal
occupation — that of a seller of
is an army of the people and almost
berries. In Russian, yagoda means
every one lost a dear close person
"berries."
in one of Israel's many milchamot
The family name ENGEL
and pe'ulot.
originated in the Frankfort Ghetto.
The chagigot and the simcha
Their home bore the sign of an
of Yom Ha'atzmaut start ba'erev,
Engel or Angel. They adopted this
after the last tz'feera is sounded to
as their name. Records show that
signify the end of Yom Ha'zikaron
the Engel house was built before
and the beginning of chagigot Yom
Ha'atzmaut. The central tekes takes the year 1550. In 1560 the taxes
place in Yerushalayim, where N'see were 35 guilders. In 1600 the
residence was divided into three
Ha'medinah delivers his Ne'um
households. In 1711 an addition was
La'umah, followed by tekes
made and in the year 1883 it
Hadlakat Ha'masu'ot where 12
became town property and was
torches (masu'ot) are lit by 12
demolished.
people representing various groups
Another Ashkenazic name
of the nation, symbolizing Israel's
derived from the Yiddish/German is
life and achievements.
WALDMAN. It means "game
Soon, the chagigot start
keeper" or "forest dweller." It was
everywhere; the rechovot of all the
chosen by someone who lived near
arim, decorated with dgalim and
a forest or who cared for the forest
orot, are jammed with joyous
and game of royalty.
celebrating people. Special bamot

Ha'kotel H a' m a'aravi
The
Western Wall
boker
morning
kol
all, the whole
dgalim
flags
evel
mourning
Tzahal
The I.D.F.
pe'ulot
actions
ba'erev
in the evening
tekes
ceremony
hadlakat ha'ma'suot....the lighting
of the torches
rechovot
streets
arim
cities
orot
lights
bamot
platforms, stages
kahal
crowd, crowds
Cheedon Ha'tanach.The Bible Quiz
pras
an award, a prize
mesibot
parties
toch'neeyot
programs, plans
ruach
spirit
nes
miracle

Putting A Finger On Origins

RUBINICK is a family name
derived from the Hebrew patronymic
Ruben. A Slavonic diminutive suffix
or "cik" was added to mean "little
Ruben."
From the Ukranian we find the
family name, KORSHAK, which
means "bird of the eagle family."
This -name was adopted by a family
who lived at the sign of the korshak.
WEISSBART is a name of
descriptive root. It means "white
beard," and was chosen by a
person with a distinctive white
beard.
MONASH is a pet form of the
patronomyic, Menachem, which
means "consoler." The Leo Baeck
Institute holds material about this
clan. The UNIVERSAL JEWISH
ENCYCLOPEDIA (1901-1906), has
an article about Sir John Monash
who was Commander of Australian
Forces in France during the first
world war. In 1958, Monash
University in Victoria, Australia, was
named after him.
LOWE is an interesting name
which can be attributed to several
sources. Some families bearing this
surname are descended from Judah
Lowe, famous Rabbi and scholar,
often called the Maharal of Prague.
Other sources believe that Lowe is
a disguised form of LEVI. The
German for "lion" is Lowe. The
name could therefore have
originated from a Frankfort Ghetto
home which bore the sign of the
lion. Much has been written about
this family. The American Jewish

Archives, The Leo Baeck Institute
and The Central Archives of the
Jewish People, all hold material.
There are also articles in THE
JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
(1901-1906) and The
ENCYCLOPEDIA JUDAICA (1971).
GLANTZ is an Ashkenazic
surname of ornamental root. In
Yiddish/German, glantz means
"shine" or "radiance."

Betty Provizer Starkman is the past
president and founder of the
genealogical branch of the Jewish
Historical Society of Michigan.

We Walk
As One

Day Of
Jewish
Solidarity

Sunday, May 6

In Honor of Israel's
42nd Anniversary
JCCIViiest Bloomfield

Registration: 10:45 a.m.
Walk: 11:30 a.m.
Followed by Independence
Day Celebration
Call 9653939, ext. 149

for information

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

L-5

