Hava Nedaber Ivrit: Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel

By NIRA LEV

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

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.

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
Hebrew. The lesson will include a
brief 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.
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
I
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
used in Israel is ZAMORA. It
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
the year 1550. In 1560 the taxes
takes
tekes
The
central
Ha'atzmaut.
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
of
all
the
everywhere; the rechovot
chosen
by someone who lived near
and
dgalim
arim, decorated with
a forest or who cared for the forest
orot, are jammed with joyous
and game of royalty.
celebrating people. Special bamot

etzev
Yom Hazikaron

Meelon (Dictionary)

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

, VI
_ine. 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 Wa lk
As One

Day Of
Jewish
Solidarity
Sunday, May 6

In Honor of Israel's
4 2nd Anniversary
JCC/West Bloomfield

Registration: 10:45 a.m.
Walk: 11:30 a.m.
Followed by Independence
Day Celebration
Call 965 ,3939, ext. 149

for information

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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