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Somewhere Over The Rainbow
You Can Find A Jewish 'Yip'

EZLIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Q: How did the Dead Sea get its
name?
A: "Dead Sea" first appeared

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Neotiivoc ifict,Arrofient4,-

in the writings of two Greeks of
the second century CE: the
traveler and geographer, Pau-
sanias, and the physician,
Galen. From them, the term
passed into the realm of western
academia and then into gener-
al usage (although for a time,
European pilgrims called
the body of water the "Devil's
Sea.")
In both ancient and modern
Hebrew, the Dead Sea is called
Yam Ha-Melach (Salt Sea),
a term from the Tanach (the
Jewish Bible). Occasionally,
the Tanach refers to the lake as
Yam HaArava (Sea of the Ara-
va) and Yam HaKadmoni (East-
ern Sea).
Yama Shel S'dom (Sea of
Sodom) appears in the Talmud.
In Latin, the Dead Sea was
called Lacus Asphaltitis (Lake of
Asphalt). The ancient Arabs
called it Bukhayrat Sadum

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wa'Amura (The Sea of Sodom
and Gomorrah) and Bakhur
Zu'ar (Sea of Zoar). The name in
modern Arabic is Bakhr Lut (Sea
of Lot).

(/)

LU

CC
F-
LU

LU

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1 block East of Telegraph, North of Square Lake Road

38

Visitors at the Dead Sea.

332-9430

Mon. & Wed. 9-7, Tue., Thur., Fri.& Sat. 9-5

Q: In the recent past, "Tell Me
Why" has introduced us to a Jew-
ish guy name Guido and a Jewish
woman named Fritz'. OK, those were
good. But now can you come up with
a Jew named Yip?
A: "Tell Me Why" can come up

with an answer to each and
every question ever asked in the

universe. And yes, yip, yip, generously to your brother, to
yooray, there was indeed a Jew- your poor and to your destitute
in your land."
ish Yip.
From this pas-
Edgar Harburg, whom every-
sage, the rabbis
one knew as Yip, was
established the
born in 1898. A lyri-
following priori-
cist, he wrote the
ty for giving
words for all the
charity: first, a
music in The Wiz-
person's own fami-
ard of Oz, winning
ly; second, the poor
an Academy
of one's own corn-
Award for "Over
munity; third, the
the Rainbow."
poor of an outside
Mr. Harburg
community.
began his career
Q: What is the
as a journalist
011 5
world Jewish popula-
and traveled
tion?
throughout
A: According to a 1992 survey,
Latin America.
Then he fell in love with the the- conducted by the American Jew-
ater and began writing lyrics; in ish Committee and recorded in
1947, he also co-authored the the 1994 American Jewish Year-
book that inspired Finian's Rain- book, the world Jewish popula-
tion is 12,922,000. This
bow.
Mr. Harburg's specialty was represents an increase, of 0.1 per-
socially conscious works, and he cent (7,000 persons), from 1991.
About 67 percent of world Jew-
was responsible for such greats
as "Happiness Is a Thing Called ry, or 8,679,500 persons, reside
Joe" and the 1930s classic, in the Diaspora. The remaining
4,242,500 are in Is-
rael.
North America,
with almost 6 mil-
lion, is home to the
largest Jewish
community in the
world. Nearly 2
million Jews reside
in Europe.
The 10 countries
with the largest
Jewish popula-
tions, in order, are:
the United States,
Israel, France,
Russia, Canada,
the United King-
dom, Ukraine, Ar-
gentina, Brazil and
South Africa.
The American
states with the
largest Jewish
communities are
New York (where
Jews comprise 9.1
RNS PHOTO/REUTERS percent of the pop-
ulaiton), Massa-
chusetts, Illinois,
"Brother, Can You Spare a Maryland, Ohio and Texas
Dime?' (Which, if he wrote today, (Michigan is 12th).
The states with the smallest
he would no doubt call, "Person,
Can You Spare a Thousand Jewish popoulations are South
Dakota, with 350, and Idaho,
Bucks?")
Q: Does Halachah establish a pri- Montana and Wyoming, with
500 each. 0
ority for the giving of charity?
A: "Charity begins at home" is
a familiar saying in English, b4
it has Jewish origins.
The Halachic priority for char- Send questions to "Tell Me Why"
itable donations is based on the c I o The Jewish News, 27676
Torah in Deuteronomy 15:11: "I Franklin Rd., Southfield, MI
command you to open your hand 48034 or send fax to 354-6069.

onati