OPEN EVERY SATURDAY /BILL COOK 131IICK 1995 REGAL I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar And you thought Pvt. Benjamin was hip? ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR Q:Is it true that Leon Trotsky's great-grandson lives in Israel? A: That's the story going 0 -u- m 33 Stk. #50379 24 months 1995 PARK AVENUE ALL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH: Dual airbags, ABS, cruise, tilt, AM/FM cass., power windows, locks, CD changer and more! 37911 Grand River West of Halsted FARMINGTON HILLS 810-471-0800 `24 mo. dosed end lease based on approved credit 12,000 rri. per year w/15o per mile excess. Lessee resp. for tax, title, plates, cest., acq. fee and $585 down. Rf. sec. dep. of 1st mo. pymt. rounded to next $25 increment Total obligation is pymL times term plus fees. Lessee resp. for excessive wear and tear. Lessee has opt to purchase at lease end at a price to be determined at inception. W IS H NE WS OPEN EVERY SATURDAY Excluding Lesportsac CC )98 ) 5 NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY 34 IN APPLEGATE SQUARE 357-1800 OPEN THURSDAY TILL P. P.M. C around Kiryat Arba, where David Axelrod, a leader in Kach (founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane), reportedly lives. a: Who was the first Jewish woman to serve in the army in modern times? A: The first known Jewish Q: My immigrant grandmother said that when she was a little girl in New York, she worked in a sweatshop sewing "staynicles." I would never ask Tell Me Why to discuss anything indelicate in this family oriented column, but can you explain to me just what a "staynicle" was? Will you have to clip the Victoria's Secret catalog for an illustration? From reader S.G. in Huntington Woods A: If it's thrills you're looking woman to serve in the army of any modern state was Esther Manuel, better known as Louise Grafemus (1785-1852). She was born in Hanau, Germany, 14 miles east of Frankfurt am Main, a center of Hebrew print- ing and the birthplaces of the Brothers Grimm. In 1813, in search of for you've come to the right her husband in the Russ- place. As billions of readers ian army, Grafemus dis- worldwide already know, Tell guised herself as a man Me Why is the most exciting and enlisted. Before she column in the history of was discovered to be a mankind. woman, she was wound- But when it comes to "stayn- ed twice and promoted to icle," you would do better to sergeant major. turn to a Montgomery Ward Interestingly enough, catalog than Victoria's Secret. Grafemus' violation of "Staynicle" is likely Yid- regulations was not pun- dishized English, and Tell Me ished. Instead, she was Why's guess is that your grand- awarded the Iron Cross mother was sewing stays into the and returned home with collars of men's dress shirts. great honor. The fate of The "nic" part of "staynicle" is Leon Trotsky, it's 1995. Do you know where your her husband is from Slavic, and indi- grandson is? unknown. cated something or Axelrod's grandfather, Leon someone who Q: I'm going Trotsky, was founder of the Red performs a func- Army and close comrade of V.I. to vomit if I have to tion. For exam- Lenin. In fact, Lenin in his will sit through another ple, in Yiddish designated the former Lev Bron- of those avant- a tchainik is a stein his successor. But then Stal- garde, "this is teapot. Tchai in got hold of the document and really profound," is the Russian suddenly there appeared a dif- oh-so-hip Calvin word for tea, ferent version which — surprise! Klein perfume and nik is — named Stalin the new Soviet commercials in added to indi- leader. Trotsky, meanwhile, went which a man says, cate the uten- to live in Mexico, where he was "This is our time sil that helps murdered in 1940. He was an- and space" and make tea. The tagonistic to Judaism for much some androgynous "ikl" (or "icle") woman responds, of his life. part is a corn- Two more interesting resi- "Yes, but when?" mon Yiddish dents also live in Kiryat Arba, lo- and then he says, diminutive. cated about 18 miles south of "Together we are a Thus, Jerusalem. Both converts to Ju- an island, and yet tchainikl daism, they are the son of a Nazi we are each alone" Hard at work on a collar: Stay boy, stay. would be a supreme court judge and the and she says, "Don't small teapot. nephew of the former Arab may- let us speak. The trees rustle" and In addition to those used in on and on and nobody in the world men's dress shirts, the only oth- or of Hebron. understands them and who wants to, er stays in the garment industry :Q: How did "kike" come to be a anyway? of your grandmother's time derogatory term for Jews? Well, the point is that I know would have been corset stays. A: Most scholars believe it be- Calvin Klein and a lot of other big The strip of bone or metal used gan with German-American dress designers like Donna Karan and to stiffen corsets were large com- Jews mocking the religiosity of Albert Mizrachi are Jewish. But pared to those in collars, hence their East European counter- somebody told me the other day that your grandmother's use of "stayn- parts. the late Norman Norell also was icle," or "little stay." The word "kike" most likely is Jewish. Is that true? So there's nothing racy going a derivative of the Yiddish kaikel, A: Yes. A native of New York, on here. Your grandmother or circle. European Jewish im- he was born Norman Levinson. was simply helping men look migrants unable to write English He changed his name while spiffy. ❑ used a circle in place of their sig- studying at the famed Parsons nature on documents. They opt- School of Design, where a teacher ed for a circle instead of the told him he needed a fancier Send questions to "Tell Me Why" c/o The Jewish News, 27676 familiar X because of that letter's name if he wanted to make it in Franklin Rd., Southfield, MI use as a Christian symbol (the the world of design. 48034 or send fax to 354-6069. cross).