10 | MARCH 12 • 2020 

Views

YIDDISH continued from page 6

OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’
s trusted, valued, engaging 
and distinctive. We strive to refl
 ect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating 
positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, 
responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations 
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, in Southeast Michigan.

Detroit Jewish News | 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110 | Southfi
 eld, MI 48034

DEPARTMENTS
General Offi
 ces: 248-354-6060 
Advertising: 248-351-5129 
Circulation: subscriptions@renmedia.us
Classifi
 ed Ads: 248-351-5116 / 248-234-9057
Advertising Deadline: Friday, 11am 
Editorial Fax: 248-304-8885

SUBSCRIPTIONS:
1 year 
 $85
2 years 
$153
3 years 
$204
1 year out-of-state $125
2 years out-of-state $2 
25
Online only $36

Contact Us

NEWS UPDATES
Watch videos and read the latest 
news about Metro Detroit’
s Jewish 
community. thejewishnews.com

MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
Renew your subscription, change 
your postal or email address, 
forward for your vacation, report 
a missed delivery. thejewishnews.
com/my-account

LIFE-CYCLE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Submit your life-cycle 
announcement, as well 
as obituaries — and learn 
about deadlines and fees. 
thejewishnews.com/lifecycle-
announcements

COMMUNITY EVENTS
Submit your community events 
for the JN calendar and fi
 nd 
deadline information.
thejewishnews.com/calendar

ADVERTISE
Connect with the JN sales team.
thejewishnews.com/advertise

SUBMIT STORY IDEAS/
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Share your news or ideas. 
thejewishnews.com/contact

READ THE ONLINE EDITION
Read the weekly online version 
of the JN print edition with a 
subscription. thejewishnews.com/
web-edition

SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our daily or 
weekly email newsletter. 
thejewishnews.com/newsletter

LOCATIONS SELLING 
COPIES OF THE JN
Visit thejewishnews.com/where-
to-buy for a list of stores and 
boxes.

BACK ISSUES OF THE JN
The Detroit Jewish News 
Foundation’
s William Davidson 
Archive of Jewish Detroit History 
contains more than 330,000 
pages of content — spanning 
more than 100 years — from the 
Jewish News and its predecessor 
publication. It is fast, free and 
accessible via djnfoundation.org

Visit the 
JN website
www.thejewishnews.com

because it can include items 
of fond memory or interest. 
The word is almost playful 
and much more descriptive 
than its English equivalent, 
“knickknacks.
” It has the 
added bonus of amusing us 
when non-Jews try using it in 
a sentence.
“Pride” in English becomes 
kvell in Yiddish. You can 
almost feel your chest swell 
with happiness as it comes 
from deep within your soul.
Saying kvetch in Yiddish 
actually contorts your mouth, 
mirroring the complaining, 
cantankerous mood it rep-
resents.
Meshuganeh, describing 
a crazy person or a state of 
mind, requires almost no 
translation at all; but it helps 
if you can roll your eyes and 
stick your tongue out at the 
same time. It’
s used so often, 
it has its own abbreviations: 
meshugah or meshug.
The word “shame,
” often 
just a mild reproach in 
English, becomes the much 

more visceral shandah in 
Yiddish. The word is often 
spoken slowly to add empha-
sis and in somber tones 
describe the offense. You can 
really feel the severity of the 
condemnation.
Nosh. You gotta love “nosh,
” 
a quick little snack which is 
reflected by its single-syllable 
pronunciation. You can actu-
ally feel the anticipated joy of 
something special to eat when 
you say it. I always thought 
the best name for a deli, hands 
down, was the Nosherie! 
Genius!
Schlep. Describes not just 
the act of carrying something, 
but also imparts an additional 
nuance: the mental image of 
the struggling schlepper, usu-
ally me, huffing and puffing. 
I could go on, but I’
ll leave 
it to you to fill in your own 
special words and memories.
Zei gezunt (Be healthy). 

Dr. Fredric Gold is a retired 
physician, residing in Bloomfield 
Hills, who tries to see the 
humorous side of life.

Not the Whole Story
The op-ed “Finding Hope in 
a Spring” (Feb. 27, page 6) 
begins with a dishonest analo-
gy pretending that segregation 
exists within Israel. That’
s 
demonization. A more honest 
analogy would have us imag-
ining having to pass through 
checkpoints to get into 
Canada, where visitors could 
be refused entry. Oh wait. 
There are two checkpoints 
between Detroit and Windsor. 
Curse Canada’
s brutal military 
occupation!
I’
m kidding, of course. 
There is no brutal Canadian 

military occupation. Neither is 
there an Israeli one. And don’
t 
forget that Israeli checkpoints 
were erected in response to 
Palestinian terror attacks. The 
author would have acknowl-
edged this if she really hon-
ored the desire of Israelis to 
live safely.
With that in mind, it’
s obvi-
ous that the author and her 
group’
s trip to Ein Albeida 
Spring was merely a piece of 
anti-Israel theater peopled 
with the requisite good guys 
and bad guys in order to cre-
ate drama. But because the 
only photos are of that group, 

LETTERS continued from page 5

continued on page 12

