Yiddishisms
Steve doing his imitation of an Ultakocker at his 80th birthday party with Grandson Adam One of the best things about living in a diverse country, with many different ethnicities and cultures, is enjoying unique foods, sharing different customs and holidays, and learning words that have become commonplace but are still foreign to many. Yiddish has a complicated history. It is a combination of several different languages - some low German, Hebrew, a bit of Polish and some Russian as well as words from the Baltic region. Early Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Europe mostly spoke Yiddish when they arrived but encouraged their children to learn English. Certain ultra religious Jewish groups in the United States and Israel continue to speak Yiddish as their given language. So this week, I'm going to introduce you to some of the Yiddish words that have become commonplace in America. If you hear someone say, he's such a Mensh, it means an honorable human being you might like to kn...