Israeli Knesset marks Yiddish Day
For the first time since its founding, the Knesset is officially
marking Yiddish Language and Culture Day on Tuesday (May 26). A
Yiddish-Hebrew Knesset lexicon was released for the occasion.
The date for the parliamentary nod to Yiddish, a language once spoken
by more than 12 million Jews, was selected to mark 150 years since
the birth of the Yiddish author Shalom Aleichem. This past week was
also the 20th anniversary of the founding of Yiddishshpiel, Tel
Aviv's all-Yiddish theater.
The day's events include a joint meeting of the Knesset's Absorption,
Immigration and Diaspora Committee and the Education and Culture
Committee to discuss Yiddish culture. The Knesset is also holding a
special session to discuss the place of Yiddish in modern Israeli
society. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Deputy Minister of
Pensioners Affairs Leah Ness are delivering the main speeches of the session.
Ahead of the unique Knesset session, a lexicon of the Yiddish
translations of several key phrases often used by Israeli
parliamentarians was distributed to all Knesset members. A few key
phrases from the lexicon that veteran MKs may find useful include:
Ich hob eich nisht geshtert, toshter nisht mir! - "I didn't interrupt
you, don't interrupt me!"
Ich ruf eich tzum seder dus ershte mol.... - "I am calling you to
order for the first time...."
Ordners, derveitert im fun zal! - "Ushers, remove him from the hall!"
Vehr siz far, zol veilen 'far'. Vehr siz keigen, zol veilen 'keigen'.
- "Whoever is in favor, vote 'in favor'. Whoever is opposed, vote 'opposed'."
In the Knesset auditorium, members of the Yiddishshpiel theater
troupe are performing songs and selected scenes from the Yiddish
theater and from Jewish tradition. Throughout the day, the Knesset
halls will host an exhibition from the Shalom Aleichem House, which
is dedicated to preserving the author's legacy.
More than 450 people were invited to take part in the Knesset
festivities and events.
Mameloshen
Behind the cultural initiative stands Knesset Member Lia Shemtov
(Israel Beiteinu), chairperson of the Knesset Immigration, Absorption
and Diaspora Committee, who grew up speaking Yiddish in her family
home in the Ukraine.
"This language represents for me the language, culture and history of
the Jews of Europe," Shemtov said. "Yiddish is a rich, pungent,
humorous, sweet and indulgent language. ...Yiddish, for me, is mein
mameloshen, mein tateloshen, mein bubbeloshen und mein zeydeloshen
('my mother tongue, my father tongue, my grandmother tongue and my
grandfather tongue')."
The two parties with the most Yiddish speakers, Shemtov said, are
Yisrael Beiteinu and the Ashkenazi hareidi-religious United Torah
Judaism party. Three Yisrael Beiteinu MKs - Shemtov, Avigdor
Lieberman and David Rotem - speak Yiddish, as do all five MKs from
UTJ. Other MKs who list Yiddish as an additional language on their
official Knesset webpages are Avishai Braverman (Labor), Shai Hermesh
(Kadima) and Yaakov "Ketzaleh" Katz (National Union).
Arutz Sheva
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