Learn Yiddish!

Every Tue., March 28 through May 23 (except April 18), beginner class 6:30-8 p.m., $50-$80, intermediate/discussion class, 8-9 p.m., $50, Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, 300 S. 18th St., 215-735-5148

Yiddish, the colorful centuries-old language developed by European Jews, is now part of our everyday vernacular. Think kvetch, schlep and oy. Those are one-off expressions, of course, but there's an entire vocabulary to be explored. That's what you get with Zion-Beth Israel's Learn Yiddish! classes in the truest sense: There are text books and grammar lessons.

Mark Chaitowitz, who helped organize the program, says, "For a lot of young Jews it strikes a note of nostalgia. They heard their grandparents speak Yiddish and so this wakes up dormant memories."

As a pre-course primer, here's a handy pocket guide of expressions uttered by bubbies everywhere:

• a chaleyr: a plague on you
• chazzeria: garbage (i.e. junk food, crappy merchandise)
• gay red tsu der vant: go talk to the wall
• lockh in kop: like a hole in the head
• peckel: small package
• seychel: common sense
• shmendrik: loser, inept person
• tokhis oyfin tish: put up or shut up
• zetz: smack or whack