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March 23-29, 2006

City Week : Mixpicks

Just Do It

Learn How to Talk Like Bubbie

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

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