The good, bad and ugly in Yiddish

Zoog mir in Yiddish

By Sol Awend, GenShoah SWFL

Amongst us Yiddlec’h, just like anywhere, you have the good, the bad and the ugly. The good, like Hayim Solomon, who helped to finance America’s first endeavor towards independence. You have the bad, like Bernie Madoff, who made off with money that didn’t belong to him. And there’s the ugly, like Jeffrey Epstein, who took advantage of people’s personal lives. Terms to describe Jewish characters can be rich indeed.

Take Hayim Solomon. By all accounts he was a decent person. We would call him ah poosheteh mensch (a decent simple fellow). He gave mit deh filleh haant (with his full hand). Madoff was ah meeseh mensch (a morally ugly person). Jeffrey Epstein? Ahn idireikeh (a low life)!

But enough about geh nooven, let’s laugh about people we know who think they’re big shots.

You know, the millionaires who brag about what they’re going to do, could have done and should have done. Ah k’naakeh, a bigga shot in his own mind. “Ahng gonna tell you!”

Then there’s Deh Shpritzeh, the one who brags. Eh ret hoyec’h, he speaks loudly. Eh maac’ht mit dee hent, he makes all kinds of hand gestures to prove his point. Eh kik’t zaah-tik, he looks at you sideways.

His brother Deh Shvitzeh, is full of himself. Dresses loudly, drives fast in his convertible and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. Eh breemp’t zec’h geh seideh, he brags about himself, constantly.

How about Deh Oss Nit’zeh, the user? Or the Shnorr, who believes what’s his is his, along with whatever he can talk you out of.

When confronted with these mahm zeirem, these illegitimates, most of us look or walk away. Unfortunately, they’re sometimes in dee familia (family members). Or you’re married to one of them and wonder how you made such a mistake. Kik aim/zee oop! Look at him/ her! Geh neek! Enough already! Hayeh shoin off! Stop already!

Somewhere along the line, S’miz kimmen ahn endeh, there has to come a reckoning. That’s when things can get out of hand in a hurry and ahlees fleet, there be some furniture moving. But that’s material for another time.

Allzoh, so then, the best you can do is surround yourself with those that give you comfort and joy, right? It’s best to leave deh andereh (the others) beh zindeh (by themselves).