How do you spell laughter? D-Z-I-G-A-N!

Zoog mir in Yiddish

By Sol Awend, GenShoah SWFL

In the Golden Age of Judaism in Europe, Yiddish became a necessity to know and a joy to explore.

One of the brilliant diamonds discovered during that era was a pair of comedians who left their audiences breathless from laughter. They were Shimon Dzigan (Jig-aan) and Israel Schumacher — Polish entertainers who met, collaborated and created a comedic recipe for humor in the early 1920s.

Dzigan was born in Lodz, Poland in 1905 and grew up with the knack of making people laugh. His humor was pointed, constantly poking fun at the authorities. He and Schumacher became the masters of Yiddish comedy.

During World War II, the duo was trapped in the Lodz Ghetto but escaped to Russia. While there, they poked fun at Comrade Joe and wound up in a Siberian gulag. Set free in 1948, they made it back to Poland and witnessed the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Overcoming the trauma of Hitler and Stalin, the pair emigrated to Israel in the early 1950s. Unfortunately, Yiddish was considered unworthy of being spoken in “The New Land.” Hebrew was considered the new voice of conversation and literature.

Dzigan and Schumacher fled Israel for Argentina, returning to Israel after a truce. They could perform but would include Hebrew in their performances.

The pair had a falling out, but Dzigan continued performing. He suffered a heart attack on stage. Cracking jokes en route to the hospital, he passed away on April 18, 1980.

Love Yiddish? Google Shimon Dzigan. Just make sure you don’t have food or drink while listening.

Words and expressions Dzigan might say:

“Voss tet zec’h mit dir?” (“What’s wrong with you?” Almost literally, “What’s going on with you?”)

“Bist dee meshigeh?” “Dee maac’hst mec’h meshigeh!” (“Are you crazy?” “You are making me crazy!”)

“Ah! Gy sheh! Gy sheh!” (“Ah! Go on! Go on!” Said when you think someone is putting you on.)

“Off voos kiks deh?!” (“What are you looking at?!” Imagine Robert Dinero in “Taxi” asking, “You talking to me?!”)

“Ich frayg mec’h deec’h ein zaac’h…” (“I’m asking you one thing…” In preparation of the Jewish dilemma of answering a question with a question.)

“Voos?,,,Heh?” (“What? ... Huh? When saying “Heh” it’s important to add a nasal sound to make you sound authentically Jewish.)

“Ich zoog deh daim Emmes!” (“I’m telling you the straight-up truth!” Usually a preamble of how business is this season.)

“Ich hob mit dee nerven t’zeh teeyen!” (“I am troubled with a nervous condition!” Usually yelled when reaching one’s wits end dealing with a dim-witted dolt.)

“Ich hob mitt’n moogen t’zeh teeyen!” (“I have troubles with my esophagus/ stomach” An answer given when asked how they are doing. Usually said after a (bad) meal.)

“Ah Vaap?! Oy! Ob ich ah Vaap!” (“Ah Wife?! Oh Boy! Do I have a Wife!” Usually said forcefully amongst “The Guys” but never within hearing range of you know who…)