Conversation:

Is it true that Hebrew was largely unused for centuries, until Zionism became popular and revived its use as a national language?

I suspect that most Jews through history have spoken Aramaic or Yiddish, not proper Hebrew.

You're right - funny how that was in my original article, but it's not in this one.

(Also note - it wasn't just those two. Jews around the world also speak Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) and Judeo-Arabic. But these languages are dieing out, while Yiddish is being preserved (oddly enough) through American culture, as well as the ultra-orthodox who still use it.

Isn't Yiddish a mixture of German and Hebrew?

Yeah. And where it went, like Russia, or America, it absorbed some of that. But I don't actually know much yiddish. Just the bits that are now American slang.

Congratulations, St Ioreth, but screwing ice-cream, whilst cool is not an attractive proposition. I've learnt more about Hebrew than I will probably ever need to know but tell me, over here in England I've come across two expressions which sound similiar but you don't mention:
masseltoft and masselbroch or some such which seem to be positive words - can you enlighten me?

All I know of Hebrew OR Yiddish is from the 3 Jewish guys in my school, all of who I'm friends with, or my friend who is half Jewish but slightly more religious.

While I'm educatin' y'all.

Androyd, I'm not familiar with those words, although I know the ending -och signifies plural.

Leah/Alice/Penguin Girl - the term half-Jewish is not actually correct. According to traditional Judaism, if your mother is Jewish, you're Jewish. If she's not, you're not, unless you convert. According to the Reform movement, you're Jewish by way of either parent. But no matter which definition you use, you're either Jewish or you ain't.

Everyone knows a little Yiddish - y'know.
nosh
schmuck (ahem)
gefilte (like the fish)
schmooze
schlep

And so on.

What is my firend then?...it's a little more complicated than it sounds. But I'm curious to know. I think she is too.

When she was born, both her parents were Jewish, but only her father was highly religious. Her mother is currently and ordained Episcopalian(the US equivalent of the church of England I think) minister. Her father still attends temple. My friend goes to church as well as some temple. So it's a little confusing....lol

If her mom was Jewish, she's a Jew for life, according to the law. But hey, she can be whatever she identifies herself as.

Isn't "masseltoft" the same as "Mazel Tov"? Not that I know what that is, but people say it at weddings.

Mazel Tov means Good Luck, but it's used to say congratulations. I don't know why. But I don't think they're the same thing... but it would explain what the first is. Now, masselbroch - uh... mazel something... I have no idea.

I think she sort of identifies with both. Did you know the reason for the "jewish mom, jewish kid" rule? It was because they trusted Jewish woman to be faithful and tell the truth about who the father was, but not the gentiles.

The first part of the article was mine, by the way. They just now got around to putting my name in there. Imagine my surprise when I first saw this article with my own writings added in with my name nowhere to be seen...

Actually, that's not the reason.

More education: it used to be patrilineal. But in the time of Ezra (he's one of the last books of the bible) they switched, because there was a whole big fuss (as there always had been, and still is) about Jewish men sleeping with 'foreign women', who then raised the children in their various polytheistic and unkosher religions. So Ezra made an executive decision to switch, meaning those kids wouldn't be Jewish in theory or in practice. (Get it? practice...)

Well at least they corrected it


Wow, I didn't know.

I'm sure you could teach me a thing or two.

Judaism has never been patrilineal.

Just because Ezra made a fuss doesn't mean he introduced the concept.

What?

I'm friends with all of the jewish kids in my school. That's right, all 4 of them. I don't know any of this.

Wow. You, like, totally know some Jewish people.

That must like make you an expert on Judaism.