Events and Updates

The Vortsman: Yiddish Folk-Sayings

In an apparent attempt to gain popularity in our times of 20-second attention, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (founded as the yidisher visenshaftlekher institut — Yiddish Scientific Institute) recently…

Read More

The Vortsman: How Is That Spelled?

Two old friends of The Vortsman have reached out with similar questions about Yiddish transliteration (or, as the academics prefer, transcription) into English letters. One wanted to know whether it…

Read More

The Vortsman: Yiddish Anglicisms

There are lots of lists around — and at least one book I know of — that detail the penetration of Yiddish words into English; they’re usually designated as “Yinglish.”…

Read More

The Vortsman: Nisht or Nit?

A reader notes that nisht and nit are both used in Yiddish to denote “not,” often in the same paragraph or song lyric. He asks: is one more desirable than…

Read More