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WITH PIA ZADORA AND OTHERS
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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Piz Zadora’s career began on Broadway with Tallulah Bankhead after she was discovered while studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Art. This "hatslokhe" (success) led to a number of Broadway shows including a two-year stint as Tevye’s "yingst" (youngest) daughter in "Fiddler on the Roof," starring Zero Mostel.
"Fuftsik" years is a lot of sunrises and sunsets from one of the greatest musicals in "geshikhte" (history). Note: The Yiddish word for "sunrise" is "der zunoyfgang," and the Yiddish word for "sunset" is "der zun-untergang."
When Sheldon Harnick wrote the songs for "Fiddler," he was hoping they would be around for a year or two. "But people around ‘di velt’ (the world) identified with "dos gerangl" (the struggle) to keep family traditions," said Harnick "The show lasted so long because it is really all about family," said 90-year-old Harnick.
Joanna Merlin, who played Tevye’s oldest daughter, Tzeitel in the original 1964 Broadway production, said, "We thought once the Jewish audiences had seen it we would be over and done with. We were wrong."
Pia Zadora is "lebedik" (alive) and well, despite a June 20, 2014 hoax which stated that the celebrity had died. Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.
Meshulan Riklis, an Israeli, was born on Dec. 23, 1923. After divorcing his first wife, the 53-year-old Riklis was married to the then 23-year-old Pia Zadora in 1977. They divorced in 1993. In 2010, at 86 years of age, Riklis married his third wife, Tali Sinai, who was almost 40 years his junior.
Richard Johnson (New York Post, 6/12/14) reported that Pia Zadora, a shiksa who married billionaire Meshulam Riklis, had to learn Yiddish. Why? Because she was cast in the original production of "Fiddler on the Roof."
Zero Mostel taught Zadora, then 10-years-old and playing HIS daughter, how to say the following three words:
Re: "mazel tov" - The words mean "good luck" and are used as a Jewish phrase to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event. The phrase is recorded as entering the English from Yiddish in 1862.
At a Jewish wedding, after the groom breaks "di gloz" (the glass), everyone yells "Mazel tov!" In Israel, "mazal tov" (alternate spelling) is used for all sorts of happy occasions, whether they be a new driver’s license, a birthday, or getting a new job.
Dani Plung, a student at the Univ. of Chicago, wrote, "Mazel tov" rolled off the tongue more easily [than congratulations]. "Dani, you were elected bracha leader of your Pre-K class? Mazel tov!" "Dani, you lost your first tooth ("tson")--Mazel tov!"...A Mazel tov from my mom accompanied the end of every school year, and other ‘major life events’ such as getting my braces removed." (Source: onlysimchas.com by Frum Satire, Oct. 10, 2010)
And I wish a big "mazel tov" to my dear friend, Sharon Hotchkiss of Otis, Mass. and West Palm Beach, Florida, on her Bat Mitzvah. "Zol zayn mit mazl!" (Good luck.)
Re: Oy Veh/Oy vey/Oy Vey Iz Mir!
"Oy vey" is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation.
It can mean, "Oh
my God," "Oh, dear," or "ouch."
Some Jews say, Oy, Oy Vey." This headline appeared on ColoradoPeakPolitics on Apr. 8, 2014:
OY VEY: OBAMACARE CAUSES SPIKE IN SMALL GROUP PREMIUMS.
ANNIE BRATSKEIR, in a special to Newsday (Sept. 23, 2013), wrote about the 65th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles--and what a girl is to wear. "And, oh, yes, there were some big fashion no-nos. Love the ‘Girls‘ but Zosia Mamet’s leather busted, watercolor floral job by Honor...OY!"
And in an Edward Frascino cartoon, one woman says to her friend, "After all, what is ‘yo’? Only ‘oy’ backward."
The New York Times Metropolitan Diary (Aug. 18, 2008) contained a letter by Amy Hariton:
Dear Diary:
On Sunday in late June at the Nassau County Museum of Art, I overheard
this dialogue.
A woman was ascending the circular stairway to the second floor of the museum. With each step,she uttered an "oy" and proceeded to climb the steps.
When she reached the top, the guard commented to her, "Miss, you do know that we have an elevator?"
She responded, "Yes, I know. I just like to "oy."
And Michel Elkin ("On the Scene" column, jewishexponent.com) did a
writeup on Idina Menzel, who starred in the B’way show, "Wicked."
Elkin said, "She belonged to that geek sorority, Oy Delta Oy."
Re: "Oy Vey Iz Mir"
Dr. David Schechter says that "over the years I have noticed that Jewish
people suffer disproportionately from painful conditions that are ultimately
tied to their emotions. He says, "...the next time one of your parents says,
"oy vey, my aching back!" think not of dad’s bulging disc or mom’s bursitis,
but instead, the statement beneath:
"Why haven’t you called?"
Re: "schmuck" - Leon Rosten ("Hooray For Yiddish! A Book About
English") says that "shmuck" is "Obscene as all get-out, but effective...
Those who find shmuck too lewd for their sensibilities are hereby warned:
Danger: Vulgarity
SKIP THIS ENTRY!
For those still with Rosten, he says that "schmuck" means "penis" and one should never use schmuck before women, children or strangers.
Jackie Mason ("How to Talk Jewish") says that the word "schmuck" comes from the German word for jewel. "The phrase ‘family jewel’ is a colloquialism or euphemism for the male sexual organ."
Then there’s the story of a rabbi who was opening his mail one morning. Taking a single sheet of paper from an envelope he found written on it only one word: "shmuck."
At the next Friday night service, the rabbi announced, "I have known many people who have written letters and forgotten to sign their names, but this week I received a letter from someone who signed his name...and forgot to write the letter."
In Judge Judy Sheindlin’s new book, "What Would Judy Say? A Grown-Up Guide to LivingTogether With Benefits," she writes,
"You can learn a lot from living together with a person prior to getting
married. Remember what I said earlier: When you’re dating, you’re
actually meeting a representative that really lets you see if they’re good with all manner of things. Finances. Cleanliness. Good at sharing.
Good at acting responsibly. There are certain things you can learn if you
have your eyes open going into a relationship. Sometimes you may have
your eyes open and dive right in despite the warning signs. It’s crazy. You
touch the pot and it’s hot. You pick it up barehanded anyway. Who’s the
schmuck--you or the pot?"
"Danken God" (Thank God) Zero Mostel did NOT have to explain to Pia the meaning of the words "schlemiel" and "schlimazel." In June 2004, Yiddish "schlimazel" was one of the ten non-English words that were voted HARDEST TO TRANSLATE by a British translation company.
Seinfeld episodes often dealt with story lines dealing with "schlemiel" and "schlimazel." George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, was the classic "schlimazel" and Jerry Seinfeld was the classic "schlemiel." (Source: Rabbi Fink’s sermons, Temple Oheb Shalom).
Happy 50th anniversary to all of the cast members of "Fiddler on the Roof." Rabbi Melanie Aron (Cong. Shir Hadash), was right when she wrote on 1/3/14), "...Fiddler succeeded for several reasons. First, the struggle between tradition and modernity, between the Old World and the New is a universal struggle - as it’s the generational conflict. It is the struggle of every generation of immigrants from wherever they came from. Further, the play cast the residents of Anatevka as American pilgrims, running from religious persecution to the freedom of this new land, a motif that was sure to resonate.
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