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Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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Anthony Weiner is running to become NYC’s 109th Mayor. According to Josh Nathan-Kazis, “...Weiner, the only Jewish candidate (“kandidat”), has lower favorable ratings among Jews than he does among any other religious group.
Shown below is a Yiddish Guide to Anthony Weiner:
“balebos” (boss)
In July 2008, The New York Times characterized Weiner as one of the most
intense and demanding of bosses, describing him as often working long
hours with his staff, requiring them to be in constant contact by Blackberry,
frequently yelling at them, and occasionally physically abusing office furniture
in anger (“kaas”). He had one of the highest staff turnover rates of any member
of Congress, including at one point, three chiefs of staff in 18 months.
“beybi” (baby)
Weiner’s 18-month-old “zunin-keh” (dear son), Jordan, has caused a campaign
scheduling flap. He’s had to scrap two campaign stops when Jordan had an
ear infection (“infektsye”), when Jordan spilled hot tea (“heys tey”) on himself,
and when the tot smeared peanut butter on the family cat (“kats”).
“blitspost”/elektronish post” (e-mail)
Jay Leno said, “The Wall StreetJournal said that Mr. Weiner didn’t respond to
an e-mail seeking comment. Hey, Anthony Weiner didn’t e-mail or text you
back? Consider yourself lucky” (“mazldik”).
“bruder” (brother)
Weiner’s older (“elter”) brother, Seth, was killed at age 39 in a hit-and-run
vehicle-pedestrian accident in May 2000. His younger (“yunger”) brother,
Jason, is a chef and co-owner of several New York restaurants.
“derklerung” (explanation)
While on maternity leave, Huma, a top aide to then-Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton, quietly had her job title changed to “special government
employee.” This allowed Huma to work in New York part-time for the govt.
at her $135,000 salary, while she and her husband raked in about $35,000
as consultants. They then moved from Queens to Park Avenue South.
Perhaps some explanation is due??? One source noted: “She has the Clinton
disease (“krankayt”): When your husband gets knocked down, get up right away
or else.”
Source: Geoff Earle, New York Post, June 15, 2013.
“dershrokn” (afraid)
“I don’t know why I keep getting emails from Anthony Weiner. In the 1st place,
I’m not a NYer, & in the 2nd place, I’m afraid to open them.”
Source: Tweet of the day, New York Times, by Jill Weinberger, a blogger
from Los Angeles
“erger” (worse)
“There’s no doubt about it that Mubarakhas has been indeed a partner with
Israel, but there’s also no doubt about something else. Conditions in Egypt
were getting worse and worse, an it was almost just a matter of time before
the popular uprising started.”
(Weiner quote)
“farlegnhayt” (embarrassment)
Weiner said he was “embarrassed” that the photo became public and “didn’t
want it to lead to other embarrassing things.” So, he said, “I lied.”
“frum” (religious)
Weiner described his ethnic and religious background: “We weren’t a very
religious household, but we had a very strong sense of Judaism.”
“geboyrn-tog” (birthday)
Weiner was born on Sept. 4, 1964.
“gezunt vern” (to recover/to get well Michael Benjamin (Post Opinion, Jul y 15, 2013) wrote that “Every recovering person knows the inherent dangers of people, places and things. You start by talking to political reporters, popping into community meetings, criticizing officials and public policies and renewing old acquaintances....Then boom! Before you know it, like Weiner and Spitzer, you’re gladhanding strangers, kibitzing with reporters, writing columns and running for office again.”
“hoykh” (tall)
Kyle Smith (newyorkpost.com) wrote, “Weiner is starting to look like the tallest
guy in Smurfopolis, what with Christine Quinn failing to build any momentum
from a huge early lead and the other Democratic mayor candidates scrambling
to offer the most extravagant promises to make the schools worse, the streets
more dangerous and the balance sheet insolvent.”
“kashress” (kosher condition)
Weiner made an appearance at the Israel Day Parade, and a visit to a glatt
kosher market in Boro Park, B’klyn.
“khaverim” (friends)
Huma Abedin, the once publicity-shy (“shemevdik”) wife (“froy”) of Weiner,
e-mailed a fundraising pitch on her husband’s behalf to about 100
(“hundert”) of her “personal friends.” She normally shunned the limelight
but intends to take an active (“aktiv”) role to help her husband get elected.
“koledz” (college)
Weiner graduated from SUNY at Plattsburgh.
“kritikirn” (to criticize)
Weiner criticized UN diplomats for failing to pay parking tickets in N.Y.C.,
claiming foreign nations owed $18 million (“milyon”) to the city.
“lakhn”/”lachen” (to laugh)
Joe Tacopino (The New York Post, June 14, 3013) says that Weiner became
an online lajghingstock after a report came out quoting him as taking credit
for the term “ObamaCare.” Weiner said, “[It’s] a term, by the way, that I coined and used proudly long before the administration decided it was a good idea.” After getting pilloried, Weiner’s camp backtracked.
“ligner” (liar)
Joseph Lhota said in a fundraising letter to conservative donors, “First, he
[Weiner] lies to the public, the press and his family. And then he makes up
his own facts. This is a pattern that is simply unacceptable. To make matters
worse, it appears that what he is doingis working...It’s up to us to stop him.”
“mensch” (person/human being; good person)
David Seifman (New York Post) reports that Weiner dropped one Yiddish phrase
after another during a mayoral forum attended by an Orthodox crowd in B’klyn.
What words did he use? “Don’t hock my chinik,” and “kishkes”--suffed derma/intestine.
“mitog” (dinner)
At a fund-raising dinner at the Sagaponack home of Jonathan Sheffer,
Christine Quinn said that having Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer on the
campaign trail has given a “Kardashian-like atmosphere” to the race.
Quinn said, “It is a race about second chances, but you have to consider
if certain people deserve second chnce.” She described Weiner as “pithy
and effective on the stump, but what is his record?”
Source: Emily Smith, Page Six, New York Post, July 15, 2013.
“moral” (moral)
Philip Rosenblatt wrote, “We elect people for their morals. When you’re
immoral, you don’t belong in a position of power, or to be elected by the
people. Do I send naked pictures of myself to other people? I don’t think
so.”
“nit batsolt” (unpaid/due)
A 2010 license plate check by Roll Call showed the Weiner’s vehicles were among
several owned by members of Congress which had unpaid tickets. His past due
fines totaled more than $2,000. They were paid in full shortly after publication of
the article.
“oyfhitn” (to preserve)
“Is Medicare socialism? You want to get rid of Medicare. And a lot of the people
against health care do. I want to preserve it and grow it.”
(Weiner quote)
“oyshitn” (to protect)
“I was trying to protect my wife, I was trying to protect myself from shame, and I
really regret it.”
Weiner quote
“panik” (panic)
“Last Friday night, I Twitted a photograph of myself that I intended to send as a
direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle. Once I realized I posted
to Twitter I panicked. I took it down and said that I had been hacked. I then
continued with that story, to stick to that story which was a hugely regrettable
mistake.” (Weiner quote)
“perfekt” (perfect)
Weiner, an almost quintessential New York politician, said to a Jewish audience, “I am not a perfect man.”
“radyo” (radio)
On Assemblyman Dov Hikind’s post-Shabbos show, callers displayed an extremely
mixed view on his candidacy. Some supported Weiner, but others slammed him as
a “pervert” and mocked his “chutzpah.”
“redn” English (speak English)
During a discussion on healthcare reform, Weiner said, “We’re not going to take
hundreds of billions of dollars a year and give it to insurance companies who give
us BUPKIS. In Yiddish, “bupkis” means “nothing.” That prompted a gavel from
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Henry Waxman, to say jokingly:
“The gentleman will speak English.”
“saichel” (common sense)
When Weiner marched along Fifth Avenue at the Israel Day Parade, one man
yelled, “Tweet me a picture, Weiner.” Other spectators cheered Weiner and
wished him luck. The New York Times reported that Mr. Gerber said when
asked his thoughts on Mr. Weiner, “...And if he doesn’t have enough common
sense to control his own affairs, what is he going to do when elected leader of the
City of New York?”
“shtayer” (tax)
Weiner was the chief sponsor of the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT)
of 2009, which makes the selling of tobacco in violation of any state tax law a
federal felony, and effectively ends internet (“internets”) tobacco smuggling by
stopping shipments of cigarettes through the U. S. Postal Service.
“skandal” (scandal)
Weiner resigned from Congress in June 2011, due to a sexting scandal.
“skhires” (salary)
After resigning from Congress, Weiner became a higly sought consultant, boosting
his family’s combined income to $496,000.
“tsoln” (numbers)
Kyle Smith (nypost.com) wrote, “Perhaps Bloomberg protege Christine Quinn
will turn around her sagging poll numbers to cut off Weiner. But Quinn lacks
the spotlight-hogging personality that seems to be a necessary attribute to
impress easily bored citizens of what Mayor John Lindsay called Fun City.”
“tsveyter gelegnhayt” (second chance/second opportunity) According to Dan Janison [Newsday, July 10, 1013], we should beware of fudge phrases/political lingo. He gives an example of the fuzz phrase of the season-- “Second Chance,” a Weiner favorite.
“velosiped” (bicycle)
Weiner proposed a tax break for businesses that promote bicycle commuting.
“zibn yorn” (7 years)
During 7 years on the City Council, Weiner tackled “quality of life” concerns.
He started a program to put at-risk and troubled teens to work cleaning up
graffiti. He spearheaded development plans for historic Sheepshead Bay
that led to a revival of the area.
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