I grew up hearing my mother, Jeanette
Gottlieb, say, "Marge, that's a cockamamie
idea." Cockamamie or "kakameyme," a
Yinglish word, means ridiculous, nonsensical, or absurd.
Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic
("Dictionary of Jewish words") write, "You
want to go to Times Square on New Year's
Eve? What a cockamamy idea."
If Mom were alive today, she would find
the following facts no longer a "cockamamie" idea. Who knew?
Long Island is home to a Jewish motorcycle club named "Chai Riders"
The National Conference of Synagogue Youth, the youth department of the Orthodox Union, recently unveiled what
it is dubbing "The First Abstinence Web Site for Jewish Teens." The site carries the tag line "NCSY Says kNOw."
Richard M. Joel, President of Yeshiva University, is "shtolts" (proud); Yeshiva University was rated #52 on U. S. News & World Report's list of top universities.
Judge Judy Sheindlin said [about her TV show], "The pay is good. I get someone to 'patshkey' with my face so I look good."
Mal Z Lawrence, King of Catskill comedy, has a French poodle named "Zeesah" (Yiddish for "sweet"), and Mark Cuban,
owner of an NBA Team has a cat named "Meshugana."
Sen. Joseph Lieberman has had an ice cream flavor named for him: "Marshmallow Mensch."
The University of Judaism offered an Elderhostel course titled, "Mink Shmink: The Influence of Yiddish on America."
People all over the United States are holding B-A-R-K Mitzvahs when their dogs turn 13. As we say, "MUZZLE TOV."
Weiner and Davilman wrote a book titled, "Yiddish with Dick and Jane." See Dick and Jane shvitz. Shvitz, Dick and Jane, shvitz.
Westbury, New York, is the home to a dress shop named, "Fapitz'd."
Santa-Schmanta is "the explanation Jewish children get for why they celebrate Hanukkah while the rest of the neighbors celebrate Christmas." (coined by Ron Gompertz)
An ad for the show, "My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm in Therapy!" said, "One part lasagna, one part kreplach and two parts prozac."
Madonna is studying the kabbalah
Alfred Molina starred in Fiddler on the Roof
Guy and Gals are wearing slogan-ed T-shirts inscribed, "You looked better on JDate."
Vegan Kosher Halal Shoes are available from myveganshoes.com
There's a Yiddish word for cellphone: "tselularer telefon"
"Jewry" is just two letters away from "jewelry." (source: "1,003 Great Things About Being Jewish" by Birnbach, Hodgman, & Stone)
There's a website named "GantsehMegillah.com." ("GM" stands for "big deal!")
FunkyFrum.com is a website which caters to modern, fashion-saavy women committed to a modest lifestyle.
B. L. Ochman started a company called Rent-a-Kvetch. They handled complaints on behalf of disgruntled customers.
Author, Joanne Rowling, has drawn Harry Potter as a boy with a "Yiddishe neshome"--a Jewish soul. (He cares about how others are feeling. He is kind, and he defends his beliefs.)
Ben & Jerry's is marketing a matzah- flavored ice cream in Israel, "Matzah Crunch." The new flavor could be sold in Israel supermarkets in 2008.
An Israeli-developed and manufactured wireless, computer-controlled device that enables safe walking for people with a foot paralyzed due to stroke, brain injury, CP, or MS has received approval from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration.
A Jewish couple, who met each other on the Internet, named their son Yaacov Yahoo.
Zephyr Real Estate--San Francisco, CA--advertises: REAL ESTATE THE WAY IT WAS MENSCH TO BE.
___________________________________________ Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe is the author of
two books:
"Yiddish for Dog & Cat Lovers" and
"Are Yentas, Kibitzers, & Tummlers Weapons of Mass Instruction? Yiddish
Trivia." To order a copy, go to her
website: MarjorieGottliebWolfe.com
