Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism

4. "This is Not What to Record": Yiddish, Hebrew, and the English of Orthodox Jews

81 When I told Orthodox Jews in Philadelphia and around the country that I was interested in Orthodox language, a common response was, “Have you heard the Journeys song ‘Yeshivishe Reid’?” This song begins: In the hallowed halls of yeshivos [yeshivas] far and wide Our young men have discovered a new way to verbalize. With Yiddish, English, Hebrew—it’s a mixture of all three, And a dash of Aramaic—a linguistic potpourri! That’s called: yeshivishe reid [yeshiva speech], yeshivishe shprach [yeshiva language]: Takeh [really], eppis [something], gradeh [in reality], a gevaldike zach [remarkable thing]. It’s called: yeshivishe reid, yeshivishe shprach: It’s the talk of the town, mamish [really] tog un nacht [day and night].1 This song points to the widespread understanding that American Orthodox Jews, especially men who study in yeshiva, speak a unique combination of four languages: English, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic. In this chapter, I explain the role of these four languages in Orthodox communities, I give details about how they are mixed together, both inside and outside the study hall, and I describe competing language ideologies. This discussion will help the reader understand the linguistic landscape that ba’alei teshuva encounter as they are immersed in Orthodox communities. 4 “This Is Not What to Record” Yiddish, Hebrew, and the English of Orthodox Jews 82 CHAPTER 4 Languages of American Orthodoxy First, some historical background. Throughout history, Jews have tended to be multilingual. Their communal linguistic repertoire usually included some variety of the local vernacular and—depending on education—various degrees of knowledge of Hebrew and Aramaic for reciting prayers and reading biblical and rabbinic literature. The use of the vernacular in combination with the holy languages of the texts is a special case of multilingualism referred to as diglossia or multiglossia.2 In addition, because of Jews’ history of migration, their linguistic repertoire sometimes included an additional language or vestiges thereof—the language used before the migration, such as Judeo-French among early Yiddish speakers. All these languages—textual Hebrew and Aramaic and in some cases a pre-migration language—influenced the vernaculars of Jews around the world, yielding Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish (also known as Ladino or Judezmo), JudeoArabic , Judeo-Italian, and many more Jewish languages.3 Jews in America are no exception to this historical trend.4 They speak some variety of American English, and those who are engaged in religious life have various degrees of skill in Hebrew and Aramaic. The main pre-migration language , Yiddish, still plays an important role in American life, often in humorous or nostalgic contexts like e-mail jokes and souvenirs.5 And today there is an additional linguistic influence: Modern Israeli Hebrew, which Americans encounter in their visits to Israel and their interactions with Israelis in America , especially in the Hebrew school classroom. In short, the English spoken by American Jews is influenced to varying degrees by textual Hebrew/Aramaic, Yiddish , and Israeli Hebrew. While American Jews of all denominations use at least some Yiddish and Hebrew words, the most distinctive language can be found among Orthodox Jews.6 They tend to have more knowledge of textual Hebrew/Aramaic, Yiddish, and Israeli Hebrew due to the communal emphases on religious observance, text study, and connections to Eastern Europe and Israel. Textual Hebrew Textual Hebrew is central to the lives of Orthodox Jews. On a given day, Orthodox men recite several blessings surrounding their dressing, washing, and eating , recite the three daily prayer services, and study biblical or rabbinic texts, mostly in Hebrew (with some Aramaic). Women recite most of the same blessings , and they may say some of the same prayer services, but they tend not to study the same texts. In addition, many women regularly recite psalms in the original Hebrew, especially when they know of people in need of healing. On Shabbos, Monday, Thursday, and certain holidays, anyone who attends synagogue hears a public reading of a Torah portion, with an additional reading from Prophets on Shabbos and holidays (haftorah). At festive meals on Shabbos “THIS IS NOT WHAT TO RECORD” 83 and holidays, families sing Hebrew songs around the table. If all the men present are family members, women may sing aloud; otherwise, they might follow along in a book as the men sing. Even children know dozens of Hebrew songs. As Orthodox life is filled with Hebrew recitation, it is not surprising that most community...