See Under, David Grossman [the first e reader TXT] 📗

had been deprived of. Otto, who was sleeping in his bed just then, smiled to himself: “I knew you would fight, Albert.” And Marcus: “This was a most important moment, dear Fried, the moment you chose between observing and acting. Between force of habit and creativity.” Fried: “I will fight. A life full of meaning [see under: LIFE, THE MEANING OF] is what I will give him. Few people achieve this in a longer life span than his!” And now, when Fried finished uttering these words, the ARTISTS [q.v.] throughout the zoo heard THE SCREAM [q.v.] trapped in the tin maze mounting for a long and unforgettable moment, and then turning into a short, piercing scream. Wasserman: “Perhaps it was shock, or perhaps compassion, or maybe it was a grotesque and vindictive burst of laughter, who knows?” But Otto in his bed whispered, “Did you hear that, Albert? That was your scream. You have just been born.” Fried: “And little Kazik lay on his back, his hair sticking up in soft, bright tufts, and his face, ach, there was so much curiosity and courage there, and I prayed I would have the strength to make it through this night and tomorrow.” And he looked at the child with mercy, in which there was already love,and blades of pain and pleasure tilled the clods of his old heart, and again, despite himself, despite his decisions and everything he knew about this world and the people in it and this life which is no life at all, again he sprouted fresh new buds of hope. He prayed. Marcus: “To be able to leave the passion for life intact on the boy’s face, together with his wonderful confidence, as he lies on his back, open to everything, believing in everything.” Fried: “And that I won’t poison him with the hatred in me.” Marcus: “And with everything I know.” Otto: “That I’ll let him grow up manly and brave and willing to believe.” Fried: “And please don’t let him be like me. Let him be like Paula.” And Wasserman raised his eyes to Neigel and said, “All of us prayed for one thing: that he might end his life knowing nothing of war. Do you understand, Herr Neigel? We asked so little: for a man to live in this world from birth to death and know nothing of war.”

July 1983—December 1984

BY DAVID GROSSMAN

Novels

The Smile of the Lamb

See Under: LOVE

The Book of Intimate Grammar

The Zigzag Kid

Non-fiction

The Yellow Wind

Sleeping on a Wire

Glossary: The Language of “Over There”

A-SHOCKEL A Yiddish cheer of encouragement (from to “shockel” to oscillate while praying).

BALEBOOS Landlord or master of the house, a person who rules the home; BALEBOOSTEH The mistress of the house, a good housekeeper.

BOZHE Polish for God; Bozhe moi / Moi bozhe “My God.”

BOZHE SHIVANTE “Holy God.”

CHACHAM A know-it-all.

CHAIMKEH One of the various proper names used by Wasserman to designate Gentiles.

CHAIMOVA The code word used by the Jews who stole across the frontier on their way from Russia to America in Sholem Aleichem’s story “Motl! Ben Paisee the Chazzan.”

CHAZZAN The cantor or prayer reader in the synagogue; also used humorously to designate a person who is not particularly intelligent.

CHEDER The schoolroom where Jewish children (three to five years old) receive religious instruction.

CHELM A city in Poland, the legendary Jewish inhabitants of which were notorious for their stupidity.

CHENDELACH, CHENDELEH From the Hebrew “chen” or grace, ingratiating behavior, coquettishness.

CHOLENT Meat stew with potatoes, beans, and eggs, cooked overnight and eaten on the Sabbath.

CHOLERIA, DU YASSNI A Polish curse, meaning “bright cholera.”

CHUPPA Bridal canopy.

DRECK JUDE German for “dirty Jew.”

DUVIDEL Yiddish for “of David.”

EPPES A somebody; for some reason; maybe.

FANIEH A derogatory name for a Russian.

FARFEL Soup noodles or pellets.

FARSHIVY ZHID Polish for “dirty Jew.”

FEIG Literally, “a fig”; A FEIG is used as an expletive to express anger or despair.

FEIGE From feig or fig, a woman’s name.

FERTEL A quarter, or quarter of a chicken; a term used to describe someone scrawny.

GABAI The head or manager of a synagogue who collects the dues and alms.

GALACH Literally, “shorn” or “tonsured”; Yiddish for clergyman or priest.

GALIZIANER A Jew from Galicia. (Sometimes carries the connotation of a wheeler-dealer.)

GARMOSHKA Russian for accordion.

GATKES Longjohns.

GOLDENEH BERGEL The “golden hillock” where caskets of gold were believed to be buried.

HAVDIL,’ A phrase used when making a distinction between people, objects, or qualities and implying preference.

IN DREIERD Literally, “in the earth”; used as a malediction to mean “May you be buried in the earth.”

JAGIELLO The name of a Polish dynasty.

KAPOSZTA Stuffed cabbage.

KARTOFELEH A potato.

KEINAHORA An interjection to ward off the evil eye.

KIFAT Large trunk for storing linens and dowry goods.

KISHKES Guts.

KLAUIZ Enclosure or compound; used to mean synagogue.

KORONKA Hat.

LAMED VAVNIK One of the thirty-six righteous men of Jewish legend believed to exist secretly in every generation.

LOCKSHEN Literally, “noodle”; used figuratively for a lie or tall talc.

LULAV A palm branch; used figuratively for something long and thin.

MAMA DROGA Polish for “dear mother.”

MECHAYA Something tangible or intangible that refreshes and revives.

MELAMED DARDAKAI The teacher of small children in a CHEDER.

MENDARF PISHEN [One] has to pee.

MIKVA A ritual bath.

MISHPOCHEH The immediate family.

MIZINIK The child of one’s old age; the youngest child in the family.

MOISHE GROS Literally, “big Moishe”; figuratively, “big shot,” in a sarcastic sense.

NACHES Pleasure, particularly the satisfaction Jewish offspring are supposed to afford their parents so they can brag to the neighbors.

NEBUCH Poor thing.

NECHTIGER TOG Literally, “a nocturnal day”; used to designate something which is unreasonable or impossible.

OFTZELUCHUS Out of sheer spite.

OICH MIR Literally, “me too”; used ironically to deprecate the word that follows: the equivalent of “some” in English, as OICH MIR A POLITIKACKER: “Some shit politician.”

PAYES The earlocks of religious Jews.

PICKHOLTZ Simpleton.

POJOMKES A raspberry-like fruit.

PSHAKREV Scoundrel.

RUGELACH Small cakes.

SCHRECKLICH German for frightful, terrible.

SHMALTZ Fat.

SHMATTE A rag.

SHOIN Fine, all right, then.

SHTREIMEL A fur hat worn by religious Jews on holy days.

SHVITZEH Literally, someone who sweats; a show-off.

SIDDUR The Jewish prayer book.

TEITSH CHUMASH The Yiddish rendition of the “Chumash,” or Pentateuch, used to