''Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods'''Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods'', Michael Wex, St. Martin's Press, New York, 2005, ''Born to Kvetch'' (Audio CD). is a 2005 book by Michael Wex devoted to

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

. In this book, "Wex is a rare combination of Jewish comic and scholarly cultural analyst". The book became a ''New York Times'' Bestseller and was followed by a Yiddish phrasebook ''Just Say Nu.'' A review by Pamela Rothstein
''

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establishe ...

'' The book is about cultural and religious influences in Yiddish language, and how the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish

worldview A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

is reflected in Yiddish, putting the main focus on Yiddish as a language of opposition (or "language of aggravation, of exile and alienation" as Allan Nadler puts it"A New Book Examines How Yiddish Became the Language of Aggravation"
a book review by Allan Nadler, ''

The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...

'', August 26, 2005) during their life in diaspora often within hostile cultures. The Yiddish word " kvetch" in the book title means "to complain", "to

whine ''Whine'' is a live album by Scorn, released on October 21, 1997, through Invisible Records. Track listing Personnel * Eraldo Bernocchi – guitar (2-8) *Anthony Burnham – photography *Chris Greene – mastering *Mick ...

", expressing Wex's idea that Yiddish is the language of complaint, which is rooted in the millennia of Jewish exile. William Grimes in his review of the book quotes it: "Judaism is defined by exile, and exile without complaint is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

". Other flavors of Yiddish associated with the first one noted by Wex is that it is the language of dispute (influence of the tradition of

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

ic commentary) and the language is rich in insults, curses and other unpleasant things."To Provoke in Yiddish, Try 'How Are You?' "
a book review by William Grimes, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', September 28, 2005 As Wex wittingly notes: "A simple ''kvetch'' is a descriptive activity that conveys disapproval... a 'knole' (

curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particula ...

), on the other hand, is a 'kvetch' with a mission". The book received an honourable mention from the ALA in the Sophie Brody Award 2006. Kvetch means to squeeze or press in Yiddish. In the United States it has come to mean complain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Born To Kvetch Linguistics books Yiddish culture Yiddish Books about Jews and Judaism 2005 non-fiction books