The Richness of the Yiddish Language: 46 Ways to Call Someone an Imbecile

Last week The Forward held its first Come As You Are Gala as an online streaming event.

Comedians, celebrities, politicians and Forward journalists gathered on screen for a light-hearted evening in these uncertain times.

A highlight of the evening was a presentation by Yiddish actors Yelena Shmulenson and Allen Lewis Rickman on how we can learn a lot about Jewish culture by looking at the Yiddish language and how many words there are for the same thing. 

For example, in Japan there are many words for snow, and French has many words for romance. So what about Yiddish? In Yiddish there are eight words for son, and eight words for unfortunately. But where the Yiddish language shines is with its 46 synonyms for the word imbecile!

Enjoy!

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Yelena Shmulenson and Allen Lewis Rickman at the Forward's 2020 gala from The Forward on Vimeo.