The New York Times Crossword Was Yiddish-Themed For Yom Kippur
Image by Getty Images/Karen Bleier/Staff
By PJ Grisar September 20, 2018
While many of us spent yesterday reflecting in shul, The New York Times crossword section paid tribute to Yom Kippur with a Yiddish-themed puzzle. Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t done it yet.
Because it was just a Wednesday puzzle the answers weren’t too esoteric. “Tchotchke,” “Schmaltz,” “Chutzpah,” “Oy Gevalt,” “Megillah” and “Verklempt” dotted the board with clues that more or less track.
As we were mostly starving yesterday, we may have been thinking more of delicious chicken fat when it comes to schmaltz (the Times clue was “excessive sentimentality”), but then again we weren’t supposed to be sneaking in a crossword before sundown anyway.
I think we can all agree that more Yiddish is always welcome in the toughest word puzzle in the land. We’d probably have an easier time filling out the whole grid.
May this puzzle be inscribed in the crossword book of life!
PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture intern. He can be reached at [email protected].
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
