DER YIDDISH-VINKL March 5, 2004
Regular readers of Der Vinkl will recall last week’s poem by the ever wise and witty Stanley Siegelman titled “Oy Vey, Oy Vey, der Bishop iz Gey.” He offers this follow-up in the same vein, “Hooray, Hooray, der Rebe iz Gey.” The poem is dedicated to Rabbi Lionel Blue, whom the Forward described in a recent article as “arguably the most popular Jew in the United Kingdom,” made famous by his frequent appearances on BBC radio.
Hooray, Hooray, der Rebe iz Gey!
Der rebe’z gey? Zog nit “Oy vey.”
Farmakh an oyg, un shrayt, “Hoorey!”
M’ruft im take, “Rabbi Blue.”
Er iz an “ultra-modern Jew.”
Er redt, in Eynglish, nor fun “love,”
M’darf im vintshn, “Mazel tov.”
Zey ale hobn im shtark lib:
Der goy, der Muslim, oykh der Yid.
Er davent in dem British land,
Dort ken men gey zayn, nit kayn shand.
Tsu milyonen mentshn, on a tsol,
“Er’z mer barimt vi der Pope Paul!
Durkh BBC er geyt “on air,”
Zayn shtime’z epis “everywhere.”
(Di frume layte hobn moyre
Emes er’z a man fun Toyre?
“Er nemt a droshe fun’m Bible,
Nur hot keyn mol gehot a vaybl!”
Er voynt yetst mit a man “named Jim.”
Avade, er’z farlibt in im.
Iz Jim a Yid? Iz Jim a goy?
Oy, freg nit frages ot azoy!
Freylekh iz er, ful mit zakhn
Vos dermont a mensh tsu lakhn
In Massachusetts darft er kveln,
A koshere khasene dort shteln!
* * *|
Hooray, Hooray, the Rabbi is Gay
The rabbi’s gay? Don’t groan, “Oy Vey.”
Just wink an eye and shout, “Hooray!”
A Londoner, he’s Rabbi Blue
A most iconoclastic Jew!
On BBC he preaches love:
He merits hearty “Mazel tov!”
In England people are inclined
To look at gays with open mind.
He’s loved by folks of every hue
The Muslims, Christians and the Jew.
They rate him “tops,” the best of all.
As cleric, he outscored Pope Paul.
His broadcasts fill the morning air
His face and voice are everywhere.
(Though he conforms by eating lox,
Blue still offends the Orthodox.)
“His sermons deal with facts of life
Yet he has never had a wife.”
He’s living with a man named Jim,
Whose ethnic past is rather dim
Says Blue, “Who cares? Why make a fuss?
Because we’re gayly amorous?”
Despite his name, he’s never blue.
He’s always light and gay, this Jew!
In Massachusetts he should be,
Where gays can marry validly!
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