How Well Do You Know Your Yiddish?

Image by getty images
How well did your bubbe train you?
Apparently, mine fell down on the job.
I answered only 8 out of 15 questions correctly on a new survey meant to test your knowledge of classic Yiddish terms and phrases. “You need a bissel more of work to be a maven in the mame-loshin!” the results read.
Questions test your knowledge of words like “Futz” and “Bashert” and phrases like “Hakn a tshaynik!”
The survey, which includes 15 multiple-choice questions, appears just a few days before a five-part documentary series entitled “The Story of the Jews” is set to premier on PBS.
The series follows Simon Schama, a Jewish historian and award-winning writer, as he explores Jewish contributions to the world. It tracks his journeys through Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, Israel and Spain, as he meets with scholars and others to discuss Jewish history, culture and experience.
The entire series already ran last year on the BBC. The first two hours of the series will air on PBS on March 25.
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.
