Re: [Cz-L] About cemeteries

I think it was BF Skiinner who once said etymology was the archeology
of thought. I often didn't agree with what Skinner had to say, but I
appreciated that remark, as well as your research, Hardy.

Eytan
Eytan Fichman

-----Original Message-----
From: HARDY BREIER <HARDY3_at_BEZEQINT.NET>
To: CZERNOWITZ-L <Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu>
Sent: Wed, 13 May 2009 2:42 am
Subject: [Cz-L] About cemeteries


Cemetery. 
 
 
 As almost all recent mails deal with the cemetery it is 
 
essential we know more about the origin of the word. 
 
 Cemetery stems from the Greek word Koimeterion 
 
 meaning " sleeping place ". 
 
  Koma is Greek for sleep. 
 
  From this comes Rumanian cimitir , Polish cmentarz , 
 
  and Ukrainean Zwintar. 
 
  So the Jewish cemetery in Ukrainean is Jidovsky Zwintar. 
 
  But in Galicia and Bukowina they call a Jewish cemetery 
 
  the Kirkut. Special name - only in Western Ukraina. 
 
  Kirkut comes from the German Kirchhof. 
 
  Kirchhof means church yard where the Christians of old 
 
  time used to bury their dead . 
 
  No Jew was ever buried in a church yard ! 
 
  But Kirkut it is. 
 
 
  From here the famous poem : 
 
  " To the Kirkut sneak two lone
ly vandals, 
 
  One of them is wearing sandals, 
 
  The night is young , the graves are old, 
 
  They're looking for the Jewish gold ."  
   
  Hardy 
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Received on 2009-05-13 19:16:59