Thank you, Charles - that's very helpful! This family's story is very dark; the younger generation is eager to learn more about their Jewish ancestors but the elders are unwilling to talk... nuggets like this are a welcome distraction.
Which brings me to: this is a common problem for third-generation folks like myself (my grandmother was born in Cz in 1902). We want to know what happened to our parents; asking them to tell their stories feels like a loving gesture, but they cannot speak about it, don't want to revisit their memories. We want to be compassionate and respectful, but it can be hard to let go. In the end, putting the relationship ahead of our curiosity is the thing, but one hates to see these stories being lost.. I would love to hear the group's thoughts on this.
Warm regards to you all!
Shula
Shula Klinger, PhD
Artist | Author
shulaklinger.com
niftyscissors.com
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sklinger
Twitter, Instagram: _at_niftyscissors
> On Aug 5, 2017, at 12:13 AM, Charles Polak <charles.polak_at_bbc.co.uk> wrote:
>
> "Pf-" doesn't occur in true Yiddish (though it certainly would in the Austro-Bavarian colloquial found at some level throughout the old Empire and in many ways similar to the Germanic base of Yiddish). I suspect we're talking about a "whoopee cushion" scenario, "Sessel-furzen" (German: "chair-fart")...
>
> Charles Polák
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-121701693-3499287_at_list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-121701693-3499287_at_list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shula 2
> Sent: 4 August 2017 20:35
> To: Cz List
> Subject: [Cz-L] Yiddish question
>
> Dear all,
>
> Does anyone recognise "Sessel pfortzer" as a Yiddish construction? It's from a series of "Berliner" sayings being shared with a friend. This particular saying is a little unsavory, so pardon me if I don't share the whole thing!
>
> Her family was Jewish through her father (now secular), so my friend has her suspicions....
>
> Warm regards to all,
>
> Shula
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Received on 2017-08-05 09:30:18