What’s in a name   

An extract from the book Amol in Rassein (Once Upon a Time in Rassein)

(C) 1976 - George M. D. Wolfe. Reproduced here with permission

"People were frequently referred to by their given names, to which a surname representing their occupation or some characteristic was often added. A man named Nissen was called Nissen der Zeiger (Nissen the Watch) because he was in the habit of showing off his watch and gold chain sent to him by a son in America. He was seen around town displaying his watch and I would often approach him and ask for the time of day. After a while he became impatient and would give out the time of day only to adults who, he was sure, would not make fun of him. 

Zelek der Unterschames  (Zelek the assistant sexton) of our synagogue Chayeh Odom (The Life of Man) was a jolly red headed man, always on the go performing various chores, generally barefoot, always at the beck and call of his superior and the occupants of the Eastern Wall. He had no station of his own for prayer and either stood in the rear of the synagogue or in one of the aisles during services. He was in the habit of reciting the memorized prayers (he was probably illiterate and perhaps retarded) in a loud voice, and when he happened to be in the front of the synagogue close to the Eastern Wall he was admonished by one of the elders not to shout so loud. His response invariably was, "Az ich ken nit hecher!" (I can't shout any louder)  

A non-Jewish customer of ours whom my mother apparently knew well and whom she referred to as Yashinshke der Speier (Yashinske the spitter), a nickname bestowed upon me when I was observed spitting unduly. Other sobriquets by which I was known were Meierke, Meike and perhaps others, such as "Meier der sprintzer," because of my skip like walking habit." 

…… 

"It was quite common to identify people by some outstanding characteristic of their personality, whether positive or negative. There was the "shayner yeed" , the Jew who, though he may have been old, infirm and burdened by unattractive physical disabilities, was nevertheless described as a "beautiful" person. Although rare, at least in Rassein, there was also "der shtiler gevir", the man of wealth who kept quiet about his, good fortune. There was also the "der eideler mench", the refined or genteel person. 

There were a good many appellations of a negative character, a phenomenon made familiar in Yiddish literature, especially in the stories of Sholom Aleichem. We all knew the type identified as "der beizer yeed", the angry Jew, who probably as a result of poverty, misfortune or bad luck, was perennially angry at the world. My mother frequently referred to some busy body, usually a woman, as "a kochelefel", a mixing spoon. She characterized a whining and complaining person as "a klogmutter", a professional mourner. A woman who gossiped incessantly, was unable to keep a secret and was generally unattractive as a person was dubbed "a yente". A man who boasted about his prowess with little to show for it was referred to as "a gantzer knacker", one who goes about cracking or snapping without too much effect. Interestingly enough, I do not recall that most common figure of the shtetl, "der schnorer", the begger with lots of chutzpeh, or nerve. There was, however, no dearth of the type known as "a shleemazel", "a luft mench" or "schlemiel", products of the shtetl characterized in some way by hard luck, getting by on air or nothing in particular, and being consistently unlucky. 

The eccentricities of people I encountered in the synagogue, on the street and sometimes in our home made a strong impression on me and I was delighted to find that the great Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem described many of our town "characters" in his stories. In addition to the eccentrics there were a number of people in the town who were obviously mentally ill, although they were never referred to as "meshugoim" (crazy people). They were considered "odd" or disturbed, circulated through the town freely and were sometimes accompanied by a relative or member of the family. The father of one of my friends who worked sporadically as a watchmaker walked the streets murmuring to himself endlessly and was always accompanied by his young son. When I attended cheder a woman visited the school often and berated the pupils for what she considered lapses from religious observances. She had a special interest in nail cuttings and warned the children that if they didn't dispose of their nail cuttings in the proper way, they would be "doomed". She was able to frighten us by her intense manner and loud speech, although we would sometimes make fun of her and ask her to leave. At times I was frightened by the vituperative talk of disturbed people and when walking to school at night I would try to avoid passing the homes where I knew them to be living." 

Navigation between the chapters:-  Use the side bar, or the links below

Cover     :     Early Memories of Rassein     :     Jewish Rassein      

Schooling    :    Making Matzoh    :   Whats in a name        

Household Chores    :    The Sabbath, Holidays and Holy Days  

Amusemenyt and Diversions   :   Trade and Commerce   :     Clothing