The New Joys of Yiddish

Enjoy the most comprehensive and hilariously entertaining lexicon of the colorful and deeply expressive language of Yiddish. With the recent renaissance of interest in Yiddish, and in keeping with a language that embodies the variety and vibrancy of life itself, The New Joys of Yiddish brings Leo Rosten’s masterful work up to date. Revised for the first time by Lawrence Bush, in close consultation with Rosten’s daughters, it retains the spirit of the original—with its wonderful jokes, tidbits of cultural history, Talmudic and biblical references—and is enhanced by hundreds of new entries and thoughtful commentary on how Yiddish has evolved over the years, as well as clever illustrations by R. O. Blechman.

Did you know that cockamamy, bluffer, maven, and aha! are all Yiddish words? If you did, you’re a gaon, possessing a lot of seykhl.

The late LEO ROSTEN was the author of The Return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, Captain Newman, M.D., and countless other books, articles, and screenplays.

LAWRENCE BUSH is the author of several books about American Judaism and is the editor of Reconstructionism Today. He lives in Accord, New York.

R.O. BLECHMAN’s illustrations have appeared on nineteen covers of The New Yorker and have been exhibited in New York, Paris, Berlin, and Munich. The author/artist of seven books, he lives in New York City.


From the Hardcover edition.