YIVO Opens New Exhibit on the Forgotten Slang of Jewish Fighters

(NEW YORK, April 20, 2015) – The stereotypes say that Jews don’t know how to fight. The reality is that not only do Jews bring the ruckus, but there exists a rich Yiddish vocabulary that vividly describes exactly how they do it. Now is the chance to discover that forgotten past. The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is pleased to announce its newest exhibit, Yiddish Fight Club, opening at the end of the month.

Yiddish Fight Club is an exhibit based on a linguistic study of Yiddish fighting terms that appeared in YIVO's first publication in 1926. It combines the now-forgotten slang of a violent Yiddish underworld with images of Jewish brawlers from the past. Yiddish has a word for just about everything, from knak (a hard punch) to barne (a noogie) and shtaysl (an uppercut). This fascinating exhibit reveals the little-known history of the unique Yiddish fighting slang used by Jewish gangsters, boxers and professional wrestlers, among other tough Jews.

“Although they are often typed as intellectuals and yeshiva boys, Jews also had their street hoods and tough guys who, if threatened, were more than ready to beat their adversaries into submission and used a unique Yiddish lexicon to do so,” said Eddy Portnoy, the exhibition’s creator and YIVO’s Academic Advisor for the Max Weinreich Center.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 6:30pm, where Portnoy will discuss the less-than-bookish Jews of the first half of the 20th century—the factory workers, pimps, prostitutes, petty criminals, gang members, professional and street fighters. They were foul-mouthed Yiddish speakers, swearing like drunken Jewish sailors using a rich, little-known lexicon culled from a long history of violent engagement. The reception will be held at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (15 West 16th Street, New York).

Read the press release in Yiddish (Forverts).

Location
Constantiner Gallery, first floor
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011

For press inquiries, contact:

Dr. Eddy Portnoy
Senior Academic Advisor & Director of Exhibitions
(212) 294-6139