In 1897, a group of Jewish socialists founded the daily Forverts, which eventually became the most widely read Yiddish language newspaper in the U.S., with a circulation of over 250,000. As the number of native Yiddish speakers in the U.S. declined, the Forverts began publishing an English language supplement, then switched to English, and now exists as The Forward -- in the form of both a monthly magazine and a website. The focus of The Forward remains "News that Matters to American Jews," including culture, history, literature, and politics.
I was therefore dismayed to see the following headline on The Forward's website this morning (which arrived in my inbox via daily feed), in a story written by Ari Feldman.
Ivanka And Jared’s ‘Hidden Talent’? Playing Yenta For Their Friends
No, no, no, no, no. A matchmaker is not a “yenta.” Yenta was the name of the matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof, but it is not the word for the profession itself. That person is a shadkhn. Yenta is a slightly disparaging word for gossip or busybody.
It is true that yenta-ness might be a useful characteristic for a successful matchmaker, which made the Fiddler on the Roof character an amusing play on words. It was rather like Charles Dickens using Mr. Bumble for the officious beadle in Oliver Twist, or Jarndyce v. Jarndyce as the lawsuit in Bleak House. But I would not refer to an actual matchmaker as a yenta any more than I would call my milkman a Tevye, or my tailor a Motl. Nor would I refer to an orphanage headmaster as a "bumble," other than in an explicit reference to Oliver Twist.
I blogged about this once before concerning a story in the New York Times, but this is far worse.
To his credit, Feldman does not use the term “yenta” in the actual story, and writers do not choose their own headlines, but it is certainly a sad day when The Forward cannot get its Yiddish right.
UPDATE: The Yiddish Forverts is still published as a monthly magazine. h/t Jeffry Mallow.
Have you considered the possibility that the Forward intended the actual meaning of yenta? That we're supposed to see Ivanka and Jared as poking their noses where they don't belong?
Posted by: Matthew Reid Krell | October 25, 2017 at 12:18 PM
That is an amusing possibility, Matthew, but it is inconsistent with the body of the article.
Posted by: Steve L. | October 25, 2017 at 12:21 PM
This is the nicest and kindest thing to come out of President Bone Spur's Whitehouse. Seems like this couple has some compassion? Yes? Put them in charge of calling Military widows and Puerto Rican hurricane relief.
Posted by: Deep State Special Legal Counsel | October 25, 2017 at 04:02 PM
Sy Carswell, you are soooo funny! You represent so perfectly the "side" that you support! ANd, you lend a certain gravitas to this site!
Posted by: anon | October 25, 2017 at 05:31 PM
anon at 5:31,
You are correct, I always try to levitate the situation. It seems to me that my comments above really don't represent any side. Just ask Coker, McCain, Romney, Sasse, Flake and a whole host of people starting to speak out. "Sides" are just a label...
Posted by: Deep State Special Legal Counsel | October 25, 2017 at 05:43 PM
Right, Sy Carswell. You are so correct: there are no "sides" to be taken. You are an objective and astute voice of reason in a sea of awfulness, and your comic genius is unsurpassed!
Posted by: anon | October 25, 2017 at 07:37 PM