During my annual stay at Rosmarins Cottages, a Reform Jewish colony in the Catskills, I had another interesting encounter related to language. As a non-Jewish individual among many Jews, I couldn’t help but notice the influence of Yiddish on the English spoken there. Although people don’t actively consider themselves speaking Yiddishisms, a careful listener can detect how Yiddish has seeped into the speech of American Jews who are generations away from actually speaking Yiddish.
For instance, at Rosmarins, instead of saying “at someone’s bungalow,” they say “by someone’s bungalow.” For example, they would say, “We’re going to be by Lenore’s. Are you coming?” This usage of “by” is borrowed from Yiddish, where “bey” is used in a similar manner. Interestingly, even the non-Jewish residents of the bungalows, known as bungaleers, have adopted this usage. I myself, being a gentile resident, used it the other day without even realizing it.
Another incident occurred when a fellow resident, who is a native English speaker with no knowledge of Yiddish, found the light switch in a large building and exclaimed, “Oh, I found where to close that light.” This phrasing was influenced by Yiddish, where one could say “makh tsi de likht” to convey the same idea.
Taking a step back in time, we find a 1950s Broadway musical titled “Wish You Were Here,” which centered around a Jewish bungalow colony. In one memorable scene, the colony’s social director introduced himself through a song with a klezmer-like tune. In one stanza, he humorously imitated his parents and older relatives, singing:
“Oh, woe, woe, woe!
A social director! A social director!
Don’t tell us our boy is a social director!
Let him be a loafer, let him be a bum.”
These experiences at Rosmarins Cottages highlight the fascinating fusion of English and Yiddish, creating a unique linguistic atmosphere that adds to the charm of this Jewish colony. It serves as a testament to the cultural heritage and evolution of language within communities over time.
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