I love yiddish because it is a language centered on the human condition. It has an incredible of collection of curses, praises, and characterizations. It is an onomatopoetic language--if I call you a schmuck, you would know I was being offensive even if you had never heard of yiddish. It laughs at wealth. It skewers arrogance. It deflates pomposity.

Most of all, it's a survivor's language. It has survived disdain and neglect, pogroms and concentration camps, with laughter and tears, and mostly, defiance.

late night thoughts