In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a large wave of immigration to the United States of Jewish people from Eastern Europe. One of the unifying bonds amongst these people was the fact that so many of them spoke Yiddish — a language that is a mixture of German, Hebrew, Aramaic, various Slavic languages and some Romance languages. As these groups of people assimilated into American culture, Yiddish became less and less widely spoken till now when it is rarely heard.
My family is a Jewish one with roots in Eastern Europe. My ancestors came here to this country speaking Yiddish. My grandparents all were born here, but they grew up speaking Yiddish at home. My parents heard it frequently when they were children. I heard it every so often when I was a child, generally when spoken by my grandparents and great-grandparents. And, now, I fear we have come to a point where my son may not get a chance to hear this colorful and vivid language that is so much a part of our family’s past.
As a new dad, I do feel the need to pass on to my son, Ivan, some awareness of his ancestral roots. I want him to know from whence he came, to understand his heritage and to be proud of it. Because as the saying goes — to get where you’re going, you need to know where you’re coming from.
So, with that in mind, I present The Yiddish Word of the Day. It is my hope that with this knowledge he will be filled with cultural pride and will be motivated to seek out more knowledge about our cultures and others.
The Yiddish Word of the Day is: SHVITZ (“to sweat;” also can mean “to panic or worry”)
Our son, Ivan, looked reinvigorated after a good shvitz in his home spa 
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