The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Yiddish » (Abridged)

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a tenth generation rabbi, is a national recognized educator, religious leader, author, and lecturer. He is associate professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University in New York City and rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Oceanside congregation in Oceanside, New York. The author of Understanding Judaism, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culture, the Complete Meshugener's Guide to Yiddish, and many other books, Rabbi Blech has appeared frequently on national television and has written for a host of national magazines and scholarly journals. He resides in New York City.

You're not idiot, of course. You can serve up a mean s'il vous plait in a French bistro, live la vida loca for a night of margaritas, and manage a sayonara! after sushi, sake, and karaoke. But when it comes to throwing around a little Yiddish, you feel like a total nebbish! Don't throw your hands in a helpless "Oy, vey" just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Yiddish is your guide to this unique tongue, whether you're tackling rules of grammar or just throwing around some key phrases so you sound a little less goyish. In this Complete Idiot's Guide you get a fascinating explanation of how and why Yiddish developed, an easy introduction to the Yiddish alphabet, as well as the distinctive sound of Yiddish, and all the Yiddish you'll need for communicating with family and friends or for bargain-hunting on New York's Lower East Side. This book contains a treasury of Yiddish words and phrases for every occasion.

Part 1:   Getting to Know Yiddish

Part 2:   So Let's Get Started Already

Part 3:   Home, Sweet Heym

Part 4:   On the Town

Part 5:   That's Life

Part 6:   The Popular, the Powerful, and the Profound

Part 7:   Yiddish Selections

Appendices