What role does Yiddish play in We Must Not Think of Ourselves? What does it symbolize? What is its power?

What role does Yiddish play in We Must Not Think of Ourselves? What does it symbolize? What is its power?

Yiddish was the common language of European Jews. It bound them together and identified them as a people - much more so than Polish or German (since speaking either certainly did not give them the rights of actual Polish or German citizens.)

Yiddish was powerful for Jewish people because it brought them together in their shared culture, religion and history.

I agree with the previous comments but add that sometimes speaking Yiddish was isolating when people didn’t speak Polish or German as well. Its difficult to not be able to communicate in the main language of a country , unable to read major newspapers, fill out forms etc.

I don't know anyone who speaks Yiddish, but I do know several Jewish people. I think that Yiddish unites the Jews, but I think that speaking a language that is different than the language spoken in a country can lead to misunderstandings and suspicions. Perhaps this true for the Jews. People may wonder why they have a separate language and why aren't they speaking what I speak? I have a cousin whose mother-in-law only speaks Dutch, though she knows and can speak English. My cousin is uncomfortable around her and thinks she is being critizied, even if told she is not. She has a hard time believing that. So perhaps speaking a different language can be a draw back.

For a number of characters in the book, Yiddish was their first language which made it easier for them to express themselves using it. Forman observes that Yiddish is their language, but they all speak the language of "the oppressive stupid language of the goyim, Polish." Yiddish is part of their identity and the very history they are striving to preserve via the Oneg Shabbat project. It is a symbol of who they are, what they stand for, and what they are in the process of attempting to survive. It is one of the few things they have left, that the Nazis -- who have taken their homes, businesses, rights, and, in too many cases, their very lives -- cannot take from them as long as they are alive, and able to think, speak, read, and write. The power of language is undeniable.

Yiddish is the language of the Jews that allows them to understand each other no matter where they migrate—in Eastern Europe. I have read that it combines Hebrew and German, for example for Ashkenazic Jews. The Jews who wound up in Spain and Portugal speak “Ladino” which is a mash up of Hebrew and Spanish. That’s how those languages evolved, but they could allow a Polish Jew to speak with a Russian Jew, etc. It might be considered isolating but it really had the opposite function, within the larger Jewish community.

Having a language that others could not understand gave the Jews power. It bonded them together and it was one of the few things that could not be taken away from them.

Not sure if I am right about this but I think Yiddish brought unity and connection to the Jewish people. When I was a child, a catholic, the Mass was said in Latin. We were taught that this unified us and made us one. That wherever we traveled in the world, when we went to Mass, we would all be hearing and using our common language. We would feel at home, no matter where we were. It was beautiful and comforting.
I think Yiddish does this for the Jewish people.

yiddish was the language unique to the Jews... it bound them together and was a symbol of something that couldnt be taken away