Page 62 - issue
P. 62
their own, smaller, kingdom to the south to win the protection of the ruling-class. and oppression. Suddenly, place names
of Lithuania. In 1385, the King of Lithu- The names of places used by Jews were acquired great importance and potential
ania married the daughter, the only child, the names used by the Poles. Jews spoke ethnic explosion. Once Lithuania be-
of the King of Poland. After the Polish of places like Kovno Vilna, Shavel, and came an independent country after the
king’s death, the Lithuanian guy became Ponovezh, not Kaunas, Vilnius, Siauliai, First World War, once the Lithuanians
king of both countries. and Panevezys. Indeed, Jews still do use were the rulers, Jews learned to their per-
the Polish names. il to say Kaunas and not Kovno, at least
About 300 years later, the two king- in public. And so it is today.
doms actually formally merged. Problem So Lithuanians hate Poles.4 They also
is, the Lithuanian nobles ended up Polo- hate Russians. Czarist Russia annexed What’s in a name? A lot, in Lithuania.
nizing, that is, becoming Polish in lan- most of the Kingdom of Poland, includ- Actually, the same is true in other places,
guage and culture,3 so Lithuania came ing Lithuania about 200 years ago, and particularly Ukraine. I am too lazy to go
to be dominated by Poland; Lithuania’s the Russians tried to de-Polonize the through all this here in historical detail;
upper and middle-classes were de-Lith- Lithuanians (and Poles) and Russianize let us just say that the Germans call the
uanianized, leaving only the peasants the lot of them. Under the Czar it was capital of Western Galicia Lemberg, the
as true-Lithuanians in culture. In other forbidden to speak Lithuanian! Poles call it Lvov, the Ukrainians call it
words, if you wanted to be anywhere ex- Lviv, and the Hungarians – ver veis? You
cept at the bottom the ladder in Lithuania About 140 years ago or so, the Lith- see the German-speaking Austrians ruled
during the years 1590 to 1890, you spoke uanians developed a national-conscious- the city back in Kaiser Franz Josef’s day,
Polish and considered yourself Polish. If ness of their own, and in an act of will the Poles ruled it before that, and after
you were Jewish, you related to the coun- effected a techiyas hameisim of their that, and the Ukrainians made up the
try as a part of Poland; after all, Jews have language and culture. They did so in the population. After World War II, Stalin got
teeth of Russian and Polish opposition
3 The reasons for this are fascinating and complex, having to do with the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, but is not for a WWW
article.
4 Hence the famous story of the Rogatchover Gaon who, back in 1920 or so, said, “I can solve the Polish-Lithuanian wars and conflicts raging currently. You see,
it all depends on how you learn the sugya of yerushas habas by Bnei Noach, and no one knows that sugya like I do.” When asked why he didn’t stop the war, the
Rogatchover replied, “The fools didn’t ask me to pasken!”
a
Kosher Wine Tasting
(These are not your Zadie’s Kosher Wines.)
Wednesday, September 7, 2017
from 5-8 pm
Come in to taste the best kosher wines from:
Israel
Italy
Quarry France 15%
Wine & Spirits Australia
OFF
Spain
South Africa All kosher wines
Expires December 31, 2017.
Cannot be combined with any
other discounts.
One mile south of Baltimore Beltway Exit 22-Greenspring Avenue
2516 Quarry Lake Drive • Baltimore, MD 21209 • 410-486-WINE (9463) • www.quarryws.com
54 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
of Lithuania. In 1385, the King of Lithu- The names of places used by Jews were acquired great importance and potential
ania married the daughter, the only child, the names used by the Poles. Jews spoke ethnic explosion. Once Lithuania be-
of the King of Poland. After the Polish of places like Kovno Vilna, Shavel, and came an independent country after the
king’s death, the Lithuanian guy became Ponovezh, not Kaunas, Vilnius, Siauliai, First World War, once the Lithuanians
king of both countries. and Panevezys. Indeed, Jews still do use were the rulers, Jews learned to their per-
the Polish names. il to say Kaunas and not Kovno, at least
About 300 years later, the two king- in public. And so it is today.
doms actually formally merged. Problem So Lithuanians hate Poles.4 They also
is, the Lithuanian nobles ended up Polo- hate Russians. Czarist Russia annexed What’s in a name? A lot, in Lithuania.
nizing, that is, becoming Polish in lan- most of the Kingdom of Poland, includ- Actually, the same is true in other places,
guage and culture,3 so Lithuania came ing Lithuania about 200 years ago, and particularly Ukraine. I am too lazy to go
to be dominated by Poland; Lithuania’s the Russians tried to de-Polonize the through all this here in historical detail;
upper and middle-classes were de-Lith- Lithuanians (and Poles) and Russianize let us just say that the Germans call the
uanianized, leaving only the peasants the lot of them. Under the Czar it was capital of Western Galicia Lemberg, the
as true-Lithuanians in culture. In other forbidden to speak Lithuanian! Poles call it Lvov, the Ukrainians call it
words, if you wanted to be anywhere ex- Lviv, and the Hungarians – ver veis? You
cept at the bottom the ladder in Lithuania About 140 years ago or so, the Lith- see the German-speaking Austrians ruled
during the years 1590 to 1890, you spoke uanians developed a national-conscious- the city back in Kaiser Franz Josef’s day,
Polish and considered yourself Polish. If ness of their own, and in an act of will the Poles ruled it before that, and after
you were Jewish, you related to the coun- effected a techiyas hameisim of their that, and the Ukrainians made up the
try as a part of Poland; after all, Jews have language and culture. They did so in the population. After World War II, Stalin got
teeth of Russian and Polish opposition
3 The reasons for this are fascinating and complex, having to do with the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, but is not for a WWW
article.
4 Hence the famous story of the Rogatchover Gaon who, back in 1920 or so, said, “I can solve the Polish-Lithuanian wars and conflicts raging currently. You see,
it all depends on how you learn the sugya of yerushas habas by Bnei Noach, and no one knows that sugya like I do.” When asked why he didn’t stop the war, the
Rogatchover replied, “The fools didn’t ask me to pasken!”
a
Kosher Wine Tasting
(These are not your Zadie’s Kosher Wines.)
Wednesday, September 7, 2017
from 5-8 pm
Come in to taste the best kosher wines from:
Israel
Italy
Quarry France 15%
Wine & Spirits Australia
OFF
Spain
South Africa All kosher wines
Expires December 31, 2017.
Cannot be combined with any
other discounts.
One mile south of Baltimore Beltway Exit 22-Greenspring Avenue
2516 Quarry Lake Drive • Baltimore, MD 21209 • 410-486-WINE (9463) • www.quarryws.com
54 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
