Oh, let me through to
the joy of the Yiddish word.
Give me whole, full days.
Tie me to it, weave me in,
Strip me of all vanities.
Send crows to feed me, bestow crumbs on me,
But give me
whole, full days,
Let me not forget
for a moment
The Yiddish word.
The Joy of the Yiddish Word • Jacob Glatstein Mentshlekhkayt… means humaneness, being decent, being good to other people, believing that the tradition of Jewish socialism has something to offer the world.
Irving Howe 
