Reply To: Yiddish at Siyum hashas

I don’t think anyone considers this a Yiddish event. It is an event for Jews but what does that have to do with the language? Would you invite someone to your house for a meal and then speak to everyone at the table in a foreign language?

If I recall correctly, the Noviminsker started with Yiddish and then said that for the sake of those who speak English he will switch. I thought that was a very classy way to make his point that we “hold of” Yiddish as a chosen language but we need to accommodate those who are here. The bulk of his speech was English.

The fact that the originators of the daf yomi spoke Yiddish is completely irrelevant. Based on that logic maybe the speeches should be in Aramaic?

It would seem that English could accommodate everyone.