How to say “bonfires” in Yiddish and Hebrew
קומזיץ, מדורה
A common word used in Israel for bonfires is קוּמְזִיץ (KOOM-zeets). This word comes from Yiddish and means, literally, come, sit (say the word out loud and right away you’ll notice the Germanic similarity in the sounds).
To an Israeli, the word קומזיץ brings to mind the bonfire and all that is associated with it: guitars, bongos and friends.
The more proper Hebrew word for the bonfire itself is מְדוּרָה (meh-doo-RAH).
Why do I write about מדורות and קומזיצים tonight? Well, it’s Lag BaOmer (ל”ג בעומר), Israel’s national holiday for bonfires (dating back close to 2000 years ago).
To find out more about Lag BaOmer and its associations, I refer you to the blog of my student, colleague and friend, Ruti Mizrachi.
In the meantime… listen and repeat!
