how to say “who’s who” in Hebrew

 

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מִי וָמִי


Growing up in Los Angeles, I used to get excited about the Oscars.

Now, living in Jerusalem, I’m a lot more excited about the who’s who in the new Knesset.

The Hebrew term for an illustrious who’s who is list מִי וָמִי  – literally, who and who. 

If you’re up the challenge, read this Ynet article about the מִי וָמִי בַּכְּנֶסֶת הַחֲדָשָׁה  – the who’s who in the new Knesset, or perhaps just the first paragraph, or even just the title.

The phrase first appears in סֵפֶר שְׁמוֹת  the Biblical Book of Exodus:

 
וַיּוּשַׁב אֶת-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת-אַהֲרֹן, אֶל-פַּרְעֹה, וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם, לְכוּ עִבְדוּ אֶת-ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם; מִי וָמִי, הַהֹלְכִים? (שְׁמוֹת י’:ח’)

And Moses and Aaron were summoned back to Pharoah, and he said to them, “Go, worship the L-rd your G-d – who and who is going?” (Exodus 10:8)

In Modern Hebrew, we might encounter:

לַתַּעֲרוּכָה הֻזְמְנוּ כָּל הַמִּי-וָמִי שֶׁל תֵּל אָבִיב.

All the who’s who of Tel Aviv were invited to the exhibition.

 

 

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