Yid

Image:Page from Yiddish-Hebrew-Latin-German dictionary by Elijah Levita.jpg's Yiddish language-Hebrew-Latin-German dictionary (16th century) contains a list of nations, including an entry for Jew: {{langx|he|יְהוּדִי}} {{langx|yi|יוּד}} {{langx|de|Iud}} {{langx|la|Iudaeus}}]]

The term Yid has its origins in the Middle High German word {{lang|de|Jüde}} (the contemporary German word is {{lang|de|Jude}}).

Leo Rosten provides the following etymology:

From the German: Jude: 'Jew.' And 'Jude' is a truncated form of Yehuda, which was the name given to the Jewish Commonwealth in the period of the Second Temple. That name, in turn, was derived from the name of one of Jacob's sons, Yehuda (Judah, in English), whose descendants constituted one of the tribes of Israel and who settled in that portion of Canaan from Jerusalem south to Kadesh-Barnea (50 miles south of Beersheba) and from Jericho westwards to the Mediterranean.Leo Rosten: The Joys of Yiddish, 1968. Cited in [http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/yid.htm Kim Pearson's Rhetoric of Race] by Eric Wolarsky. The College of New Jersey.

{{See also|Jew#Etymology|Jew (word)}}

The earliest printed mention of the word Yid in English was in The Slang Dictionary published by John Camden Hotten in 1874. Hotten noted that "The Jews use these terms very frequently."

It is uncertain when the word began to be used in a pejorative sense by non-Jews, but some believe it started in the 20th century, likely in the 1930s when there was a large population of Jews and Yiddish speakers in East London where Oswald Mosley also had a strong following.{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/24240085 |title=The Y-word: Should Tottenham fans be allowed to use it? |date=27 September 2013 |work=BBC|access-date=14 June 2019}} Mosley's supporters were said to have chanted while marching through Jewish areas: "The Yids, the Yids, we gotta get rid of the Yids".{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/britains-near-brush-with-fascism-the-politician-who-rooted-for-hitler/ |title=Britain's near-brush with Fascism: The politician who rooted for Hitler |first=Robert|last= Philpot |date=24 October 2017|work=The Times of Israel}}

After World War II, most examples of the word Yid are found in the writing of Jewish authors. These occurrences are usually either attempts to accurately portray antisemitic speech, or as self-deprecating Jewish humor. In his 1968 bestseller The Joys of Yiddish, Leo Rosten offers a number of anecdotes from the "Borscht Belt" to illustrate such usage.

The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that the first attested use of the related term "yiddo" for a Jew appeared in 1972.{{cite web |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/74901654 |title=yiddo, n. |work=Oxford English Dicationary }}

The words "yid" and "yiddo" have become commonly associated in Britain with fans of Tottenham Hotspur since the 1960s. In January 2020, the Oxford English Dictionary extended the definition of "yid" to "a supporter of or player for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (traditionally associated with the Jewish community in north and east London).{{cite web |url=https://public.oed.com/updates/new-words-list-january-2020/ |title=New words list January 2020 |work=Oxford English Dictionary }}

As of 2022, Merriam-Webster, and the Cambridge Dictionary all categorize the word as "offensive".{{cite web |title="Yid" |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/yid |website=Cambridge Dictionary |access-date=4 February 2022}}{{cite web |title="Yid" |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Yid |website=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |access-date=4 February 2022}} Oxford English Dictionary, however, noted its change of meaning in British English: "Originally and frequently derogatory and offensive, though later also often as a self-designation."{{cite web |title="Yid" |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/231844 |website=OED Online |access-date=4 February 2022 |date=December 2021}}

In Yiddish, the word "Yid" {{langx|yi|ייד}} is neutral or even complimentary, and in Ashkenazi Yiddish-speaking circles it is frequently used to mean simply "fellow," "chap," "buddy," "mate," etc., with no expressed emphasis on Jewishness (although this may be implied by the intra-Jewish context). Plural is {{lang|yi|יידן}} {{IPA|[jidn]}}.

In Yiddish, a polite way to address a fellow Jew whose name one does not know is Reb Yid, meaning "Sir." The Yiddish words yidish or yiddisher (from Middle High German jüdisch) is an adjective derived from the noun Yid, and thus means "Jewish".

{{further|Tottenham Hotspur F.C. supporters#Jewish association}}

A number of European clubs, such as Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax have become associated with being Jewish.{{cite news |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/10/dont-blame-for-anti-semitism-in-soccer-tottenham-hotspur-spurs-ajax-amsterdam/ |title=Don't Blame Soccer's 'Jewish' Teams for Anti-Semitism |first=David S. |last=Winner |date= 10 May 2019 |work=Foreign Policy}} In the case of Tottenham Hotspur, rival fans chanted antisemitic abuse including 'Yids' against Tottenham fans.{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/uks-tottenham-soccer-club-defends-fans-use-of-yid-army/ |title=UK's Tottenham soccer club defends fans' use of 'Yid Army' |work=Times of Israel |date=27 February 2019 }} In response some Jewish and non-Jewish fans of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. adopted "Yid" (or "Yiddo") as a nickname and "Yiddo, Yiddo!" as a battle cry and often identify themselves as "Yid Army". While such usage remains controversial, the majority of Tottenham fans support its use in a survey and use the word with pride,{{cite web |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1244371097227 |title=JPost | French-language news from Israel, the Middle East & the Jewish World |publisher=Fr.jpost.com |access-date=2013-11-29 |archive-date=2013-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203182057/http://www.jpost.com/EditionFrancaise/Home.aspx |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2019/january/spurs-and-anti-semitism |title=Spurs and Anti-Semitism |first=Leo |last=Benedictus |work=London Reviews of Books |date= 11 January 2019}} and consider the usage an act of reclaiming the word as a badge of honour, nullifying its derogatory meaning when used by rival fans. In a survey, more than half of Jewish fans have no objection to the use of the word by Tottenham fans, but around a quarter preferred for it not to be used.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/17/dictionaries-language-tottenham-hotspur-oed-y-word-definition |title=The point of dictionaries is to describe how language is used, not to police it |first=Lynne |last=Murphy |work=The Guardian |date=17 February 2020}} Some Jewish Tottenham supporters consciously use it to identify the club as a bastion against racism and antisemitism. Fans of other clubs use the term as a pejorative because of the perception that many Tottenham Hotspur fans are Jewish. This following started in the early 20th century after the First World War when the club was the team of choice for large numbers of Jewish immigrants in North London and the East End of London – those in East London could easily get cheap buses and trams to Tottenham, heading north along the road later designated the A10. East-end Jews have since mostly moved to the North and East London suburbs, Hertfordshire and Essex, but support for Tottenham Hotspur continues for many Jewish families; for example, all three chairmen of Tottenham since 1984 have been Jewish businessmen with prior history of support for the club.{{cite web |url=https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/how-tottenham-became-the-jewish-football-team-1.53784 |title=Spurs and the Jews: the how, the why and the when |first1=Martin |last1=Cloake|first2= Alan|last2= Fisher|date=6 October 2016 |work=The Jewish Chronicle |access-date=30 June 2018}}

In 2011, comedian David Baddiel started an antisemitism campaign against the use of the word in football,{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/baddiel-film-aims-to-kick-the-yword-out-of-football-2267463.html |title= Baddiel film aims to kick the Y-word out of football |first=Ian |last=Herbert|date=14 April 2011 |work=The Independent }} and debates continued in 2013 when the Football Association warned that supporters who used the word could face criminal charges.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/24057423 |title=FA threat to fans over anti-Semitic term in chants |work=BBC Sport|date= 11 September 2013 }} Prime Minister David Cameron, however, said that it was not anti-Semitic when Spurs fans used the word,{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Owen |title=Spurs fans should not be punished for chanting 'Yid', says David Cameron |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/17/david-cameron-yids-chants-spurs |website=The Guardian |date=17 September 2013 |access-date=17 September 2013}}{{cite web |last1=The JC |title=David Cameron: Yid is not hate speech when it's Spurs |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/david-cameron-yid-is-not-hate-speech-when-it-s-spurs-1.48884 |website=The Jewish Chronicle |date=18 September 2013 |access-date=25 November 2016}} while Baddiel argued that the word is derogatory.{{cite news |last1=Baddiel |first1=David |title=Yes, David Cameron, 'Yid' really is a race-hate word. Here's why |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/17/david-cameron-yid-really-is-race-hate-word |website=The Guardian |date=17 September 2013 |access-date=17 September 2013}} in 2014, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against Tottenham fans for chanting the words as it considered such words as used by Tottenham fans could not legally be counted as 'threatening, abusive or insulting'.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/charges-dropped-against-tottenham-fans-facing-prosecution-for-yid-chant-9176982.html |title=Charges dropped against Tottenham fans facing prosecution for 'Yid' chant|first=Margaret |last=Davis|date=7 March 2014 |work=The Independent}}

In February 2020, The Oxford English Dictionary expanded its definition of the word 'Yid' to include a "supporter of or player for Tottenham Hotspur... Originally and frequently derogatory and offensive, though later also often as a self-designation". It also added the closely related word 'Yiddo' to its latest edition.{{cite web |url=https://r1oooo.blogspot.com/2020/02/oxford-dictionary-includes-tottenham-fans-yid-definition.html |title=Oxford Dictionary includes Tottenham fans in 'Yid' definition |work=inside World Soccer |date=13 February 2020 |access-date=1 March 2020}} The club criticised the inclusion as "misleading" as the dictionary does not "distinguish the contexts in which the term is and is not offensive",{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51479810 |title=Dictionary includes Spurs fans in Yid definition |work=BBC |date=12 February 2020 }} it said: "As a club we have never accommodated the use of the Y-word on any club channels or in club stores".{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Ben |title=Spurs criticise OED over expanded definition of 'yid' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/12/spurs-criticise-oed-over-expanded-definition-of-yid |website=The Guardian |date=12 February 2020 |access-date=12 February 2020}} The "yiddo" entry of the Oxford English Dictionary has since added a note that it is sometimes used as a self-designation by Tottenham Hotspur supporters "now usually without derogatory connotations", as further clarification to its statement "Usually derogatory and offensive".{{cite web |title=Yiddo |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/74901654 |website=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=30 May 2022}}

In 2019, Tottenham Hotspur conducted a consultation and received 23,000 responses from fans about the use of the word.{{Cite web |title=The WhY Word {{!}} The Club |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/the-club/the-why-word/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}} The club conducted the second phase after a pause due to Covid-19, and in 2022, concluded, "We recognise how these members of our fanbase feel and we also believe it is time to move on from associating this term with our Club."{{Cite web |title=The WhY Word {{!}} The Club |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/the-club/the-why-word/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}}

• Zhyd
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Category:Antisemitic slurs

Category:Ashkenazi Jewish culture

Category:Yiddish words and phrases

Category:Racism in association football