Sol Matsil - Romaniote (Judeo-Greek)

Sol Matsil speaks Romaniote, the Greek dialect of the Jews of Janina. Recorded by Daniel Kaufman at the Kehila Kedosha Janina, New York City in 2014.
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[@christmassnow3465]

I've read about this language mostly on Wikipedia, and this is my first time I hear it spoken.

[@MrsKastell]

It’s Greek with a strong accent of the area. It s not an other language like the ladino of the Sefaredim of Salonica. The Romaniotes have lived in the area more than 2000 years.

[@eliad-wd8wz]

as a greek, this dialect is just like any north dialect except for the jewish terms

[@speroskoufis7505]

Guys is smashing up 3 languages like a boss

[@jnicoulakos]

Yes, The term I use is Greeklish but there is a third language. The only way to stay ontop of it is to speak all three languages. Other Cultures has their own phrase for mixing languages into one. lol I get a kick out of it.

[@porsa0]

Sounds like a simple Northern Greek dialect tbh can't notice any major differences(Apart from the Hebrew words he uses for jewish practices).

[@earthredalert]

Zei akomi auti ti glossa-

[@user-ul9is6nn1v]

@@earthredalert Όχι. Κοιτάτε τα έργα της καθηγήτρ. Julia Krivoruchko

[@ettaplace800]

Bravo Sol. Oreo ta les

[@mikedk9215]

The gentleman is speaking Epirotic Greek (normal modern Greek of Northern accent). It is not Romaniot. But still interresting

[@toade1583]

Most Jewish Greeks lived in the North so it makes sense.

[@ceohadenough894]

I am Greek and I can understand everything he is saying except the Jewish terms

[@letsTAKObout_it]

I love this. I wish I could understand it, but it’s so cool to hear Jewish languages!

[@derejesahile4577]

Interesting language; Judeo-Greek; Religious, scholars & Biblical to study & understanding the knowledge of all disciplinary areas of studies...!!

[@Anoula-voliotisa10]

Hi Sol, I understood your Greek. I come from Volos, Greece. Wonderful story about your dad. I just wanted you to know the interpretation is not correct.

[@ettaplace800]

I understood his Greek

[@Paraglidecrete]

its kathara καθαρα Greek ( linguistically or rather dialectically the words καθαρo and kosher seem to be connected )

[@jerometurner8759]

Here is my random question of the day. 100 years ago when people were crossing the Atlantic to start a new life in America, would a Greek Jew from Ioannina join Greektown or a Jewish neighborhood? Sounds like a Greek Jew from Giannina had a great connection with the Greek language, so while getting settled in America where would he hang out? Would he of gone to a Greek coffee house aka Kafeneio where he was guaranteed to use the Greek language and hear news about Greece, or would he go to a Jewish establishment and hang out with Jews from other parts of Europe that spoke no Greek. Or did Greek Jewish establishments open up in Greektown? A huge problem I assume would of been the language barrier. How comfortable would a Greek from Giannina feel around Jews from Russia or Poland whom speak foreign languages? Also, when speaking Hebrew I'd assume that there would be different accents which would possibly cause miscommunication. Would a Jewish family from Giannina in America send their kids to a Greek language school? Obviously from a religious standpoint the Greek Christian would go to an Orthodox church and the Jew would attend synagogue. I'd assume the Greek school of that time would of been very closely associated with the Greek Orthodox Church, so would it make sense to send the kid to Greek school? With that said, I'm sure that some Greek kids attended normal American school and learned Greek on the side during night or weekend school. Maybe a Greek Jewish family would teach their kids Greek in that fashion? In an atmosphere which would put more emphasis on language than religion. That would make sense. Same overall questions for Griko people of southern Italy. Would they feel more comfortable in that time period in Greektown or Little Italy? When it comes to Chicago Greektown was inside Little Italy, so in that particular city things wouldn't of been to difficult for a Griko person. Similarly in Chicago in that time, Greektown and the Jewish community neighbored one another, however, I never heard of a Greek Jewish immigrant story from that time period, let alone a Greek Jew from Ioannina. Anyone have any insight?

[@toade1583]

It depends. These Greco-Jewish Romanian immigration to the US was largely distinct from the larger Ashkenazi Jewish immigration or Greek immigration to the US. First off they came from an isolated Greek speaking settlement in Romania that descended from ancient Israelite immigrants who spoke Greek as a second language as it was the main language of the Eastern Roman Empire so they would not have had any knowledge of where Greek communities or Ashkenazi communities in the US were before moving to the US. Being Jewish, they probably would have sought Jewish religious services in the US which would have brought into contact with the Jewish population of the US which is predominantly Ashkenazi if they moved even managed to move to a part of the US with a large Jewish population. Greek Americans aren't that noticeably distinct from the rest of US population besides their belief in Orthodox Christianity(specifically Greek Orthodox), but Greek Jews wouldn't seek out Greek Orthodox services so there is no real way they would be able to find out where Greek speaking communities in the US were. Not to mention those who moved to the US moved for economic reasons, far more moved to Greece and Israel for linguistic and cultural reasons.

[@taltalim18]

So the Romaniote Jews that that left in the 1920’s -1930’s for economic reasons came mostly to NY and settled in the Lower East Side building their own distinct Jewish communities. The Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe didn’t even know what to make of them as there was no contact between the communities back in Europe and in their minds one who didn’t speak a Yiddish or eat their foods wasn’t Jewish so the communities remained separate. The same could be said for the Romaniote Jews who thought the food, customs and never mind the language of the Ashkenazi Jews were totally foreign. The Romaniote Jews built their own Synagogue which still remains to this day mostly as a cultural place with occasional Holiday morning services and possibly Shabbat mornings prayers as the majority of the community moved away from the Lower East Side years ago but there used to be a beautiful community and they all had businesses in the area. The Romaniote community eventually joined with Sephardic Jews immigrants from Saloniki who were lucky to have immigrated to the U.S. after the Great Fire of 1917 which helped save them from the eventual complete deportation and ultimate annihilation of almost the entire Saloniki Jewish community by the Nazi’s between March & August of 1943 in Auschwitz and Treblinka. So many of the Jews from Romaniote and Saloniki and other smaller Greek Jewish communities that were lucky enough to either immigrate to the U.S. prior to WWII or escape and survive in hiding in Athens eventually combined and formed blended Romaniote/Sephardic Jewish communities in NY, Atlanta and Seattle, WA and eventually as they started improving their economic situation and moving to Brooklyn and Long Island they either blended in with Ashkenazi communities through marriage or they joined other Sephardic Jewish communities but still maintained their distinct social organizations.

[@jerometurner8759]

@@taltalim18 Thanks for the info. These immigrant stories are very interesting! Any clue why they didn't go to Chicago? To read Seattle surprised me.

[@PastafarianPriest]

Our grandparents did NOT move to Greektown on account of the antisemitism among our gentile neighbors back in Greece. We lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and established a Greek synagogue there. That was our community.

[@Open11Sky]

This is not extinct. Greek Jews are left and we all speak different dialects.

[@guywhousesapseudonymonyout4272]

@danae husak Are you Romaniote or Sefaradi? Do you still live in Greece?

[@guywhousesapseudonymonyout4272]

@@ghiyabigityha Hey hey hey

[@guywhousesapseudonymonyout4272]

@@ghiyabigityha Okay I guess, how are you?

[@alep_bet]

@danae husak Yavanic /Romaniote Greek is a thing as is Yiddish for the Ashkenazim and Ladino for Sephardim. It is just not spoken any longer to the extent it once was. As a Greek Jew are you of Romaniote background or Sephardic (or any other)?

[@user-yz8pw9dv2n]

My family is mostly sephardi we were from Salonika/Thessaloniki .Some of our family were romaniote originally from Albania and Corfu and Ioannina.I now have lived in London,England.Most of my life.

[@user-ul9is6nn1v]

Karaitika or Karaeo-Greek is an old fashioned type of modern (Judeo-)Greek. It is spoken by the Constantinopolitan Karaites. Here is a video about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKKUkIyXYrR-etk

[@paulanyc09]

It is not extinct.

[@symenindraindrasymen8058]

Very old specimen!

[@dimitrileeberakeesisnotfun6632]

This is barely Greek and defo not Romaniote. For example Romaniote word for died is niftare (νιφταρε) not pethane (πεθανε) which is Greek.

[@PastafarianPriest]

Give him a break, Dmitri. It's been a long time.

[@polygamous1]

Maybe there is something in our genes maybe its just our Character but almost all my Greek friends have a soft spot for Jewish people even we do Not like what Israel is doing to the Palestinians most of us just like Jewish people deep down did we mix with Jewish people over the years? as I always felt comfortable in their company I also find Jewish ladies extremely attractive n desirable, despite of what people think they are very generous with their feelings their love

[@ghiyabigityha]

@@userKATEPINA Greeks mostly hate us

[@occihum9115]

You don't have to have the same origin with them to like them

[@theo9952]

As he himself says right from the beginning of the video, his mother language is English only. He also speaks some rudimental regional Greek, mixed with a few Hebrew words. I find it hard to understand him. I doubt very much that the original Greek Romaniot language had much to do with the way he speaks here.