קולטור

A Scout Greeting

At the beginning of the movie, Nomi asks Moby and Meyerke if they’re ready: “Greyt?” In addition to a simple question, “Greyt” is also part of a scout greeting in Yiddish!

Bin (meaning “Bee”, pronounced like the English word “bean”) was a co-ed Jewish youth movement, founded in 1927 by the Yiddish scholar and activist Max Weinreich. Bin, inspired by the Scout Movement, emphasized taking action and building character, and promoted physical activities, craftsmanship, and community service, especially Yiddish cultural work.

Bin had several thousand members from its founding through the end of the organization in 1937, and was active primarily around Vilna, Poland (now Lithuania). Participating youth in Bin were between the ages of eight and seventeen, and their motto was Gezogt—⁠geton! or, “Said and done!”

Like other scouts, Binen (Bin members) valued preparedness. When Binen addressed each other with “Greyt!” — Ready! — their fellow scouts would answer with the rejoinder, “Shtendik!” — Always!

So the next time someone asks you if you’re ready, you can respond like a member of the Bin movement, and say: “Shtendik!”