Yid

[stemark44]

That's a common misconception but no. It's derived from Lily White, a famous "hostess" (high class hooker) who worked in the area during the 20's. She was a favourite amongst the players of time and was reputed to have serviced the entire team, hence the nickname.

It's comforting to know that Peter Crouch is keeping the tradition alive and well today.

 

[Son_Of]

Just adding to the debate. I voted no and am Jewish. I am not particularly religious though but have had been called a Yid all my life. I went to a CofE school and whenever anything went wrong with friends etc I was called Yid, Jew, Red Sea Pedestrian, Tight, Judas you name it i've had it thrown at me. But through adversity you grow stronger. My grandparents grew up with Mosley and the Black shirts throughout the 30's and the fear of Hitler during the war years. Growing up in the 70's I had the NF racist crap from everyone and was even handed literature that blamed the Jews for all the ills of the world. So although i'm not religious I am always conscious that I am Jewish and am bringing up my kids to know about their heritage and that they are Jewish whether they practice the religion or not.
Back to the subject in hand. I find it difficult to understand how a Leeds and Chelsea fan can be offended by Spurs fans calling themselves Yids. Now as I have said I am not religious and maybe they are further into the religion than I am, which beggars the believe that they actually support the teams they do.
One of my worst ever footballing experiences was at Leeds. We were playing them in the FA Cup when George Graham had just become our manager. My sister was studying at Leeds and got us tickets in the 'safe' home end. I was surrounded by Hitler salutes, hissing noises and shouts of 'f*ck off back to jew land you thieving *****s' etc etc. I felt humiliated, sad and very frightened. I couldn't even go to the loo in case someone noticed I was circumcised.
The most gratifying site that day was the Israel flag flying proudly in the Spurs end with the chants of Yid army crying out. I thought, those are my people, thats where I am safe and thats where no body cares if i'm Jewish or not. Thats why I love the term Yid Army. It shows that everyone has embraced the Jewish religion and you won't hear anything anti semetic at WHL or following Spurs by our fellow supporters.
Chelsea fans are horrific. Their firm are Combat 18. 18 being the first and 8th letters of the alphabet - AH or Adolf Hitler. How any Jew can support them is beyond me.
If Jews were offended by the chants then the songs would be banned in the ground or the crowd would not be full of Jewish faces, all singing along.
Don't worry about what followers of other teams say, they don't understand. Daniel Levy has conducted a survey across the Jewish community about the chant and the response was an emphatic Yes to it staying.
I'm proud to be Jewish and proud to take my seat every season in block 39. Yid Army

repped. YID ARMY

 

[faymantaray]

And what about those of us Jai who are Spurs fans and completely innocently prefer not to be associated with Israel, Judaism or any religion while we're trying to enjoy football generally?

 

[RickyVilla]

Just adding to the debate. I voted no and am Jewish. I am not particularly religious though but have had been called a Yid all my life. I went to a CofE school and whenever anything went wrong with friends etc I was called Yid, Jew, Red Sea Pedestrian, Tight, Judas you name it i've had it thrown at me. But through adversity you grow stronger. My grandparents grew up with Mosley and the Black shirts throughout the 30's and the fear of Hitler during the war years. Growing up in the 70's I had the NF racist crap from everyone and was even handed literature that blamed the Jews for all the ills of the world. So although i'm not religious I am always conscious that I am Jewish and am bringing up my kids to know about their heritage and that they are Jewish whether they practice the religion or not.
Back to the subject in hand. I find it difficult to understand how a Leeds and Chelsea fan can be offended by Spurs fans calling themselves Yids. Now as I have said I am not religious and maybe they are further into the religion than I am, which beggars the believe that they actually support the teams they do.
One of my worst ever footballing experiences was at Leeds. We were playing them in the FA Cup when George Graham had just become our manager. My sister was studying at Leeds and got us tickets in the 'safe' home end. I was surrounded by Hitler salutes, hissing noises and shouts of 'f*ck off back to jew land you thieving *****s' etc etc. I felt humiliated, sad and very frightened. I couldn't even go to the loo in case someone noticed I was circumcised.
The most gratifying site that day was the Israel flag flying proudly in the Spurs end with the chants of Yid army crying out. I thought, those are my people, thats where I am safe and thats where no body cares if i'm Jewish or not. Thats why I love the term Yid Army. It shows that everyone has embraced the Jewish religion and you won't hear anything anti semetic at WHL or following Spurs by our fellow supporters.
Chelsea fans are horrific. Their firm are Combat 18. 18 being the first and 8th letters of the alphabet - AH or Adolf Hitler. How any Jew can support them is beyond me.
If Jews were offended by the chants then the songs would be banned in the ground or the crowd would not be full of Jewish faces, all singing along.
Don't worry about what followers of other teams say, they don't understand. Daniel Levy has conducted a survey across the Jewish community about the chant and the response was an emphatic Yes to it staying.
I'm proud to be Jewish and proud to take my seat every season in block 39. Yid Army

Great post mate :up:

 

[louisg]

No, my mate's got the Opus (2nd hand, he's not that stupid) and it's in there.

Where and how much did he get it?

 

[Coyboy]

I was a student at Leeds back in 69-72 and can fully testify to their fans' Neanderthal nature. Their stewards were too thick to notice that my friends and I had London accents, so we invariably had to stand in their 'Kop' (they had no tradition of their own, so nicked everyone else's). At that time, though, there was no anti-Jewish chanting.

This is such a tricky question, and I fully understand why some Jews and the terminally Politically Correct find 'Yid', as we employ it, offensive. Perhaps it hasn't been adequately explained to them.

So was my Mum. Tetley Hall. I don't think she went to Elland Road.

 

[Azrael]

I grew up in a Jewish family and I was always taught that the word Yid was insulting. It's why I never use it to reference myself as a Spurs fan.

I think if the group that it is aimed up makes it clear that its unacceptable it should not be used, no matter how many non-racist fans use it without racist intention.

 

[Welshiespursboyo]

Just adding to the debate. I voted no and am Jewish. I am not particularly religious though but have had been called a Yid all my life. I went to a CofE school and whenever anything went wrong with friends etc I was called Yid, Jew, Red Sea Pedestrian, Tight, Judas you name it i've had it thrown at me. But through adversity you grow stronger. My grandparents grew up with Mosley and the Black shirts throughout the 30's and the fear of Hitler during the war years. Growing up in the 70's I had the NF racist crap from everyone and was even handed literature that blamed the Jews for all the ills of the world. So although i'm not religious I am always conscious that I am Jewish and am bringing up my kids to know about their heritage and that they are Jewish whether they practice the religion or not.
Back to the subject in hand. I find it difficult to understand how a Leeds and Chelsea fan can be offended by Spurs fans calling themselves Yids. Now as I have said I am not religious and maybe they are further into the religion than I am, which beggars the believe that they actually support the teams they do.
One of my worst ever footballing experiences was at Leeds. We were playing them in the FA Cup when George Graham had just become our manager. My sister was studying at Leeds and got us tickets in the 'safe' home end. I was surrounded by Hitler salutes, hissing noises and shouts of 'f*ck off back to jew land you thieving *****s' etc etc. I felt humiliated, sad and very frightened. I couldn't even go to the loo in case someone noticed I was circumcised.
The most gratifying site that day was the Israel flag flying proudly in the Spurs end with the chants of Yid army crying out. I thought, those are my people, thats where I am safe and thats where no body cares if i'm Jewish or not. Thats why I love the term Yid Army. It shows that everyone has embraced the Jewish religion and you won't hear anything anti semetic at WHL or following Spurs by our fellow supporters.
Chelsea fans are horrific. Their firm are Combat 18. 18 being the first and 8th letters of the alphabet - AH or Adolf Hitler. How any Jew can support them is beyond me.
If Jews were offended by the chants then the songs would be banned in the ground or the crowd would not be full of Jewish faces, all singing along.
Don't worry about what followers of other teams say, they don't understand. Daniel Levy has conducted a survey across the Jewish community about the chant and the response was an emphatic Yes to it staying.
I'm proud to be Jewish and proud to take my seat every season in block 39. Yid Army

Great post - repped.

 

[Azrael]

what i find funny is that peopel are writing 'The N Word' rather than nigger when they will freely write words like Yid.

I personally am of the opinion that words are JUST THAT. it has to be said in spite than to mean spite. if i'm conversing with my friends, and the subjects come up, i will freely use words like nigger, queer, poof, yid, any of these style of words if it assists in any kind of explanation i am giving. i DO NOT do is call someone a nigger or a poof in a derogatory manner, because THAT'S what discrimination, prejudice and all sorts of ugly little things come from.

Wrong.

I used to say exactly what you say, but I later realised that its not enough to claim it wasn't said in spite as sometimes it will harm and offend innocent people and that sould also be taken into consideration......and what is happening here is that people, once learning that people are offended by its use, are now trying to finds ways to justofy its continued use. In other words, "I don't say it in spite so anyone who gets offended can fuck off". That cannot be right.

 

[SpurSince57]

And what about those of us Jai who are Spurs fans and completely innocently prefer not to be associated with Israel, Judaism or any religion while we're trying to enjoy football generally?

If only the club were based elsewhere than Tottenham!

 

[Welshiespursboyo]

And what about those of us Jai who are Spurs fans and completely innocently prefer not to be associated with Israel, Judaism or any religion while we're trying to enjoy football generally?

There will ALWAYS be that association linked with Tottenham Hotspur FC, regardless of whether the YID ARMY chant stays or goes.

 

[Coyboy]

I grew up in a Jewish family and I was always taught that the word Yid was insulting. It's why I never use it to reference myself as a Spurs fan.

I think if the group that it is aimed up makes it clear that its unacceptable it should not be used, no matter how many non-racist fans use it without racist intention.

Since when does this group- by which I assume you mean Jews, of which they are many- speak in one homogeneous voice? It's a word, a group of syllables- or rather in this case monosyllabic, it has no racist connotations. If you were to ban it or wish it away, racism would still exist.

 

[Bill_Oddie]

So was my Mum. Tetley Hall. I don't think she went to Elland Road.

Coyboy in Possibly SS57's Bastard Lovechild shocker.

 

[Coyboy]

I always thought it was Milkman.

 

[Azrael]

Since when does this group- by which I assume you mean Jews, of which they are many- speak in one homogeneous voice? It's a word, a group of syllables- or rather in this case monosyllabic, it has no racist connotations. If you were to ban it or wish it away, racism would still exist.

No, of course they don't speak in one voice, but if a section of a community voices frustration and offense at something do you think it right to continue using it?

Its akin to saying that if you use the word nigger in front of 10 blacks and only half of them have a problem with it that makes it ok.

Fact is it has, in the past, been used as anti-semetic slang. That can't be erased simply because a load of football fans and some modern day jews find its use ok. The historical use remains.

 

[Coyboy]

But many on here don't have a problem with it. The fact is that it has been disarmed of any religious meaning in a way nigger has not re black people. When people are chanting 'Yiddo' at VDV or singing the Defoe chant, there are few thoughts of Judaism. Some people may be offended by it, but I have yet to see having gone to Spurs for the best part of 20 years home and away any real consensus of offence.

I am sure in the 'family section' people are offended by my 'colourful' language but that doesn't mean we have to start policing diction.

 

[Azrael]

But many on here don't have a problem with it.

But some have indicated they do ahve a problem with it. Are those people to be ignored?

The fact is that it has been disarmed of any religious meaning in a way nigger has not re black people. When people are chanting 'Yiddo' at VDV or singing the Defoe chant, there are few thoughts of Judaism. Some people may be offended by it, but I have yet to see having gone to Spurs for the best part of 20 years home and away any real consensus of offence.

Thats because the majority are non jews use it without knowing its origin or meaning.

I am not suggesting that the majority of Spurs fans who use it do so with any intention whatsoever to be anti-semetic. But the fact is that there is a section of the Jewish fan base, and the Jewish community as a whole, who still consider it to be offensive.

What I am struggling to get my head around here is the notion that because a section of society do it without malice the use of the word should consequently be reinterpreted as inoffensive at the expense of another section of society.

I am sure in the 'family section' people are offended by my 'colourful' language but that doesn't mean we have to start policing diction.

Actually I seem to remember that a while back the club made a concerted effort to keep profanity out of the stadium during mtach days. I remmeber quite regularly being told to shut up by the stewards in the late 90s when the odd expletive or two left my lips.

 

[Coyboy]

But some have indicated they do ahve a problem with it. Are those people to be ignored?


Thats because the majority are non jews use it without knowing its origin or meaning.

I am not suggesting that the majority of Spurs fans who use it do so with any intention whatsoever to be anti-semetic. But the fact is that there is a section of the Jewish fan base, and the Jewish community as a whole, who still consider it to be offensive.

What I am struggling to get my head around here is the notion that because a section of society do it without malice the use of the word should consequently be reinterpreted as inoffensive at the expense of another section of society.

Actually I seem to remember that a while back the club made a concerted effort to keep profanity out of the stadium during mtach days. I remmeber quite regularly being told to shut up by the stewards in the late 90s when the odd expletive or two left my lips.

But some people are going to be offended by anything. It's a fact of life, as I said I have never felt or seen a consensus of offence against this and having been to Spurs more than you, I think, never been told to mind my language in and out of the family section.

Like any word, it's the intention that is important. If it is used as a benign form of solidarity and tribalism in a non life-or-death arena like football fandom, I don't see a problem with it.

 

[Spur-of-the-moment]

I was a student at Leeds back in 69-72 and can fully testify to their fans' Neanderthal nature. Their stewards were too thick to notice that my friends and I had London accents, so we invariably had to stand in their 'Kop' (they had no tradition of their own, so nicked everyone else's). At that time, though, there was no anti-Jewish chanting.

This is such a tricky question, and I fully understand why some Jews and the terminally Politically Correct find 'Yid', as we employ it, offensive. Perhaps it hasn't been adequately explained to them.

Two points.
(1) It ain't all Leeds fans by any means but, yes, there is a nasty, hard core that's not afraid to do their anti-semitism to this day.
(2) There have been 20 or more 'Kop' ends in different grounds over the years and Leeds has one of the more established ones. Liverpool have no copyright and weren't even the first. I'm only provoked to say this because we, too, will have a Kop-style end in the new stadium. This won't be nicking a tradition, just reinventing/renewing a rich tradition in football that 'belongs' to no single club.

 

[Zammo]

As a white non-jewish male, "Yid" simply means "Spurs fan" to me. That's the only context in which I would ever use it and the same goes for my friends.

However on a general point I can see that if a minority group can reclaim a term that is usually used in a derogatory manner then it can become a word of power. If you take that term away from the racists then you can change the meaning of that word over time.

I think "Yid" will continue to be used around WHL for the immediate future. In that context it isn't a derogatory term; it's a term of solidarity.