Mokum (מקום) is theYiddish word for "place" or "safe haven".[1] It is derived from theHebrew wordmakom (מקום, "place").[2]
| City | Yiddish | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Alkmaar | Mokum Aye | – |
| Amsterdam | MokumAlef | City A |
| Berlin | MokumBeis | City B |
| Delft | MokumDollet | City D |
| Rotterdam | MokumResh | City R |
| Winschoten | Mokum van het Noorden | City of the North |
In Yiddish, the names for some cities in theNetherlands andGermany were shortened toMokum and had the first letter of the name of the city, transliterated into theHebrew alphabet, added to them. Cities named this way wereAmsterdam,Berlin,Delft, andRotterdam.[3]
Mokum, withoutAleph, is still commonly used as anickname in the Netherlands for the city of Amsterdam. The nickname was first considered to be an example ofbargoens, a form of Dutchslang, but in the 20th century it lost its negative sound and is now used by Amsterdammers as a nickname for their city in a sentimental context.[4] Examples are the song "Brand in Mokum" (derived from "Scotland's Burning"); Mokum 700, an exhibit in theRAI Amsterdam Convention Centre celebrating the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam in 1975;[5]Mokum in Hi-Fi, an album by Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas;[6] and "Mama Mokum", a song from 1997 about Amsterdam, byRamses Shaffy.[7]
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