By Donald H. Harrison

Thanks to Melanie Rubin, our sharp-eyed "license plate bureau chief,"  we know that some proud Jewish mothers are on the California roadways, not only bringing smiles to the lips of the passengers in cars behind theirs, but also helping to build our Jewish-interest license plate collection.

This gives us a chance to mention our alphabetizing system.  There is a large space after "ema" in the EMA TO3 license plate, but a much smaller one after the "ema" in  EMA FOR4 .  In our alphabetizing system, spaces and punctuation go prior to letters.  For example A MENSCH, would go before AMENSCH. 

I haven't figured out yet in what order to put punctuation.  Suppose the license plate read: A-MENSCH?  I suppose that would go after A MENSCH and before AMENSCH.  On the other hand, suppose the license plate read A+MENSCH, would that go after A-MENSCH on the theory that one meant A-Plus Mensch, while the other mean A-Minus Mensch?

Oy, such problems!

        
Yiddish: Upright, outstanding person      Yididish:  For you, only good            Hebrew: In peace

     

Yiddish: Grandma                                                Yiddish: Grandma 2                 Hebrew & English: Mother to 3

           
Hebrew & English: Mother for 4                 Yiddish: Little Mindy                     Yiddish: Woe is me, Ma           

     
    Yiddish: Grandpa                                      Biblical: A life as long as Moses'