Keegle and Koogle, Synagogue Mice – Picture Book Dummy

Keegle and Koogle were the best fed mice in town. In the winter, while other mice grew thin and wan, they were so zaftig they could barely fit through their mouse hole.

Whether bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs or weddings, Thelma Zissel would always leave them a few tasty crumbs. “Nosh away, you two little maziks. But remember. Synagogue mice should be neither seen nor heard.”

All was well until the day they read in the Synagogue News….

Our beloved Thelma Zissel has decided to travel the world. Mr. Spindleman will be joining us as our new caterer. Welcome Mr. Spindleman! Safe travels, Thelma Zissel!

“Oy vay,” said Keegle. “We can only hope that Mr. Spindleman will leave us some tasty crumbs of his own.”

Mr. Spindleman didn’t leave crumbs. And nothing he made was tasty. He added too much salt to the gefilte fish and not enough raisins to the kugel. His latkes tasted like rubber duckies. Flies fainted on his honey cake. A shandeh!

The congregation complained, but the Rabbi just shrugged his shoulders. “If Mr. Spindleman’s cooking isn’t as geshmack as Thelma Zissel’s, then we’ll all just lose a bit of our bellies.”

Keegle and Koogle were losing a lot of their bellies. They had no problem fitting into their mouse hole. Their clothes seemed huge. They ate every last one of the crumbs they had stored for a rainy day.

“We are starving here,” said Keegle. “We need a plan. Something must be done.”

Koogle stared at their wedding photos. “Where did we store my tuxedo and your lovely wedding gown? Shall we try them on for size?”

Keegle smiled. “The Kimmel wedding is on Sunday. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“We’ll renew our vows. We’ll invite a few friends. That should shake things up.”

“A double wedding! Now that’s what I call a plan.”

“MAZEL TOV!”

[Art note: Imitating figurines, Koogle and Keegle stand proudly in their tux and wedding gown atop the wedding cake]

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Mice on Mr. Spindleman’s wedding cake! Mice in Mr. Spindleman’s herring! Mr. Spindleman’s mice are everywhere! Gevalt!”

On Monday the Rabbi sent two messages. One said goodbye  to Mr. Spindleman. And the second begged Thelma Zissel to come home.

On Tuesday Mr. Spindleman opened a diet club.

On Wednesday Keegle and Koogle went back to noshing.

And they haven’t ever stopped.

Back Matter

Our synagogue mice are familiar with many words and expressions in Yiddish and Hebrew. How many of them do you know?

Yiddish is a language that was spoken by Jews in Europe for over a thousand years. It is based on German but has many words that come from Hebrew (e.g., bar mitzvah, bat mitzah, mazel tov). Hebrew is the language of the Bible itself.

Amongst the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the large majority were Yiddish speakers. Today Yiddish is spoken in some ultra-orthodox Jewish communities, but has largely vanished. In Israel, Hebrew has largely replaced Yiddish and other Jewish languages such as Ladino.

Here are some of the words and expressions that appear in the story. Words with asterisks originate in Hebrew.

Bar Mitzvah* – Celebration of a young man’s coming of age (at 13)

Bat Mitzvah* – Celebration of a young woman’s coming of age (at 12)

Gefilte fish – A special fish delicacy of Ashkenazi Jews.

Geshmack – Delicious

Gevalt – Disaster

Kimmel – Caraway (seeds)

Koogle and Keegle (often spelled Kugel and Kigel) – Different pronunciations of the same dish – a sweet or savory baked pudding (usually noodle)

Latke- Pancake (usually from grated potato)

Mazel Tov* – Congratulations

Mazik* – A mischievous sort

Nosh – Snack

Oy vay – Oh no

Rabbi* – The religious leader of a synagogue or Jewish community

Shandeh – Scandal

Zaftig – Plump

Zissel – Sweetie