Mensch

Mensch (Yiddish: מענטש‎ mentsh, cognate with German: Mensch "human being") means "a person of integrity and honor." The opposite of a "mensch" is an "unmensch" (meaning: an utterly unlikeable or unfriendly person). According to Leo Rosten, the Yiddish maven and author of The Joys of Yiddish, "mensch" is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous." The term is used as a high compliment, expressing the rarity and value of that individual's qualities.

Details

In Yiddish, mentsh roughly means "a good person." The word has migrated as a loanword into American English, where a mensch is a particularly good person, similar to a "stand-up guy", a person with the qualities one would hope for in a friend or trusted colleague. Mentshlekhkeyt (Yiddish מענטשלעכקייט, German Menschlichkeit) are the properties which make a person a mensch.

During the Age of Enlightenment in Germany the term Humanität, in the philosophical sense of compassion, was used to describe what characterizes a "better human being" in Humanism. The concept goes back to Cicero's Humanitas. It was literally translated into the German word Menschlichkeit and then adapted as mentsh in Yiddish use.

Mensch (album)

Mensch, released in 2002, is the 20th music release by prominent German rock/pop artist Herbert Grönemeyer. Mensch ("Human") is Grönemeyer's 11th full-length album of original compositions. The title track "Mensch" became Grönemeyer's first number-one single in Germany. The mood of the album reflects the recent death of his wife and one of his older brothers in the same week, and is rich with poetic imagery. The songs range from rock to ballads. The richness of the imagery and language, as well as the use of creative word play, can make the lyrics difficult to interpret by listeners who are not fluent in German. In Mensch Grönemeyer reflects on his own humanity as it relates to feeling loss. The song "Der Weg" in particular focuses on memories of his wife and the love they shared.

The full-length album was released in three versions:

Mensch (disambiguation)

Mensch (German for human being) is a Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor.

Mensch may also refer to:

People

Other

See also

Akita

Akita (秋田, autumn ricefield) is a Japanese name and may refer to:

People

Places

Other uses

Akita, Akita

Akita (秋田市, Akita-shi) is the capital city of Akita Prefecture, Japan, and has been designated a core city since April 1, 1997. As of May 2015, the city had an estimated population of 317,236 and a population density of 350 persons per km². The total area was 906.09 square kilometres (349.84 sq mi).

History

The area of present-day Akita was part of ancient Dewa Province, and has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Jizōden ruins within the city limits are a major archaeological site with artifacts from the Japanese Paleolithic period through the Jomon and Yayoi periods. During the Nara period, the Yamato court established Akita Castle in 733 AD to bring the local Emishi tribes under its control. The area was ruled by a succession of local samurai clans in the Sengoku period, before coming under the control of the Satake clan of Kubota Domain during the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, a castle town developed around Kubota Castle.

Meiji and Taisho Eras

With the start of the Meiji period, Kubota Domain was abolished, and its castle town divided into the towns of Akita and Kubota. Akita Prefecture was established in 1871, and Shima Yoshitake was named the first governor. Ancient Akita District was divided into Kitaakita and Minamiakita Districts in 1878. Most of Akita town burned down in a great fire on April 30, 1886.

Akita (surname)

Akita (秋田, lit. "autumn ricefield") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: