Expression of the Night: "Who's your rabbi?"

"Who's your rabbi?"--Who gives you your work? Who gave you your start in the business? The most interesting explanation I've heard for this expression was that it was from the Lower East Side of the early 20th century. The rabbis of the local synagogues would have their congregants vote in blocs. You could grab a Jewish man on the Lower East Side and ask him, "Who's your rabbi?" When he told you, you'd know what party or candidate he was voting for.

Term of the Moment: Who's Your Rabbi?

Who's your Rabbi? Who is your mentor, who is the person who gives you work? A "rabbi," a term used by stagehands of all religious stripes, means a person who brought you along in the business, a person who takes care of you work wise, and who you owe favors to. It is a term of endearment. It comes from the early 20th century political machines on New York City's Lower East Side, where Jewish voters of particular neighborhoods would vote in blocs, following the lead of their rabbi. You could grab a Jewish voter, and by finding out who his rabbi was, you would know who he was going to vote for. (Dylan Foley)