''Schnorrer'' ( שנאָרער; also spelled ''shnorrer'') is a

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

pejorative term for a

beggar Begging (also known in North America as panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars m ...

who, unlike ordinary beggars, presents himself as respectable and feels entitled for the

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

received.

Historical

A large number of beggars appeared in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

after the pogroms of the

Khmelnytsky Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising, also known as the Cossack–Polish War, Khmelnytsky insurrection, or the National Liberation War, was a Cossack uprisings, Cossack rebellion that took place between 1648 and 1657 in the eastern territories of the Poli ...

, when many homes were destroyed. Schnorrers begged for themselves, for the

dowries A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

of poor brides (), or for the restoration of a house that had burned down. This practice was allowed even when it disrupted the public study of the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

Azriel Hildesheimer Azriel Hildesheimer (also Esriel and Israel, ; 11 May 1820 – 12 June 1899) was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering moderniser of Orthodox Judaism in Germany and as a founder of Modern Orthodox Judaism ...

was described as the "international schnorrer" for his calls for philanthropy in many countries he visited. Milton Hindus, commenting on the

picaresque novel The picaresque novel ( Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for ' rogue' or 'rascal') is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish but appealing hero, usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrup ...

The King of Schnorrers ''The King of Schnorrers'' is Israel Zangwill's 1894 picaresque novel,Milton Hindus,The King of Schnorrers, by Israel Zangwill, ''Commentary (magazine), Commentary'', March 1954 a collection of amusing tragicomic episodes of ''schnorring'' by "Man ...

'', wrote that the Jews did not regard outcasts as failures, and assumed social responsibility for them. "Properly exploited by a fertile intelligence like Menasseh’s, this attitude enables the ostensible mendicant to become the actual master in the eleemosynary relationship."Milton Hindus,
The King of Schnorrers, by Israel Zangwill
, ''

Commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...

'', March 1954

Jewish humor

Schnorrers are a common butt of Jewish jokes, depicted as living off their wits and assuming a dignified entitlement to handouts. (One of many variants) A schnorrer comes to a wealthy businessman and asks for a handout. "Have a pity for a poor shoemaker whose family is starving". - "But aren't we the one who asked for alms from me last week presenting yourselves as a carpenter?" - "So true, who can in these bad times support himself from just one job?" Moishe the shnorrer is outraged to hear that his wealthy patron has halved his annual allowance. The donor apologetically explains that his son has married a woman of expensive tastes and he, the father, must foot the bill. "He can marry who he wants", retorts the shnorrer. "Just not with my money".Jewish words: Shnorrer
''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

in his 1905 joke collection '' Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious'' (its 1905 translation is in

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

now together with the original) gives the following interpretation of a shnorrer's entitlement.

In film and literature

Israel Zangwill Israel Zangwill (21 January 18641 August 1926) was a British author at the forefront of Zionism during the 19th century, and was a close associate of Theodor Herzl. He later rejected the search for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and became the ...

's 1894 picaresque novel ''

''. **

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely regarde ...

wrote a musical comedy based on Zangwill's novel, which ran on Broadway for a short time in 1979. *The song "

Hooray for Captain Spaulding "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" is a song composed by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, originally from the 1928 Marx Brothers Broadway musical '' Animal Crackers'' and the 1930 film version. It later became well known as the theme song for the Grou ...

", as performed in

The Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chic ...

' 1930 film ''

Animal Crackers An animal cracker is a particular type of cracker (food), cracker, baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal either at a zoo or a circus, such as a lion, a tiger, a bear, or an elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and sli ...

'', has in its chorus the line "Hooray for Captain Spaulding, the African explorer," to which Groucho, in character as Captain Spaulding, at one point retorts "Did someone call me schnorrer?" *The comedian

Jackie Mason Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza; ; June 9, 1928 – July 24, 2021) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. His 1986 one-man show ''The World According to Me!'' won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ace Award, ...

often poked fun at the stereotype of

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s as schnorrers. * Father Phil, in Season 1 of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', often refers to himself as a "schnorrer," going to parishioner's homes to eat their home cooking, commonly that of

Carmela Soprano Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fi ...

. He defines a "schnorrer" as "Somebody who always shows up in time for free grub." He attributes this language to growing up in

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, NY, among many Jewish people.

References

{{Reflist Stock characters Pejorative terms for people Jewish comedy and humor Yiddish words and phrases German words and phrases Beggars