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From: lazeldes@wlcrjs.UUCP (Leah A Zeldes)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.religion.jewish,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: the Jew, the Christian, and Sean Ferguson
Message-ID: <559@wlcrjs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Feb-85 21:59:53 EST
Article-I.D.: wlcrjs.559
Posted: Mon Feb 11 21:59:53 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Feb-85 06:32:45 EST
References: <247@unm-la.UUCP> <465@pyuxd.UUCP>
Reply-To: lazeldes@wlcrjs.UUCP (Leah A Zeldes)
Organization: chi-net, Public Access UN*X, Chicago IL
Lines: 31
Xref: watmath net.religion:5585 net.religion.jewish:1432 net.religion.christian:193
Summary: 

>If only I could remember that really great joke about the Jewish man named
>Sean Ferguson.  (Could someone please repeat it?) [Rich Rosen]

	I know an old man, very frum [orthodox], who speaks only Yiddish.
His name is Sean Ferguson.  I asked him, "How does a Jew get a name like
'Sean Ferguson'?"

	He told me, "When I came here, from the Old Country, I had a letter
from my cousin, he said, 'Everybody in America has a new name, an American
name.  When you come on Ellis Island, you should give them an American
name too.'  My cousin's name, it was Joe Green.  So, I made up a new name,
Harry Green, very American, and I practiced saying it all the way on the
boat coming over.  'Harry Green, Harry Green, Harry Green.'

	"Then the boat got to New York and I saw the Statue of Liberty and
the tall buildings and I stood in a long, long line. All the time, I'm
saying to myself, 'Harry Green, Harry Green, Harry Green,' over and over
so I don't forget.  Finally, I came up to the front of the line and 
a big man demanded, 'What's your name?'

	"And all of a sudden, I drew a blank!  I couldn't remember the
name.  And the man says, again, 'What's your name?'  I was so flustered,
I said, 'Shine fergessen' ['I forget']"


This joke is better in Yiddish.

-- 

					Leah A Zeldes
					...ihnp4!wlcrjs!lazeldes