Here is an interesting exchange of letters in the April 1888 Jewish Standard:
This elicited a reply from S. M. Schiller-Szinessy, a bona fide character if there ever was one.
And then a week later he added:
Here are at least four earlier posts which touched on the subject (I, II, III and IV).
Oh wow -- I thought I invented the joke "וסרו הצפרדעים -- the Sephardim depart", about a year ago. And now I find that it's over 120 years old?!!!
ReplyDeleteIf there is one theme of this blog it is that, Jewishly speaking, everything you ever thought of is over 120 years old. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's a sefaradi signature because "Siman Tov" and "Mazal" or "Mazal Tov" are usually sefardi names. :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't have time to read through all the posts, so nu, what is the maskana?
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Annoymous ס"ט
One thing is clear. This subject will never have a ס"ט because it will never end!
ReplyDeleteI come from a purely Sepharadi background--my grandfather (Morroccan/Spanish) still signs his name off with a ס"ט. For him it does stand for Sepharadi Tahor.
ReplyDeleteKol Tuv,
BM
Hi BM,
ReplyDeleteI know that many people, including Sepharadim, think it means Sepharadi tahor. And to an extent that is what it means, if that's the intention of those who use it. However, as a historical question of what it meant prior to 150 years ago, tops? All the evidence seems to show that no one dreamt that it meant Sepharadi tahor.
i was once at a wedding (it lasted a few years) where my (hungarian) cousin married a (turkish) quasi-friend of mine from yu.
ReplyDeletethey read the ktuba under the chupppa, xxx ben xxx ben xxx in and on and on, for several minutes of his yichus, ending "samech tet". i started laughing. he may be samech tet, but his children wont be.