In a message dated 8/30/2003 10:38:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
rondoctor@... writes:

In translating one of the Kremenets Yizkor Books,
we have encountered the word /pe-shin-yod-tet-yod-kuf/.
It appears in the following context, . . . .
"During the 1930s, the ruling party Sanatsya also
started its corrupt policy, . . . . The Jews
collapsed under the weight of taxes, the sources of their
livelihood were closed to them. The young men,
forced to idleness, were in decline. Under the
influence of the authorities an atmosphere of pashitik
penetrated our area. The life of a Jew, walking alone
at night in a street far >from center of town, was not
safe anymore; . . .

In Israel in the 1940's-1950's the Yiddish word "Pushtakes"
was in common usage for "riff-raff." I assumed it was

from the Hebrew, "pashut" meaning "simple," "unsophisticated,"

"rough around the edges." Would that fit?

Or, what about "fashistik"--fascist?

Michael Bernet, New York