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I once heard someone identifying as a "Yeki", or something like that, and the "Yekis" apparently have an interesting musical tradition where they use a different Yigdal tune before Kiddush at each festival, as well as having a special tune for festival Kiddush. But since I only heard this and never seen it written, it's a bit difficult to find out who the "Yekis" are, if I even managed to spell it correctly. Anyone know? Thank you!

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    There is a very nice Yekke Shul in Ramot, in Jerusalem, FWIW
    – Shlomo Zalman Heigh
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 13:52
  • "Yekke"s are often characterized by their meticulous and punctual nature.
    – Shlomo Zalman Heigh
    Commented Feb 5, 2014 at 13:54
  • I know I'm digging up a really old thread here, (if I were a better Yekke I would have answered on time), but if you're (still) interested in the different tunes used at different times of the year, Machon Moreshet Ashkenaz puts out a luach every year which includes instructions on what tunes to use when. If you want to hear a lot of Yekke nigunim, KAYJ (Kahal Adath Jeshurun in Jerusalem) has started an online musical archive. I can only find a single tune for yigdal in there in the shabbat section, but it has a lot of n
    – Popular Isn't Right
    Commented Oct 1, 2014 at 17:22
  • @Bachrach44, see the comment above yours. :)
    – Seth J
    Commented Oct 1, 2014 at 21:51
  • @Bachrach44, thank you for the link -- I'm actually well aware of this website, and if you look at their old site, you can find a few pdfs of old German nusach books. Of course, the top source for German nusach has to be Abraham Baer. Many Yekkish Yigdal tunes in those books!
    – Mauro Braunstein
    Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 1:30

2 Answers 2

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It refers to the Jewish community of Germany, especially of Frankfurt-am-Main and its vicinity, which (the community of Frankfurt) was later transplanted to other places, especially the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Wikipedia has more.

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    Dang, 11 seconds.
    – Seth J
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 18:16
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Yekke Jews are of German ancestry.

They have a number of very strong traditions that set them a bit apart from the rest of "Ashkenazi" Jewry, including, but not limited to, young men wearing a Tallith Gadol prior to marriage, and slightly different cantillation tunes than most Ashkenazim.

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    Yekkes FTW!!!!!
    – jake
    Commented Apr 8, 2013 at 18:42
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    There is a lot in common between yekis and original teimoni minhagim. Both are said to be original yerushalmi minhagim.
    – MoriDowidhYa3aqov
    Commented Apr 9, 2013 at 5:34

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