Gournish

Alan Dobry was often the lone dissenter at meetings of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee when he served as 5th Ward Committeeman. And he was frequently the only attendee who told outsiders what had taken place on the inside.

While his interactions with his fellow elected officials were usually serious, there were some light moments, too.

At one meeting, a candidate was making a pitch for party support and 2nd Ward Committeeman William Barnett, who was sitting next to Dobry, said the guy was wasting his time.

“Es for gournish,” Dobry responded.

“What?” Barnett asked, not understanding what he had heard.

“It’s Yiddish for ‘it’s for nothing,’” Dobry replied.

Barnett laughed and kept repeating, “Es for gournish, es for gournish.” He seemed amused to have learned something new and unusual.

His “do-gooder” colleague had provided him with a humorous interlude during an otherwise routine meeting of party officials.