The changing landscape of masculinity in America is evident in the rise of men enjoying quiches, expressing emotions, and valuing conversation over confrontation, much like President Barack Obama. However, in Israel, traditional alpha-male values still hold strong, with slang terms like gever, kli, and kusit reflecting a culture where crude remarks about women’s appearances are common and machismo prevails over metrosexuality.
Gever, which translates to man in Hebrew, is the epitome of manliness. “It signifies a man who is tough, somewhat macho, and physically fit,” explains Shira Mayzenberg, an editor for the Ha’ir newspaper chain. Ruvik Rosenthal, Israel’s leading author on slang, adds that a gever is someone who exudes authority, knows what he wants, and acts decisively. Compliments like gever and gever gever are predominantly exchanged between men. “Hey bro, how’s it going?” accompanied by a manly embrace or pat on the back, is a common greeting among male acquaintances.
Women rarely refer to a man as gever, using it either as a compliment or a criticism. In a speech criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, opposition leader Tzipi Livni of Kadima taunted, “Be a gever, capitulate.” Likud Knesset member Danny Danon later raised this insult in the Knesset committee on women’s status, questioning how such language would be received if directed at a woman.
Closely linked to gever is the term achi (my brother), which Rosenthal identifies as one of the most commonly used Hebrew slang words. Young men greet each other with phrases like “What’s up, achi?” and make plans like “Let’s go see a movie, achi.” Similar to gever, achi is typically used between men. A popular bumper sticker reads: “Combat units are the best, brother.” However, a cab driver might just as easily yell out, “Hey brother, how do I get to Herzl Boulevard?”
Other slang terms describing men include patish (a hammer) and kli (an instrument or weapon, also slang for the male reproductive organ), both denoting strength, power, and aggression. Conversely, chnun refers to a weak, nerdy man, originating from the Arabic word chnana, meaning snot. Nissan Netzer, a language expert at Bar-Ilan University, explains that in Yiddish, calling someone a shmarkatz (runny nose) is a way to show contempt, similar to the Arabic construction of chnun.