Firgun ( Hebrew : ??????) is an informal modern Hebrew term and concept in Israeli culture , which compliments someone or describes genuine, unselfish delight or pride in the accomplishment of another person. Another definition describes firgun as a generosity of spirit, an unselfish, empathetic joy that something good has happened, or might happen, to another person. The concept does not have a one-word equivalent in English. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} The infinitive form of the word, lefargen , means to make someone feel good without any ulterior motives. This absence of negativity is an integral part of the concept of firgun . ^[2]

Etymology [ edit ]

The word can be traced back to the Yiddish word farginen (a cognate of the German word vergonnen ). A relatively modern addition to Hebrew, the word was initially used in the 1970s, and gained momentum in subsequent decades. According to Tamar Katriel , professor of communications in the University of Haifa , firgun differs from giving compliments, since it is "about an affinity that is authentic and without agenda". ^[1] The concept of firgun can be found in Talmudic Hebrew as ayin tova or ayin yafa - "a good eye". Those phrases are not commonly used in modern Hebrew. ^{[3] [6] [7] [8]}

International Firgun Day [ edit ]

In 2014, Made in JLM , an Israeli non-profit community group, set out to create "International Firgun Day", a holiday celebrated yearly on July 17, where people share compliments or express genuine pride in the accomplishment of others on social media. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]} To help promote the holiday, Made in JLM holds an overnight marketing hackathon at the night before July 17 and an online automatic firgun -generating tool in several languages, called the firgunator ." ^{[13] [14]}

See also [ edit ]

• Chutzpah
• Mudita , a Buddhist term for delighting vicariously in another's well-being
• Naches (Yiddish)
• Praise
• Schadenfreude (antonym)

External links [ edit ]

• International Firgun Day Website

References [ edit ]