Explainers

Hunters on Amazon: What is the meaning of ‘safta’?

Logan Lerman and Al Pacino from Hunters
Logan Lerman and Al Pacino from Hunters. Pic credit: Amazon Prime

Those who fancy a series about rounding up a bunch of Nazis will be excited to know Hunters is finally available on Amazon Prime.

The series hit the streaming platform today and involves a group of unlikely people tracking down Nazis who fled to the United States.

This was common when looking at other shows like the documentary The Devil Next Door. Many Nazis were captured in the US and many other countries long after the horrible nightmare.

In this show, one of the central stars, Logan Lerman — who you might remember from Noah or the lead in the Percy Jackson movies — plays Jonah and repeatedly says to his grandmother the word “Safta.”

And because of this, it has viewers curious about what this term means. Well, the answer is surprisingly simple but endearing.

Here is the meaning of the term “Safta” from the Amazon series Hunters.

What is the meaning of ‘safta’ from Hunters?

It is rare in this day and age that grandkids use the term Grandmother or Grandfather to refer to their grandparents. Frequently they prefer different names like Pops or Papa, or Gigi or Grams.

Hebrew children are no exception. Viewers who watch the show Hunters on Amazon will come across one such name, Safta. But what exactly does this mean in Hebrew?

According to Kveller, Safta is not your standard grandma. It is a much more informal way to refer to your parents’ mother.

Many Jewish families who want to keep their connection to the Holy Land alive even if they don’t live there will call their grandma Safta to pay homage to their Jewish heritage, according to JEL.

The name has its origins in Aramaic and is a hugely popular name among those who grew up or spent a lot of time in Israel. Much like pet names in English, Hebrew has many grandmother names.

If Safta isn’t up to par, you might hear Bubbe or Savta according to J Weekly.

More about Safta from Hunters

Spoilers ahead for Episode 1 of Hunters. Unfortunately, we did not get to spend much time with Jonah’s own Safta, with her being the reason he himself gets mixed up with Nazi hunting.

However, one could imagine all the fascinating stories she had from her days as a survivor.

It is impossible to overstate the impact the Holocaust had on the world; the needless loss of life left a permanent scar. Jonah’s struggle is a prime example of what that period of genocide did to an entire generation of families, many of whom were wiped out completely.

And how it continued to impact them long after the devastating nightmare that befell Germany.

Hunters is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments