ריצ'רץ'

The Hebrew word "ריצ'רץ'" (richrats) originated as an onomatopoeic term that imitates the sound made when operating a zipper. It derives from the German sound expression "ritsch-ratsch" that has been used since the 18th century to describe the sound of tearing paper, and later, the sound of a zipper being operated. The modern zipper was developed in the early 20th century, with significant improvements made by Swedish-American engineer Gideon Sundback in 1912. Zippers arrived in Israel in 1933 when Yehezkel Kreisman and David Shochat, immigrants from Germany, established "Raz," a factory for making clothing fasteners in Tel Aviv. Customers found it difficult to pronounce the German name for the zipper, "Reißverschluss" (literally "tear-closure"), and instead adopted the onomatopoeic term "ריצ'רץ'" (richrats). However, Kreisman and Shochat wanted a proper Hebrew name for their product and consulted the poet Avraham Shlonsky, who suggested "רוכסן" (rokhsan). In 1936, the Hebrew Language Committee suggested alternative terms like "סגרור" (sagrur) or "סגורץ" (sgorets), unaware of Shlonsky's creation. These suggestions were not adopted, and in 1984, the Academy of the Hebrew Language officially recognized "רוכסן" (rokhsan). Despite this official recognition, the colloquial term "ריצ'רץ'" remains more popular in everyday speech.