Difference between revisions of "Combina (Israel)"

|style="font-size:1.1em;"| ''Combina'' (Hebrew: קומבינה, Ladino: ''kombina'') – short of combination, or ''kombinatzia'' – is a colloquial word for a trick, or a ‘quick unofficial creative solution’ to a problem. It refers to the use of personal connections and informal networks to circumvent formal practices and ways for getting ahead, or receive undue benefits. It includes all forms of favouritism such as nepotism, patronage or cronyism. The root ''kombina'' comes from the old Judeo-Spanish language, commonly referred to as Ladino (there is no ‘c’ in the alphabet). In Ladino dictionaries one finds a) ''kombina'' / ''kombinas'' (pl.) as intrigue; b) ''kombinador'' as trickster; c) ''kombinasion'', referring to combination, coincidence and opportunity; and d) ''profitar la kombinasion'', that is taking advantage of the opportunity. In the Jerusalmic Ladino dialect, ''kobima'' means trick, ploy, manipulation (Rodrigue-Schwarzwald 2013). ''Combinadores'' carry connotations of sneaky people, with negative undertones of an underhand service (Hebrew Language Academy 2020). For example, ‘if I want to arrange something, I will ''combine it'' for you’ (''lekamben'' in Hebrew). Thus, if someone got benefits through connections or even stealing, one is ''mekumban'' (combined), or has ''combina'' (see also Rosenthal 2015).

|style="font-size:1.1em;"| ''Combina'' (Hebrew: קומבינה, Ladino: ''kombina'') – short of combination, or ''kombinatzia'' – is a colloquial word for a trick, or a ‘quick unofficial creative solution’ to a problem. It refers to the use of personal connections and informal networks to circumvent formal practices and ways for getting ahead, or receive undue benefits. It includes all forms of favouritism such as nepotism, patronage or cronyism. The root ''kombina'' comes from the old Judeo-Spanish language, commonly referred to as Ladino (there is no ‘c’ in the alphabet). In Ladino dictionaries one finds a) ''kombina'' / ''kombinas'' (pl.) as intrigue; b) ''kombinador'' as trickster; c) ''kombinasion'', referring to combination, coincidence and opportunity; and d) ''profitar la kombinasion'', that is taking advantage of the opportunity. In the Jerusalmic Ladino dialect, ''kobima'' means trick, ploy, manipulation (Rodrigue-Schwarzwald 2013). ''Combinadores'' carry connotations of sneaky people, with negative undertones of an underhand service (Hebrew Language Academy 2020). For example, ‘if I want to arrange something, I will ''combine it'' for you’ (''lekamben'' in Hebrew). Thus, if someone got benefits through connections or even stealing, one is ''mekumban'' (combined), or has ''combina'' (see also Rosenthal 2015).

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The word ''combina'' is sometimes translated as a deal ‘under the table’ or ‘off the record’ (Big Idea 2020). However, such deals are not necessarily perceived as illegal. They imply a roundabout way of problem-solving through connections and/or creativity. They provide ‘an unofficial creative solution’ to a problem (Urban Dictionary 2020). As almost every informal practice, ''combina'' is perceived as useful for reducing red tape in bureaucratic processes to gain documents, to circumvent bureaucracy or bypass the system as a whole by the participants (like [[blat]] in Russia, [[guanxi]] in China, [[wasta]] in the Middle East and North Africa or [[Vitamin B]] in Germany).  

The word ''combina'' is sometimes translated as a deal ‘under the table’ or ‘off the record’ (Big Idea 2020). However, such deals are not necessarily perceived as illegal. They imply a roundabout way of problem-solving through connections and/or creativity. They provide ‘an unofficial creative solution’ to a problem (Urban Dictionary 2020). As almost every informal practice, ''combina'' is perceived as useful for reducing red tape in bureaucratic processes to gain documents, to circumvent bureaucracy or bypass the system as a whole by the participants (like [[blat]] in Russia, [[guanxi]] in China, [[wasta]] in the Middle East and North Africa or [[Vitamin B]] in Germany).