kahal

Pronunciations

kahal (kah-HALL) listen
kahal (KAH-hall) listen
kahal (KAL) listen

Definitions

  • n. Synagogue, congregation.

  • n. (The people of) a Jewish community.

Example Sentences

  • "On Shabbat we are going to kahal."

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish
  • Modern Hebrew
  • Ladino

Etymology

  • Heb קהל kahál, Yiddish קהל kóol

    • Who Uses This

      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage
      • Sephardim: Jews with Sephardi or Mizrahi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • None

      Alternative Spellings

      Kal, kohol

Notes

  • Yiddish also has the verb קהלן זיך kooln zikh 'be active in affairs of Jewish community (usu. ironic)'
    In Ladino, kahal means synagogue and English-speaking Sephardim maintain that usage.

    see also: temple

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