JDub

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Definitions

  • n. An American Jew who is not Syrian (usually refers to Ashkenazim).

Example Sentences

  • "She basically left the community after she married a JDub."

  • "I am half “J-Dub” and half “S/Y.” For those of you out of the Sephardic loop, “J-Dub” is short for “JW” or “Jew,” the slang term used in the Syrian Jewish Community to describe Ashkenazi Jews, and “S/Y” is the term Syrian Jews use to refer to themselves." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • English

Etymology

  • The letters J and W (dub from double-u).
    Alternately, the "dub" from double vos, as in Yiddish-speaking Jews saying "vos? vos?"

      • Who Uses This

      • Syrian: Jews with recent ancestry in Syria

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • None

      Alternative Spellings

      J-Dub

Notes

  • The origin is likely an abbreviated spelling of J-E-W. Why would Syrian Jews refer to others as Jews when they too are Jews? Perhaps they associate the term "Jew" with Ashkenazim because of a commonplace interaction from early-20th-century New York: Yiddish speakers asked Syrian Jews, "Do you speak Jewish?" (meaning Yiddish). The use of an abbreviation may also be on analogy with their self-label "SY" / "S/Y."

    Alternatively, a derogatory way of describing how Yiddish speakers spoke, saying "vos? vos??"

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