shmad

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Definitions

  • n. Conversion from Judaism, especially to Christianity.

  • n. A decree prohibiting the practice of Judaism.

Example Sentences

  • "Employing the 'shmad' charge in this context cheapens centuries of Jewish history, and minimizes the sacrifices of countless Jews who laid down their lives in times of real gezeiras shmad. They knew the difference between the NYS Commissioner of Education and the likes of Antiochus, Torquemada, Count Uvarov, and the raiding parties in Iran that forcibly converted entire villages of Jews." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y שמד shmad

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      shmat

Notes

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