Adonai

"Literally, 'my Lord', another word for God." (JPS)

alte kaker

elderly person, old-timer [literally "old shitter"] "A crotchety, fussy, ineffectual old man." (Rosten)

Ashkenazic

Adjectival form for 'Ashkenazim', "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France, and their descendants" (JPS)

bagel

"A leavened, firm, doughnut shaped roll" (JPS)

bar mitzvah

Jewish coming-of-age ceremony/celebration for a 13-year-old boy; the boy who has come of age.

bris

circumcision ceremony; the celebration surrounding it. Lit. covenant.

bupkis

Nothing

Something worthless

challah

"The braided egg bread that traditionally is eaten on almost every Jewish holiday and [the Sabbath]" (JPS)

chuppah

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

"The Jewish wedding canopy; that is, the cloth under which the Jewish wedding ceremony is conducted." (JPS)

chutzpah

nerve, audacity, the quality of over-stepping boundries with no shame (negative)

guts (positive)

feigele

gay man

gefilte fish

minced sweet or sour fish, cooked in balls or a log and sliced. [lit., "stuffed fish"(JPS), since the chopped fish used to be placed back in the fish for cooking.]

gesundheit

Health. (Bless you) - said in response to a sneeze.

glitch

flaw; slight problem in a process

goy

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

"most often used among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew" (JPS)

hanukkah

The winter-time festival that commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt in the second century B.C.E. (lit. "dedication")

Hasid

A disciple of a rabbi, not only a member of a Hasidic group.

Adherent of a Hasidic Jewish group ("A mystical religious movement founded in Poland" (JPS)

A follower in a non-religious sense (ironic).

Pious person

Haskalah

19th century Jewish Enlightenment, in which modern philosophy and literature entered Jewish consciousness

heimish

1. familiar, homey, informal, cozy, warm

3. at home, comfortable

2. Haredi Orthodox

Kabbalah

a Jewish mystical work, sometimes used as a catch-all term for Jewish mysticism. "The Jewish mystical tradition" (JPS)

kasha varnishkes

kasha (buckwheat groats) with bowtie noodles

kibbitz

"To socialize aimlessly...To carry on a running commentary" (Rosten)

kibbitzer

Someone who "gives unasked-for advice ... especially as a bystander-observer at a game (bridge, poker, checkers, chess)." (Rosten)

Someone who jokes, fools around.

kibbutz

"[Israeli agricultural] collective" (Glinert) Most settlements in Israeli which originally began as kibbutzim now function as regular municipalities.

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

klutz

"clumsy, slow-witted...person" (Rosten)

knaidel

matzah ball; "a dumpling made of matzah meal meal and beaten eggs, usually served in chicken broth, often at the Pesach seder" (JPS)

Knesset

Israel's parliament

knish

Eastern European dumpling with thin dough filled with potato, kasha, onion, meat, and/or other ingredients

kosher

"acceptable according to Jewish [ritual] law" (JPS); "trustworthy, reliable" (Rosten); acceptable according to dietary laws

kvell

feel or express pride, "to be extraordinarily pleased" (JPS)

kvetch

"to chronically complain or gripe to others over minor issues" (JPS)

l'chaim

traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]

Ladino

Judeo-Spanish language

lox

smoked salmon

macher

"1. Someone who arranges, fixes, has connections...someone who is [very] active in an organization" (Rosten) "important person", "hot shot"

magen david

"star of david", a symbol that has commonly been associated with Jews and Judaism; [lit. "shield of david"]

matzoh

unleavened bread eaten on Passover

maven

"An expert or connoisseur; a specialist" (JPS)

mazel

luck (good)

congratulations

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

menorah

candelabrum, especially for Chanukah

mensch

"An upright, honorable, a decent person." (Rosten)

meshuga

crazy

mezuzah

a piece of parchment with the Shema written on it that is then placed in a case and mounted on doorways in keeping with the Biblical commandment mentioned in the Shema

mishegoss

"Foolishness, nonsense, craziness." (JPS)

mitzvah

good deed

Literally, "commandment"

mohel

A person trained to perform Jewish ritual circumcision

nebbish

noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)

no-goodnik

bad person, scoundrel (sometimes humorous or affectionate)

noodge

verb: bore, pester, nag

noun: pest, whiner

nosh

to snack or eat; a snack

nudnik

"A pest, a nag, an annoyer, a monumental bore." (Rosten)

payos

Sidelocks, sidecurls, or earlocks, common among Haredi boys and men.

putz

"A fool, an ass, a jerk." (Rosten) [lit. "penis"]

rebbe

the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish new year

schlemiel

idiot; contemptible person. "Clumsy, bungling person." (Steinmetz)

schlemozel

The constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings

schlep

"To carry, lug" (JPS)

To travel from one place to another when one would prefer not to

An annoyingly long journey

schmaltzy

"Overly sentimental or romantic." (JPS)

schmear

to spread; cream cheese

schmo

a fool; a jerk

schmooze

to make small talk or informally chat; to network, kiss up

schnapps

"A strong, dry liquor." (JPS)

seder

A ceremony involving recitations, singing, food, and drink typically associated with Passover, but also with Tu B'shvat and Rosh Hashanah.

order, orderliness, system, routine

period for Torah study

Sephardic

Jews whose ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula before the Jewish expulsion

Shabbos goy

"A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores [that are forbidden] for a Jew on the Sabbath or holidays." (Steinmetz)

shalom

hello, goodbye, peace

shamash

2. the caretaker of a synagogue.

1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles

3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry

shiksa

"1. A non-Jewish girl. 2. A housemaid. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jewish girl. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)

shivah

week-long period of mourning after the death of a relative, during which close relatives stay at home and greet visitors. mourners traditionally sit on low stools during this time, so someone in mourning is said to be 'sitting shiva'.

shlock

something cheap or inferior. "A shoddy, cheaply made article." (Rosten)

shmendrik

jerk, stupid person

shmuck

annoying, irritating person (lit. penis)

shmutz

"Dirt, stain, or filth." (JPS)

shofar

ram's horn sounded during the month of elul, especially associated with rosh hashanah

shtetl

"A town for village with...Jewish inhabitants, commonly found in Eastern Europe before World War II." (Steinmetz)

shtunk

stinker, nasty person, smelly person, nickname for a smelly baby.

shul

synagogue

siddur

Jewish prayer book

tallis

prayer shawl

Talmud

"The body of Jewish law and tradition comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara, compiled from about 30 B.C.E to about 500 C.E." (Steinmetz)

tchotchke

trinket, knicknack

Torah

Literally, "teaching". 1. The five books of moses. 2. Jewish law and values in general.

tsorris

"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)

tzedakah

charity, money given to charity

yarmulke

religious skullcap

yenta

"A scandal spreader, a rumormongerer." (Rosten). Usually applied to women.

Yiddish

Traditional language of Ashkenazic Jewry. A descendant of High German, its vocabulary is roughly 80% Germanic, 10% Hebrew and 10% Slavic (depending on author/speaker and setting/genre)

Yom Kippur

day of atonement, arguably the most important day on the Jewish calendar

zaidie

grandpa, grandfather