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.

Borscht Belt

region in the Catskill Mountains with many summer resorts frequented by Jews, especially in the mid twentieth century

bupkis

Nothing

Something worthless

challah

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

chutzpah

guts (positive)

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

Cohen

"A made descendent of the family of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. Aaron and his descendants were consecrated to the service of God... in the Tabernacle... in the desert and later the Holy Temple" (Steinmetz). Often poorly translated as "priest," though the term "Levite" or "Aaronite" is more accurate, especially due to Christian usage (Steinmetz).

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

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

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

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.

Pious person

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

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

Haskalah

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

Kabbalah

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

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)

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

kugel

Baked pudding or casserole made with eggs and various ingredients, including noodles, potatoes, or spinach

The South African equivalent of a "Jewish American Princess"

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

matzoh

unleavened bread eaten on Passover

maven

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

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

mazume

"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).

"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)

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

mitzvah

Literally, "commandment"

good deed

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)

putz

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

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish new year

schlemiel

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

schlep

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

An annoyingly long journey

"To carry, lug" (JPS)

schlimazel

Unlucky person; the constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings

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

period for Torah study

order, orderliness, system, routine

The name for the six sections of the Mishnah.

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

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

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)

shtetl

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

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

yarmulke

religious skullcap

yid

A derogatory term used by non-Jews for a Jewish person (particularly so in Great Britain).

a Jewish person

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