aba

father, dad, daddy

b'vakasha

JPS: "Literally, 'please'. It can be used in various ways, including "please go ahead" and at the end of a sentence as 'you're welcome'."

chalutzim

Pioneers in the building of the State of Israel.

chanukiah

Nine-branched menorah / candelabrum used on Chanukah

davka

just to annoy, just to be contrary

even; despite expectations to the contrary -- often with a slightly amused or ironic feeling of "wouldn't you know it?" or "of all things" ("of all people" ... etc.)

"definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser)

eema

mother

emunah

"faith"; sometimes contrasted with practical striving in the material world

goy

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

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

Haredi

Adjective or noun referring to an individual, institution, or practice associated with strictly Orthodox (non-Modern) Jews.

hatikvah

literally "the hope." "The Israeli national anthem." (Glinert)

havurah

A group of friends, frequently a social or religious group, either within a synagogue or apart from one.

kibbutz

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

Knesset

Israel's parliament

kol hakavod

Literally, "All the honor", as in "More honor to you!"

"well done" (Glinert)

l'chaim

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

labriut

"bless you" (after someone sneezes) [lit., "to health"] (Glinert)

lehitraot

"Goodbye for now, see you again soon" (JPS) "see you later."

nu

so what?; so?; hurry up already

sabra

a prickly pear, "tough and prickly on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside--a description that many say fits citizens of the Jewish state." (JPS)

savta

grandmother

Shabbat

The Jewish Sabbath; Saturday

shalom

hello, goodbye, peace

shidduch

match

a date in the process of finding one's spouse

arranged spousal match

mate

Shoah

Eastern European Holocaust (of World War II)

TzaHaL

acronym for: ts'va ha-haganah le-yisrael, the Israeli defense force (IDF)