aleichem sholom

Peace be upon you. Response to "sholom aleichem"

askan

A Jewish communal or social worker (Steinmetz)

A person who is influential in working for the community

Activist

balaboosta

1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker

bris

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

broiges

a dispute (n)

angry, annoyed (adj.)

bubbe meise

"Something of little importance, an inconsequential thing or minor happening." (JPS)

"old wive's tale"; an untrue story, sometimes related to superstition

chacham

wiseguy

wise, learned person; genius

rabbi (Sephardi)

chashuv

Important; of high status

cheder

Hebrew and religious classes (often on Sundays) for elementary school children.

da'as torah

Intuitive knowledge that comes from a lifetime of Torah study.

The authoritative wisdom of the tradition mediated by "gedolim" or great rabbis.

dybbuk

a spirit, "often thought to be the soul of a dead person, that wanders the earth looking for a living body to inhabit" (JPS)

goyish

"in the manner or style of a non-Jewish person" (JPS), especially something WASPy or "white bread"

hazarai

traif (non-kosher) food

"Junk, trash" (Rosten)

junk food

kaddishl

A son who will say kaddish for a parent (literally, "little kaddish").

Kahal

(the people of) a Jewish community

Synagogue, shul, congregation

keinehora

"no evil eye" (Rosten). "An expression said to ward off the evil eye or bad luck in general; the verbal equivalent of knocking on wood." (JPS)

l'hachis

spitefully; deliberately; literally "in order to anger"

mayofes

a servile person (see note below)

mechuten

the father of one's child's spouse, though can sometimes be used to refer to the grandfather of one's grandchild's spouse.

In laws, more generally (http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz2.htm#letm).

mechuteneste

the mother of one's child's spouse

mieskeit

ugliness

someone/something ugly

naches

"Proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child... 2. Psychological reward or gratification." (Rosten)

sheymes

adj., of or relating to printed material, such as a book or even an audio recording, that contains the name of God, and therefore must not be erased, put on the floor, etc., out of respect for the Divine Name

n., such content

shkotz

berating term for a mischievous Jewish boy

shomu shomayim

woe is me!

heaven forbid!

Yechinik

A Lubavicher (a Hasidic group, Chabad) who believes that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavicher rebbe, is the Moshiach.

yontif

a Jewish holiday, especially one on which work is prohibited (in contrast to chol hamoed)