bagel

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

bris

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

bupkis

Something worthless

Nothing

challah

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

chuppah

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

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

dreidel

"A small, four-sided spinning top used in a game during Chanukah" (JPS); the top itself

goy

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

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

Hasid

Pious person

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).

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

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

l'chaim

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

latka

"a potato pancake [fried in oil traditionally eaten on Chanukah]" (Rosten)

lox

smoked salmon

megillah

one of the five books that compose kethuvim--writings--in Tanakh; can also refer to the physical scroll on which one is written; a long, engrossing story or description

nebbish

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

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.

rebbe

the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect

rugelach

"Bite-size crescent-shaped pastries, rolled around a variety of fillings, including chopped raisins and walnuts, apple, raspberry, [chocolate] or mun, topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar" (JPS)

schlemiel

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

Shabbos goy

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

shamash

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

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

2. the caretaker of a synagogue.

shiksa

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

shul

synagogue

tsorris

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

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)