Jewish English Lexicon

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)

bar mitzvah

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

Chabad

an outreach-oriented branch of Hasidic Judaism that follows the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Chabad has thousands of branches around the world, including at many college campuses.

chutzpah

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

guts (positive)

Conservative Judaism

originally known as "historical positive Judaism," a denomination that combines observance with an idea of "halachic process." See further comments below.

farkakte

"lousy, messed up, ridiculous" (JPS) Shitty, full of crap.

gezunterheyt

lit., while in good health

"Fine, go ahead" (ironic).

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")

kibbitz

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

kibbitzer

Someone who jokes, fools around.

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

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)

maccabiah

color war / intra-camp competition in a Jewish summer camp

international Jewish sports competition, known as the Jewish Olympics, held (mostly) every four years since 1932; smaller regional competitions held in Jewish community centers around the world

maven

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

mensch

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

oy

exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise

oy vey

exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise

pisk

(vulgar) snout, grimace (Steinmetz)

mouth, loud-mouth, similar to English slang "trap" for mouth.

Colloquialism: an eloquent or garrulous speaker. (Rosten)

plotz

"1. To split, to burst, to explode. 2. " To be aggravated beyond bearing" (Rosten) [lit. "to explode"]

putz

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

a Jewish movement founded on principles of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah), which rejected the binding nature of the Law and attempted to concentrate on the prophetic message; it is now the largest movement in the United States, and has an additional 1 million adherents worldwide.