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  • afikomen

    a piece of matzah from the Passover seder traditionally hidden by adults, found by the children (or vice versa), and then ransomed for gifts after the meal. "The last piece of matzoh...eaten at the meal." (Steinmetz)

  • alte kaker

    elderly person, old-timer [literally "old shitter"] "A crotchety, fussy, ineffectual old man." (Rosten)

  • antisemitism

    Hatred against Jews.

  • Ashkenazi

    pl. Ashkenazim. "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France (and their descendants)... The Ashkenazim migrated to Central and Eastern Europe during times of oppression" (JPS).

  • Ashkenazic

    Adjectival form for 'Ashkenazim', "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France, and their descendants" (JPS)

  • Ashkenormative

    Assuming that all Jews are Ashkenazi, not considering Jews with other backgrounds.

  • b mitzvah

    the gender-neutral equivalent of a bar or bat mitzvah (used to be inclusive of genderfluid or nonbinary children)

  • babka

    "A loaf type coffee cake" (JPS)

  • bagel

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

  • bageling

    identifying another person as a Jew

  • bar mitzvah

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

  • bark mitzvah

    a mock celebration for a dog, akin to a bar/bat mitzvah (meant to be comedic)

  • bat mitzvah

    in gender egalitarian communities, the ceremony of a 13- (or 12-) year-old girl's first calling up to the Torah, symbolizing her adulthood in Jewish life. can also refer to the girl herself. In Orthodox communities, refers to celebration of girl turning 12. "Celebration of a Jewish girl's coming of age; a girl who has reached that age." (Glinert)

  • BCE

    Before the Common Era (used in place of B.C.). Steinmetz: "...recently, a new awareness of the Christian character of these abbreviations have led many Jewish writers and editors to replace them with [C.E. And B.C.E.]"

  • Be well

    Closing to a letter or conversation: Take care, be healthy

  • Birthright

    A free 10-day trip to Israel for young Diaspora Jews ages 18-26. Over 400,000 Jews have been to Israel on Birthright.

  • black hat

    Haredi; describing people or traditions of the right end of the Orthodox continuum, encompassing Hasidic and non-Hasidic (or just non-Hasidic) Orthodox Jews, of whom the men wear black hats

  • blintz

    A folded thin pancake filled with cheese, fruit, or potatoes.

  • bris

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

  • bupkis

    Nothing