Jewish English Lexicon

ad me'ah v'esrim

[may you/he/she live] "until a hundred and twenty" -- often used as a birthday wish for long life, or when mentioning a person who is getting on in years.

al regel achat

lit. "on one foot"; off-the-cuff; "To answer a question or deal with a query very briefly and cursorily." (Glinert)

aliyah

immigration to Israel

ascent

"calling to the reading of the Torah" (Glinert)

ascent of the soul of a deceased person to a higher level, as is believed to happen on their yartzeit

amud

page (in a prayerbook)

one side of a page (of Talmud)

pulpit, lectern

ayzeh bahsa

What a misfortune, how unfortunate, bummer

b'emet

"As a matter of fact." (Weiser); "Really?"

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'."

balagan

"a disorderly, confusing, and/or overwhelming situation" (Glinert)

beit knesset

Jewish place of worship; "synagogue" (JPS)

bekitzur

"Briefly or concisely: succinctly" (Weiser)

beseder

allright; fine. [lit. "in order"]; "OK" (Glinert)

beteavon

bon appetit; enjoy your meal; dig in. Glinert: "Literally, 'bon appetit!'"

boker or

literally, "morning light". said in response to "boker tov."

Breslover

A follower of the Hasidic branch of Judaism that adheres to the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.

chalutzim

Pioneers in the building of the State of Israel.

chanichim

campers; members of youth movement, as in Hashomer Hatzair

disciples (in a classroom)

chanukiah

Nine-branched menorah / candelabrum used on Chanukah

chas v'chalila

"heaven forbid" (Steinmetz's Yiddish and English dictionary)

chaval al hazman

Wow! Expression of emphasis from Israeli slang. Original meaning is also used: "waste of time"

chaver

comrade, mister (in left-wing political organizations)

friend

davka

just to annoy, just to be contrary

"definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser)

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.)

dos

A derogatory term for ultra-Orthodox/Haredi Jews, common in Israel.

ein

None; we / I / you don't have any; there is none.

giyur

The act of converting to Judaism.

Conversion ceremony

golus

literally "exile" (JPS); outside of the Land of Israel; away from a vibrant Jewish community; the time period since the destruction of the Second Temple at Jerusalem (Glinert)

hamsa

a hand-shaped amulet (often a wall-hanging or jewelry) conferring good luck or protection, popular in Israel and originally from the Middle East / North Africa

hatikvah

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

kadima

a center-left political party in Israel

forward; onward; hurry up, quickly

Kotel

"The Western Wall"/wailing wall (Glinert)

labriut

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

lehitraot

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

maapilim

Biblical: the group of the Children of Israel that went, unauthorized, to the Land of Israel after the episode with the spies

Jews who immigrated illegally to Palestine during British control in the 1930s and 1940s - Aliyah Bet

mabrouk

an expression of joyous congratulation used by Sephardi Jews equivalent to "Mazal tov!"

machal

a volunteer from outside Israel serving in the Israeli army

mahtomer / matomeret

What are you saying? or What did you say? or Really??

malshin

verb: To slander, malign, speak loshon hara about somebody.

noun: One who slanders, especially one who turns over a Jew to non-Jewish authorities; informer, stool pigeon, snitch

matzav

situation

political, military situation in Israel/the Middle East

mayim step

a dance move used in Israeli dance (also known as 'the grapevine')

Mizrachi

adj. or noun describing a person or practice (including music and ritual) of Middle Eastern Jewish origin. Lit. "Eastern," "Oriental."

Moadim lesimcha

Happy holiday! Greeting used on the intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot (known as chol ha-moed).

oleh

Immigrant to Israel; a person who makes aliyah.

shana alef

the post-high school gap year that young men and women spend studying at yeshivot and seminaries in Israel

Thinly cut meat (usually lamb, but may be chicken, beef, or other meat) cooked on a vertical rotating spit. Often served on a laffa (large pita type bread, but flat like a pizza dough and without a pocket) and with French fries ("chips" in Israel). Sometimes served on pita.

Just kidding!

tafkid

task

assignment

divinely ordained purpose