Showing 126 of 126 words, page 1 of 1
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a long life
Used to greet a mourner after someone has died.
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alte kaker
elderly person, old-timer [literally "old shitter"] "A crotchety, fussy, ineffectual old man." (Rosten)
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Ashkenazic
Adjectival form for 'Ashkenazim', "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France, and their descendants" (JPS)
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babka
"A loaf type coffee cake" (JPS)
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bagel
"A leavened, firm, doughnut shaped roll" (JPS)
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bageling
Inserting a Jewish phrase or concept into a conversation in order to indicate that one is Jewish or to determine whether the other person is Jewish.
Identifying another person as a Jew.
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Be well
Closing to a letter or conversation: Take care, be healthy
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blintz
A folded thin pancake filled with cheese, fruit, or potatoes.
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bris
circumcision ceremony; the celebration surrounding it. Lit. covenant.
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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.
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challah
"The braided egg bread that traditionally is eaten on almost every Jewish holiday and [the Sabbath]" (JPS)
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chuppah
wedding ceremony (not including reception)
"The Jewish wedding canopy; that is, the cloth under which the Jewish wedding ceremony is conducted." (JPS)
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chutzpah
nerve, audacity, the quality of over-stepping boundries with no shame (negative)
guts (positive)
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Cohen
"A made descendent of the family of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. Aaron and his descendants were consecrated to the service of God... in the Tabernacle... in the desert and later the Holy Temple" (Steinmetz). Often poorly translated as "priest," though the term "Levite" or "Aaronite" is more accurate, especially due to Christian usage (Steinmetz).
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dreidel
"A small, four-sided spinning top used in a game during Chanukah" (JPS); the top itself
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farkakte
"lousy, messed up, ridiculous" (JPS) Shitty, full of crap.
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farmisht
mixed up, confused, crazy
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feigele
Gay man
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from your mouth to God's ears
response to a good wish or blessing that mentions future events: I want that to happen, but I'm not sure it will.
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gefilte fish
minced sweet or sour fish, cooked in balls or a log and sliced. [lit., "stuffed fish"(JPS), since the chopped fish used to be placed back in the fish for cooking.]
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gefrunzled
slighted, insulted, feeling unappreciated
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gesheft
business
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glitch
flaw; slight problem in a process
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good yom-tov
standard holiday greeting
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goy
"most often used among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew" (JPS)
a nation, but not the Jewish nation
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hamentaschen
"Small, triangular-shaped cookies filled with fruit or jam that are eaten on Purim" (JPS)
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Hasid
A follower in a non-religious sense (ironic).
Adherent of a Hasidic Jewish group ("A mystical religious movement founded in Poland" (JPS)
Pious person
A disciple of a rabbi, not only a member of a Hasidic group.
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Jewishness
Ethnic or cultural Jewish identity, as distinct from "Judaism"
The quality of being a Jew, not limited to (nor necessarily excluding) religion, ethnicity, biology, or nationality.
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kasha varnishkes
kasha (buckwheat groats) with bowtie noodles
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kibbitz
"To socialize aimlessly...To carry on a running commentary" (Rosten)
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kibbitzer
Someone who "gives unasked-for advice ... especially as a bystander-observer at a game (bridge, poker, checkers, chess)." (Rosten)
Someone who jokes, fools around.
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kitke
braided egg-bread eaten on the Sabbath (known as challah elsewhere)
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klezmer
"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)
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klutz
"clumsy, slow-witted...person" (Rosten)
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knaidel
matzah ball; "a dumpling made of matzah meal meal and beaten eggs, usually served in chicken broth, often at the Pesach seder" (JPS)
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knish
Eastern European dumpling with thin dough filled with potato, kasha, onion, meat, and/or other ingredients
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kosher
"acceptable according to Jewish [ritual] law" (JPS); "trustworthy, reliable" (Rosten); acceptable according to dietary laws
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kvell
feel or express pride, "to be extraordinarily pleased" (JPS)
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kvetch
"to chronically complain or gripe to others over minor issues" (JPS)
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l'chaim
traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]
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lashon hara
"gossip" (lit. "evil tongue") (JPS)
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latka
"a potato pancake [fried in oil traditionally eaten on Chanukah]" (Rosten)
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lobbus
a young mischievous person with a lot of chutzpah
a rascal, mischievous or cheeky child (usually a boy)
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lox
smoked salmon
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macher
"1. Someone who arranges, fixes, has connections...someone who is [very] active in an organization" (Rosten) "important person", "hot shot"
somebody who is successful, handy, dextrous
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Manischewitz
sweet brand of wine often used by American Jews for ritual purposes
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matzah brei
fried matzah pieces mixed with eggs, usually eaten on Passover
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maven
"An expert or connoisseur; a specialist" (JPS)
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mazel tov
congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]
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mechula
broke, bust, bankrupt, spoiled
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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
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mensch
"An upright, honorable, a decent person." (Rosten)
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meshuga
crazy
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mishegoss
"Foolishness, nonsense, craziness." (JPS)
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nebbish
noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)
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no-goodnik
bad person, scoundrel (sometimes humorous or affectionate)
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nosh
to snack or eat; a snack
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nudnik
"A pest, a nag, an annoyer, a monumental bore." (Rosten)
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oirik
Derogatory reference to a non-Jewish male, especially a common labourer
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oy
exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise
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oy vey
exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise
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pastrami
Smoked, seasoned deli meat
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payos
Sidelocks, sidecurls, or earlocks, common among Haredi boys and men.
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plotz
"1. To split, to burst, to explode. 2. " To be aggravated beyond bearing" (Rosten) [lit. "to explode"]
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prakes
Stuffed cabbage, also known by holiptshes, goluptshes, and golomkes, among other names
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punim
face
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putz
"A fool, an ass, a jerk." (Rosten) [lit. "penis"]
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putzing, putzed
wasting time [offensive]
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rebbe
the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect
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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)
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schlemiel
idiot; contemptible person. "Clumsy, bungling person." (Steinmetz)
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schlep
An annoyingly long journey
"To carry, lug" (JPS)
To travel from one place to another when one would prefer not to
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schlimazel
Unlucky person; the constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings
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schlong
a penis
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schmaltzy
"Overly sentimental or romantic." (JPS)
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schmatta
rag, old/ragged piece of clothing, garment
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schmear
to spread; cream cheese
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schmo
a fool; a jerk
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schmooze
to make small talk or informally chat; to network, kiss up
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schnapps
"A strong, dry liquor." (JPS)
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Shabbos goy
"A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores [that are forbidden] for a Jew on the Sabbath or holidays." (Steinmetz)
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shamash
1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles
3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry
2. the caretaker of a synagogue.
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shanda
"Scandal, shame." (JPS)
Misbehavior by a particular Jew or Jewish group that leads to embarrassment among the broader Jewish community.
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shiksa
"1. A non-Jewish girl. 2. A housemaid. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jewish girl. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)
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shlock
something cheap or inferior. "A shoddy, cheaply made article." (Rosten)
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shluffy
[to go] to sleep (child-directed speech)
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shmendrik
jerk, stupid person
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shmuck
annoying, irritating person (lit. penis)
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shmutz
"Dirt, stain, or filth." (JPS)
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shnoz
"A nose, especially a large, unattractive one." (JPS)
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shtetl
"A town or village with...Jewish inhabitants, commonly found in Eastern Europe before World War II." (Steinmetz)
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shtick
"Overused actions or behavior." (JPS)
Comedy routine.
Performances and silly behavior at weddings, intended to entertain the bride and groom.
Props and decorations used for wedding entertainment.
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shtum
quiet, voiceless, mute
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shtummer
quiet person, not much to say for themselves
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shtunk
stinker, nasty person, smelly person, nickname for a smelly baby.
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shul
synagogue
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slivovitz
plum brandy, often consumed on passover because it doesn't contain fermented grains.
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spiel
play, performance, speech. "A long, involved story or tale." (JPS)
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strudel
A pastry made by rolling up a thin sheet of dough with a fruit or cheese filling and baking it.
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tchotchke
trinket, knicknack
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teiglach
a confection of dough balls dipped in honey/syrup and eaten at Rosh Hashanah
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tsemisht
mixed-up, confused
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tsorris
"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)
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tuches
buttocks
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tush
buttocks
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vig
The commission one receives for conducting a transaction, usually gambling or drug deals, but can also be used in day-to-day transactions.
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whole megillah
an expression of something done completely and/or taking a long time
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yarmulke
religious skullcap
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yenta
"A scandal spreader, a rumormongerer." (Rosten). Usually applied to women.
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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)
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yoikelta
Derogatory reference to a non-Jewish woman.
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yok
rowdy non-Jewish hooligan (derogatory)
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yutz
dumb jerk
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zaidie
grandpa, grandfather
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