Aliyah - a pilgrimage to Israel.
Alter kocker - (vulgar) old fart.
Altneushul - the old synagogue of Prague, which still stands.
Ari - (diminutive of aryeh) lion.
Aveinu - our father.
Balebusteh - highly favorable term for a woman who can manage everything involved in running a house.
Bubeh - grandmother.
Bubeh Meise - old wives' tale.
Challeh - braided egg bread eaten on most Jewish holidays, such as
Chassen - groom.
Chava - Eve.
Cheder - school.
Daven - pray.
Dybbuk - a devil, particularly one that possesses a person.
Eretz Israel - the land of Israel.
Gematria - a system of numerology that assigns a value to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Hagaddah - the book of prayers, readings, and songs used for
Halacha - Jewish law.
Ha-Shem - Literally, "the name"; a way of referring to God without
mentioning one of the holy names usually reserved for prayer
Kaballah - Jewish mysticism.
Kaddish - The prayer for the dead.
Khevra Kaddisah - the burial society.
Kibitz - provide uninvited but good-natured criticism.
Kol Nidre - the beginning of the
Kvetchy - whiny.
Maidel - maiden, unmarried woman.
Magen David - the star of David.
Malka - queen.
Matzoh - unleavened bread, which is eaten during
Minyan - traditionally a group of ten Jewish men required for certain prayers, including Kaddish. Conservative and Reform Jews count women; Orthodox Jews do not.
Mishnah - part of the Talmud, the collected commentary of Rabbis over the ages on the Bible.
Mitzvah - (pl. mitzvoht) good deed, commandment.
Pesach - Passover, the holiday commemorating the exodus from Egypt.
Rebitzin - the wife of a Rabbi.
Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year.
Schmateh - rag.
Schmuck - (vulgar) penis, jerk.
Seder - the Passover dinner, at which the
Shabbat - Sabbath.
Shadchen - Matchmaker.
Shalom - peace, hello, goodbye.
Shamash - a sort of sophisticated custodian who takes care of a synagogue.
Shekinah - the female aspect of God.
Shema Yisrael - a prayer that one tries to say before dying.
Shira - song.
Shiva - the period of mourning, in which friends and members of the community visit.
Shofar - a ram's horn blown on certain holidays.
Shul - synagogue.
Siddur - prayer book.
Simchat Torah - a holiday in which the Torah is honored.
Tikkun Olam - healing the world.
Tikva - hope.
Traif - unkosher.
Yahrtzeit - memorial.
Yerushalaim - Jerusalem.
Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. One fasts and prays on Yom Kippur, at the end of which God seals the Book of Life in which it is inscribed what will happen in the next year.
Zayde - grandfather.
Zoftik - a description of someone who isn't obese but has ``something to grab on to'', such as large thighs.
Ellen Spertus and Sylvia Spertus, with help from Eldad Ganin