Erev Shabbat—the afternoon before the Sabbath
feh—Phooey!
fleishig—of the flesh. Refers to food that is meat as opposed to milk/dairy; dishes used for meat
get—divorce document
Gottenyu—Dear God!
goy—non-Jew
goyim—non-Jews, plural of goy
goyische—non-Jewish
Gut Shabbas—Good Sabbath
Halacha—Jewish law
ha Shem—literally, “the name”; common usage for God.
havdallah—division, separation. Also the ceremony at the end of the Sabbath to mark the beginning of the work week.
heimische—home-like; real people, as opposed to phony
kiddush—prayer said over wine at the beginning of a holiday
krechtz—sigh or groan
kreplach—dumplings filled with meat or cheese, boiled or fried
kvell—to take extreme pride or pleasure in
kvetch—complain
latke—pancake
L’Chaim—To life!
macher—big shot
maidl, maideleh—young girl
matzo, matzah—flat cracker; unleavened bread
meshugeneh—crazy; crazy person
mitzvah—commandment; good deed
menorah—candleholder used on Chanukah
mandelbrot—almond cake
milchig—foods that contain dairy; dishes used for dairy
minyan—quorum for prayer (traditionally, ten adult men)
mohel—one who performs circumcision
nosh—snack
nu—“Well?” “So?” Used for emphasis
payos—earlocks, the ringlets that grow from a man’s sideburns
Pesach—Passover
putz—penis. Slang for jerk, as in “dick.”
schlong—penis
schmaltz—melted animal fat; dramatically sentimental
schmuck—prick, literally and figuratively
Shabbos, Shabbat—the Jewish Sabbath (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday)
Shaddai—related to holiness
shah—“Quiet!”
Shalom Aleichem—Peace
Shaygetz—non-Jewish man
shammes—religious servant; the middle “helper” candle used to light the other Chanukah candles
Shekkina—divine presence (feminine)
shiksa—non-Jewish woman
shul—a synagogue; Jewish temple
Shiva Asar Tammuz—seventeenth of the month of Tommuz, another fast day
Simhat Torah—rejoicing with the Torah
Sukkoth—seven-day holiday in the fall celebrating the harvest
Taaris Esther—Askhenazaic pronunciation of Hebrew
takeh—“like, really man!”
Talmud—The sixty-three-book commentaries on the Torah
Torah—the text of the five books of Moses; more generally, the entire range of Jewish knowledge
trayf—not kosher
tuchus—ass
tzimmes—slow-cooking casserole of fruit, meat and vegetables
vey iss mir—“woe is me!”
vilde chayah—wild beast, wild woman
Yahrzeit—anniversary of a death
yarmulke—a small round cap worn in shul and worn by religious Jews at all times
yenta—originally, matchmaker; commonly, a gossipy person
Yiddishkite—Jewishness, usually referring to Askhenazaic Jewish culture, not religion
Yom Kippur—Day of atonement, the highest of Jewish Holy Days
zaftig—literally, “juicy,” though often used as a euphemism for fat
Copyright notices and reprint permissions
“The Gift of Taking” by Joan Nestle first appeared in A Restricted Country. Copyright © 1987 by Joan Nestle. Reprinted by permission of Firebrand Books, Ithaca NY, 1987. Excerpt from He, She and It by Marge Piercy copyright © 1991 by Middlemarsh, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf. Inc. Excerpt from Any Woman’s Blues by Copyright © 1990 by Erica Mann Jong. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
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