Members of the Tribe

by Zev Chafets

  Reb A term of respect that may be applied to any Jewish male.

  Rebbe The leader of a Chasidic group.

  Schnapps An alcoholic drink.

  Seder Ritual Passover service.

  Shabbes Yiddish pronunciation of “Shabbat,” the Hebrew Sabbath.

  Shema A Hebrew prayer of divine affirmation.

  Shikseh Yiddish for gentile female.

  Shmooz Yiddish for “shoot the breeze.”

  Shonda Yiddish for “a shame.”

  Shtetel A Jewish village in Eastern Europe.

  Shul Yiddish term for synagogue.

  Simchas Torah (also spelled Simchat Torah)—The Rejoicing in the Law, a holiday celebrated shortly after the Jewish New Year.

  Strimel The fur hat worn by Chasidic Jews.

  Succah A boothlike structure decorated with agricultural produce in which Jews take their meals during the holiday of Succot.

  Succot (also spelled Succoth)—The Feast of Tabernacles.

  Ta’am Hebrew and Yiddish for “taste” or “flavor.”

  Tallis Yiddish pronunciation of the Hebrew “tallith” or “tallit,” prayer shawl.

  Talmud The commentaries on the Torah.

  Tanya A book of eclectics written by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe and studied by his disciples.

  Tisha B’Av The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, on which the destruction of the Temple is commemorated.

  Tzaddik (plural Tzaddikim) The Hebrew term for a righteous man.

  Tzedaka The Hebrew word for charity.

  Tzitzes Yiddish pronunciation of “tzizit,” the fringed garment worn by observant Jews.

  Yeshiva School where Orthodox Jews study Talmud; higher yeshivot offer rabbinical ordination.

  Yidden The Yiddish word for Jews.

  Yiddishkeit A Jewish heart or, more generally, subjects pertaining to Jewish life.

  Yahrzeit The Yiddish term for the anniversary of a death.

  For Joseph B. Colten

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  In the course of writing this book, I spent nearly six months traveling in America and Canada. During that time I visited more than thirty states and provinces, and in almost every place I found old friends or new ones who extended hospitality, provided logistical and moral support, and shared insights with me. Thanks are due to:

  Joe Colten, Gary Baumgarten, Steve and Carla Schwartz, Harvey Wasserman, Macy and Susan Hart, Carol and Ricka Hart, Tom Dine, Minette Wernick, Lori Posin, Christine Rimon, Dale Ackerman, Joe and Linda Chafets, Julie and Allan Grass, Stuart Shoffman, Roberta Fahn Shoffman, Harry Wall, Arthur Samuelson, Warren Feierstein, Abe Foxman, Rabbi Dan Syme, John and Diane Carbonara, Joseph and Betty Miller, Winston Pickett, Valerie Shalom, Yossil and Dora Friedman, Michael Stoff, Rabbi David Maharam, Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Isaac Lakritz, Scott Galen, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, Mike Hall, Roger Simon, Marilyn Miller, Gary Rosenblatt, Jerry Countess, Rafi Rothstein, and John Broder.

  Thanks are also due to a number of people who read all or parts of this book in manuscript form and made valuable suggestions. They include Liora Nir, Barry Rubin, Michal Chafets, and again, Joseph Colten, Rabbi Dan Syme, and Harry Wall.

  As usual, I am grateful to Esther Newberg of International Creative Management for her professional help and guidance.

  Thanks are also due to Margot Levin of Bantam Books for her tireless and efficient efforts throughout the project.

  Finally, I would like to thank my editor, Steve Rubin, who believed in this book from the start and played an invaluable role in its completion.