A Yiddish and Hebrew Glossary to Expressions Used in "Unorthodox"

I've recently read the book "Unorthodox" by Deborah Feldman, which has been great to to read. It's a coming of age story very well written. It shows how to become a mentsh. The book has been on the market for a while, but I only a couple of weeks ago I noticed an advertisement for the German translation, which made me look for the original version.

I’ve looked for reviews, some professional ones and some by readers, only after I’ve read the book. I think it’s strange to argue with facts instead of emotions on such a book. I can only say, that I enjoyed getting insights into world otherwise shut to me.

In the book you find quite a lot of Yiddish expressions. And though I had studied the book "Jiddisch - Das Abenteuer einer Sprache" (Yiddish - the Adventure of a Language) by Salcia Landmann long ago, I did not understand all Yiddisch. Some words are still like German, but the words, which come from Hebrew or still could be counted as Hebrew, I could not understand. So I prepared a glossary for myself and thought to share it with you. Of course, mistakes are my mistakes. If you find some, please inform me and I'll correct these. So it's a work in progress.

A gute Purim - Best wishes for Purim

Aidel (hairstyle) - cultured

Apikores - "liberated Jews", unbeliever

Aveirah - "sin"

Badeken (Bedeken) – ceremony, in which the groom veils the bride [German: bedecken]

Bas melech - "daughter of a king", princess

Batampte - "tasty", delicous

Berachos - blessings

B'show – Beschau (inspection)?

Bubbe - grandmother

Bubeleh - "darling"

Chametz – leavened foods

Chaptz'm - "catch him"

Charoses - apples, nuts, and wine kneeded together (specially eaten at the Passover seder)

Chasidisher – Hasidic Jew

Chassan (also Hazzn, Chazzan, Khazn) – precentor, leading in songful prayer

Chillul Hashem (chillul haShem) – desecration of the name of God

Chimuch (chimushim) – the five books of Moses

Chinush labe - "slim calves"

Cholov Yisroel – dairy product from milk that have been milked under the supervision of an observant Jew

Choteh umachteh es harashim – “the sinner who makes others sin”

Der emes shteit oif der shteren (shtern) - the truth stands on the forehead

Der tumeneh shprach - "the impure language"

Derech eretz - respect

Drashah - sermon

Dvar Torah – a word of Torah

Ehrlich - "devout" [in German ehrlich means honourable]

Ehrliche Yidden - "good Jews"

Eiruv - "symbolic fence"

Elegante - elegant

Ervah – “refers to any part of a woman’s body that must be covered”

Etrog – the yellow citron to be used with the lulav during the Sukkoth festival

Farfrumteh – overly religious or pious

Farvas vuktzi, die shiksa? - "Why does this gentile woman walk here?"

Feineh maidel – nice girl [German: feines Mädel (oldfashioned)]

Frei Yidden - free Jews, "who thought they could free themselves"

Frimmeh – pious

Frumkeit – piousness [German: Frömmigkeit]

Gabbaim – men assisting running a synagogue

Gan yehudah – name of a park (also in Tel Aviv)

Gartel - "long sash" [German: Gürtel]

Gemach – room [Gemach in German oldfashioned]

Geshikt – skilful, deft, handy [German: geschickt]

Gut Yontif! - Happy Holiday!

Haggadah - ext that sets forth the order of the Passover seder

Hashem – The Name (God)

Hashkafah (also hashkafa) - worldview and guiding philosophy

Hatzolah (also hatzalah) - volunteer Emergency Medical Service

Havdalah – separation, end of Sabbath or holiday

Hersh - "deer"

Heter - "loophole"

Kehillah - "community"

Kichel – sweet cookie

Kiddush - blessing over wine on sabbath eve or festivals

Killah maidel - girl of age to be married [German: Mädel]

Kittel – white overcoat worn at Jom Kippur and other festivals [German: Kittel; I wear a white Kittel at work]

Kohain – (Kohen) priest of Aaronic lineage

Kollel - "learning collectives"

Krach-hit - ?

Kraut pletzlach – fried cabbage noodles

Krepela (kreplach) - small dough pockets filled  with meat etc., ravioli

Kugelech – a game

Kallah (lessons) – concerning marriage, chastity, and moral purity

Ma'aras eyin – “the law of ma’aras eyin, where one appears to sin and so misleads others into judging them as having sinned”

Machanayim - "a more modest version of dodgeball"

Mah nishtanah - the four questions (sung during the Passover Seder)

Maideleh - little girl

Maidlach - girls

Mameleh - "sweetheart" or Mother dear

Marror – (maror) bitter herbs

Mazel – luck, like in Mazel tov! Good luck!

Mechitsef - "insolent one"

Mekor - womb

Menuchas hanefesh - "peace in my soul"

Mesader kiddushin – leads the wedding ceremony

Meyn mahn - "my husband" [German: mein Mann]

Mikvah (mikveh) - ritual bath used by women

Mitzvah tanz - dance of the men in front of the bride on the wedding night

Motzei Shabbos (motza’ei shabbat) - the going out of Sabbath

Muzinka - "an only child"

Nachas (naches)- "pride", joy

Nebach - unlucky, pitiable person

Niddah - "kicked aside", the two impure weeks for women

Nisht besser fun a goy - "no better than a gentile"

Omer – the period of 49 days betweeen Passover and Shavuot

Pashkivilin (pashkevilin) - announcements

Payos (payess) - long side curls

Plotchik (hat) - a wide, flat velvet hat

Pritzus (also pritsus) - "promiscuity", immoral behavior

Pushka - "box", box for coins

Rebbetzin - the Rabbis's wife

Rachmanus (rachmones) - mercy, pity

Rekel – coat worn by men during work week [German: Rock for coat and diminuitive Röckel, very oldfashioned]

Seder (Seyder) – the seder marks the beginning of passover

Sefirah – holy period, also emanations (kabbalah)

Shadchan - "matchmaker"

Shanda (shandeh) - shame, disgrace [German: Schande]

Shavuot – feast of week

Shefaleh - "little lamb" [German: Schäfchen]

Sheid - "ghost"

Sheitelmacher - wig maker [Scheitel in German: prating of the hair]

Sheva berachos – seven blessings (marriage blessings)

Shidduch - "arranged match"

Shigah - "sunset"

Shiur - daily sermon

Shomer - "guardian"

Shomrim - "community guardians"

Shpitzel – head covering with a partial wig

Shtissim – (shtuss?) nonsense

Shtreimel – fur hat worn by married Jewish men

Shul - synagogue [German: Schule for school]

Shvartzes - "blacks" [German: Schwarze]

Shviger - "mother-in-law" [German: Schwiegermutter]

Simchah - joy, joyous occasion

Tante - aunt [German: Tante]

Teshuvah (teshuva) - repentance

Tishtech - "tablecloth" [German: Tischtuch]

T'noyim - "party to sign engagement contract", engagement

Tzaar gidul bunim – (tzar gidul banim) the pain of raising children

Tzaddikim - "righteous ones"

Tzadekes - "saint"

Tzelem Elohim – (b’tselem elohim) in God’s image

Vayoch Moshe - "anti-Zionist bible"

Yahrzeit - anniversary of the death of a beloved person

Yichud - prohibition of seclusion in a private area of a man and a woman, who are not married to each other

Zeide - grandfather

Zohar – foundational work of the kabbalah

Links / References:

Feldman, Deborah: Unorthodox : the scandalous rejection of my Hasidic roots. © 2012 SIMON & SCHUSTER, New York

http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz4.htm#letu

http://kehillatisrael.net/docs/yiddish/yiddish.htm

Landmann, Salcia: Jiddisch. Das Abenteuer einer Sprache. Mit kleinem Lexikon jiddischer Wörter und Redensarten sowie jiddischen Anekdoten.

Ullstein, 1992.

 

PS. Yes, I'm aware that there's a Netflix miniseries "Unorthodox", director Maria Schrader, but I haven't seen it.