The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words [Paperback]

Joyce Eisenberg (Author), Ellen Scolnic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

A very handy resource not just for Jews, but for anyone who encounters Jewish wrods and wants to check their meaning, spelling and or pronunciation.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These reliable references both emanate from reputable sources, one from the Jewish Publication Society and the other from the late Rosten, a prolific, best-selling author, professor, scholar, and language expert. Similar in content and format but with a differing emphasis and flavor, these books have considerable overlap. The JPS Dictionary aims to identify Jewish words and terms, derived from Yiddish, Hebrew, Aramaic, and English, that are most commonly used in U.S. daily life. Not intended to be either all-inclusive or definitive, this handy, accessible work will serve the needs of a variety of users. Arranged alphabetically, it features more than 1000 definitions using simple language and including parts of speech, pronunciation guides, one or more meanings, and cross references. Communalities are identified in the category index. The words included pertain to Jewish holidays and life-cycle events, culture, history, the Bible and other sacred texts, worship, and more. Because stress is placed on understanding Jewish traditions, this work is slightly broader in scope, covering individuals and other terms recognized by the authors as being contemporary and/or having special meaning.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Oy gevalt, a Jewish word book! How does one briefly discuss this? Technically, there is no Jewish language. Therefore, this is a cultural dictionary, and because Jewish culture is found throughout the world, Jewish words originate from many languages--Yiddish, Hebrew, Latin, German, Spanish, English, Aramaic, Arabic, French, Russian, and more.

More than 1,200 widely used words and expressions are listed in a straightforward dictionary format. Each entry contains the language of origin, phonetic pronunciation, grammatical usage, definitions (current and old-fashioned), and examples of use within appropriate contexts. Cross-references are provided for additional words used within the definitions and for words having the same or similar meanings. The authors decided to include only those words and phrases most likely to be encountered in American daily life. Therefore, the dictionary has words associated with Jewish foods, holidays, life cycles, synagogues, religious practices, customs, and traditions. Various expressions originating in "the old country" and handed down through immigrant generations, along with holiday greetings, also are found here. The only people entries are for the major scholars and historical figures directly associated with holidays.

In place of an index, category lists are found at the end of the dictionary. All words and terms listed as entries are sorted into groups such as "Bar and Bat Mitzvah," "Kabbalah," and "Keeping Kosher." This enables those who are unfamiliar with something to find related terms quickly. All in all, the Dictionary of Jewish Words is wonderful! It is an exciting reference concept and an easy resource for understanding the Jewish culture. Gai gezunt (use it well). Ann Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827607237
• ISBN-13: 978-0827607231
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be meshugge -- buy this book!, June 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words (Paperback)

What a fun read! If you want to know the difference between meshugge and meshuggeneh or Miriam's Cup and Miriam's Well, this is the book for you. Eisenberg and Scolnic have compiled a wonderfully ecclectic collection of Jewish terms, references, and culture in an easy-to-read and easy-to-find format. The entries have pronunciation guidelines, and are cleverly used in sentences that truly convey their meaning. This work is a must-add to any bookshelf.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference for Conservative and Reform Judaism, February 29, 2004

By 

Jennifer L. Metcalf (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words (Paperback)

Orthodoxy and rabbinical scholars almost assuredly will be familiar with most of these terms. The authors freely admit that they compiled the terms from their own upbringings - "modern, American, liberal, matriarchal, and from Conservative and Reform backgrounds." Thus, many of the rituals discussed are from that perspective.

For instance, a minyan is a gathering of ten men, the minimum required for a religious service. In this text in this book, the word "people" is substituted for men, but the bottom of the entry explains that traditionally that number only referred to men.

For those who grew up without a Jewish background or for those whose knowledge of general Jewish vocabulary is lax, this is a wonderfully written book. The words are arranged alphabetically. A dictionary of Jewish words could include potentially hundreds, if not thousands of pages, so the authors narrowed down the scope to include words that one might hear in daily life in the USA. The words are drawn from Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, and Ladino. It would be ideal for non-Jews who simply want to figure out some of the words in conversations that their Jewish friends use!

Since all words have to be transliterated, different spellings with Latin letters are cross-referenced to the entry which tells where the definition will be given. This is invaluable since many words in the USA are spelled a variety of ways, such as Chanukah, Hanukah, Hannukkah, and Hanukkah.

The definitions are clear and concise. Words used in definitions which are bold-faced are also entries in the dictionary.

What many may find especially helpful is the category lists in the back of the book. For instance, there are lists for objects found in a synagogue, for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, the Jewish calendar, food, Pesach, and many more.

"The Jewish Word Book," by Sidney J. Jacobs, published in 1982, contains more entries. However, I prefer this book by the JPS because the words are explained more in-depth with many examples of words given. Unless one is extremely well-versed in Judaism, this book is very helpful without seeming overwhelming.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful aid to Jewish Knowledge and Yiddishkeit, October 19, 2003

By 

Elmann "Kenneth Ellman" (Box 18, Newton, N.J 07860 United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words (Hardcover)

This book is a wonderful aid to Jewish Knowledege and Yiddishkeit.
Judaism encompases tremendous learning opportunities and tens of thousands of pages of Talmud, Chumash and many other sources.
Yet this little one volume dictionary allows those who are lacking in fundamental education to learn basic expressions and words of a cultural and or Yeshiva enviornments.
It is an introductory pocket dictionary to the Jewish world.
I have used it all the time when I need clarification or just forget and want to confirm.
This book should be on the shelf of every Jew. So many of us have not had the opportunity to learn and make part of us our Jewish heritage and strength. This little introductory dictionary along with the many Chabad and Artscroll publications is another step to learning and remembering.
You will use it and you will enjoy it and it will help you.
kenneth ellman
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