Religious Travelers - Dictionary of Terminology & Abbreviations

While this is technically the forum for all FTers to discuss the impact religion has on their journeys, in reality this forum functions as the defacto Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Travel Forum.

I find it fascinating to read the posts here, but as a non-member of your particular 'team' I find many of the terms you use difficult to infer, even from the surrounding context. Upon searching, I've found that some -though not all- of the words used here can be easily expressed in English, without any need to use foreign words.

So gentlemen (for it appears only Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men post here), before the Sabbath commences in your time zone this week, would you be so kind as to put together a Dictionary of Terminology & Abbreviations so the rest of us have an easier time following along? ^

So gentlemen (for it appears only Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men post here)


I'll correct the first impression and say that not all posters to this forum are as you describe. ;) I'm sure someone of the opposite sex will chime in too. :p

A Few Useful Yiddish Words

Here are a few fun Yiddish or Yiddish-derived words that would not require your mother to wash your mouth out with soap. Many of them have found their way into common English conversation. Most of them are spelled as I commonly see them, rather than in strict accordance with YIVO transliteration rules. I've tried to focus on words that are less commonly heard in English (gentile English, anyway).


Bupkes (properly spelled bobkes and pronounced "BAUB-kess," but I usually see it spelled this way and pronounced to rhyme with "pup kiss")
Literally means "beans" in Russian; usually translated as "nothing," but it is used to criticize the fact that an amount is absurdly smaller than expected or deserved. Examples: "I was assigned to work on that project with Mike and he did bupkes!" or "I had to change jobs; the work wasn't bad, but they paid bupkes."

Chutzpah (rhymes with "foot spa", with the throat-clearing "kh" sound)
Nerve, as when the Three Stooges say, "The noive of that guy!!! Why, I oughta…" It expresses an extreme level of bold-faced arrogance and presumption. Example: "She asked me to drive her home, and once we were on the road she told to stop at the supermarket so she could pick something up. What chutzpah!"

Frum (like "from," but with the "u" sound in "put"; sort of sounds like the imitation of a car noise: brrrum-brrrum, but not vroom like in the car commercials)
Observant of Jewish law. Almost always used to describe someone else; almost never to describe yourself. "He wasn't raised very strict, but when he went away to college he became very frum." The Yiddish name "Fruma," derived from this word, was once quite popular.

note From my point of view, this means the person is religious; or, more religious than me.


Nu (rhymes with "Jew")
An all-purpose word that doesn't really mean anything, like "well," "so" or "wassup?" I usually hear it as a prompt for a response or explanation. A friend of mine who worked for a Jewish history museum joked that they answered the phone "Jew mu, nu?" When someone takes too long to respond in an online chat or trails off in the middle of a thought, I might type "nu?" (are you still there? are you answering?) If someone says something that doesn't seem to make any sense, you might say, "nu?" (what's that supposed to mean?)

Shmutz (rhymes with "puts")
Dirt. Refers to a trivial amount of nuisance dirt, not real filth. Example: "You have some shmutz on your shirt; brush it off."

Shmooze (rhymes with "booze")
Having a long, friendly chat. Can be used as a noun, but is usually used as a verb. Examples: "Come to our party! Eat, drink and shmooze!" or "Our salesman is very good at shmoozing the clients."

Tchatchke (almost rhymes with "gotcha")
1) Little toys; knick-knacks. 2) A pretty young thing, like a trophy wife. Examples: "The collector had so many tchatchkes that he had to buy a bigger house!" or "when my mother visits, she always brings tchatchkes for the kids" or "The boss divorced his wife; now he's dating some little tchatchke." The Yiddish spelling of the word uses the letter Tsadek, so it should be pronounced "tsatske," but I've always heard the word pronounced as if it were the "ch" in "chair."


From (a different version frum is outlined above). :p http://www.jewfaq.org/yiddish.htm

An alphabetical directory here... http://www.pass.to/glossary/

Some humor here... http://mitch.menschel.net/JEWISH-EXPRESSIONS-1.HTM

While this is technically the forum for all FTers to discuss the impact religion has on their journeys, in reality this forum functions as the defacto Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Travel Forum.

I find it fascinating to read the posts here, but as a non-member of your particular 'team' I find many of the terms you use difficult to infer, even from the surrounding context. Upon searching, I've found that some -though not all- of the words used here can be easily expressed in English, without any need to use foreign words.

So gentlemen (for it appears only Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men post here), before the Sabbath commences in your time zone this week, would you be so kind as to put together a Dictionary of Terminology & Abbreviations so the rest of us have an easier time following along? ^

Um, I'm "Ultra-Conservative", I guess, since I'm most definitely not Orthodox (as the female rabbi to whom I'm married will no doubt agree)... but if there's ever a term used that you don't understand, just post the question. Unlike at our airline-related forums, here we don't bite!

Glatt Kosher (I understand the individual words, but not their use in tandem)
Hermolis
Kashrus
Dati
Charedi
shmitta observant
Shemittoh (deriation of 'shmitta'?)
Mehadrin
Halachic
Maariv

You'd admit that even for someone like me who knew all of the words defined in the previous post, that the above words may very well stump less observant Jews, too. How many of the above words or phrases can be expressed in jargon-free English?

Bill,

1. This post is not frequented by Ultra-Orthodox men. I am a woman, modern orthodox.

2. You can probably google most of the words you mentioned. No, you really cannot translate one-on-one into English as each words have fairly complex explanation.

Glatt Kosher (I understand the individual words, but not their use in tandem)
Hermolis
Kashrus
Dati
Charedi
shmitta observant
Shemittoh (deriation of 'shmitta'?)
Mehadrin
Halachic
Maariv

You'd admit that even for someone like me who knew all of the words defined in the previous post, that the above words may very well stump less observant Jews, too. How many of the above words or phrases can be expressed in jargon-free English?

I will do my best to translate without being to long winded or technical

HERMOLIS Kosher inflight meal supplier based in England, considered by many to be the best in the air

KASHRUS A general term for the Kosher rules

DATI someone who is religious. Generally at least Modern Orthodox

CHAREDEI Someone who is Ultra Orthodox meaning he has what he considers to be higher standards than let's say the Modern Orthodox, following rules set down in the past without always looking for modern changes and considerations

SHMITTA OBSERVANT Following the strict rules concerning agricultural production in the Land of Israel once every 7 years. The rules are way too detailed to be discussed here but basically say that the land should lay fallow during that year. All the rules discuss how then can you produce, live and eat, during the SHMITTA year

SHMITTOH see above

MEHADRIN Something that is thought to be the best, with added value, above the basic. When used in Kashrut it means going the extra mile and sometimes extra dollar to get the item which is 100%, uncontroversially Kosher, without relying on various permissions and explanations

HALACHIC Anything to do with HALACHA, the entire gamut of the code of Jewish Living, including the Bible, the Talmud, and later day Rabbical Responsa

MAARIV The evening prayer. The morning prayer is SCHACHARIT and the afternoon one is MINCHA

This is just a brief explanation and I am sure that someone else would explain it a little differently but I hope that you get the general idea

Bill,

1. This post is not frequented by Ultra-Orthodox men. I am a woman, modern orthodox.

2. You can probably google most of the words you mentioned. No, you really cannot translate one-on-one into English as each words have fairly complex explanation.

Reread #1. Leave a word or two out?

That's why we don't allow women. Or at least require them to post behind the mehitza. (mehitza - a physical separation, frequently a wall between men and women in services). ;)

Have a good shabbos everyone!

I will do my best to translate without being to long winded or technical

HERMOLIS Kosher inflight meal supplier based in England, considered by many to be the best in the air

KASHRUS A general term for the Kosher rules

DATI someone who is religious. Generally at least Modern Orthodox

CHAREDEI Someone who is Ultra Orthodox meaning he has what he considers to be higher standards than let's say the Modern Orthodox, following rules set down in the past without always looking for modern changes and considerations

SHMITTA OBSERVANT Following the strict rules concerning agricultural production in the Land of Israel once every 7 years. The rules are way too detailed to be discussed here but basically say that the land should lay fallow during that year. All the rules discuss how then can you produce, live and eat, during the SHMITTA year

SHMITTOH see above

MEHADRIN Something that is thought to be the best, with added value, above the basic. When used in Kashrut it means going the extra mile and sometimes extra dollar to get the item which is 100%, uncontroversially Kosher, without relying on various permissions and explanations

HALACHIC Anything to do with HALACHA, the entire gamut of the code of Jewish Living, including the Bible, the Talmud, and later day Rabbical Responsa

MAARIV The evening prayer. The morning prayer is SCHACHARIT and the afternoon one is MINCHA

This is just a brief explanation and I am sure that someone else would explain it a little differently but I hope that you get the general idea

Left this one out by mistake in my original post

GLATT KOSHER- "Glatt" in Yiddish means, smooth. It has to do with the slaughtering of cows (and only cows) when the lungs are checked internally for any lesions, cuts or scars. If it is smooth or Glatt, it is considered Kosher by the most stringent, as the above are not permitted. If there is a question the lung is inflated and then checked and a Rabbi renders a decsion either sending the cow to the Kosher or non Kosher line.
People who eat only Glatt are people who are usually CHAREDI who eat only MEHADRIN (see above) who don't want to take chances.
The term now has expanded in popular conversation and usage to all types of MEHADRIN KOSHER but technically it is only about Beef and nothing else

MAARIV The evening prayer. The morning prayer is SCHACHARIT and the afternoon one is MINCHA



Also, a newspaper in Israel. ;) :p

OP - another problem you may encounter is that there are multiple pronunciations for certain Hebrew letters (depending on whether you follow the "Sephardic" style originating in the Mediterranean and most commonly used in Israel and taught in the US, or the "Askenazic" style originating in Eastern Europe and most commonly used in dati/haredi communities), and multiple ways of transliterating Hebrew.

So, "Shabbat" = "Shabbos" = the sabbath.
"Kashrut" = "Kashrus" = the laws related to kosher food.
"Hanukah" = "Chanukah"

"A guten shabbos" = "Good Shabbos" = "Shabbat Shalom" = either (a) have a good, peaceful Sabbath day, said either on shabbat or leading up to it (people having a bad week can start saying "good shabbos" on Wednesday, in the hopes of skipping directly over Thursday & Friday...), or (b) a greeting used on Shabbat itself.

badatz & CO FF: Thanks so much for taking the time to explain these terms. Like most non-Jews, I had little idea as to how stratified and n'th degree the levels of kosherness are interpreted.

This kosher one-upmanship reminds me of a story told to me by an old friend of mine. This friend was attending college in rural Vermont and told me of the warm feeling he got inside watching the reactions of Vermonters as he drove his big beat-up pickup truck with the Kentucky plates and shotgun rack. It made him feel 'Hicker than Thou'.

Are there a lot of discussions in your respective communities of the, "You call this Kosher? Ha! I'll show you Kosher..." variety?

badatz & CO FF:

Are there a lot of discussions in your respective communities of the, "You call this Kosher? Ha! I'll show you Kosher..." variety?

Unfortunately we thrive on it.

Once you get past Reform Conservative and Orthodox, Orthodox itself comes in hundreds of "flavors". The only comfort we ever get is knowing that whoever it is looking down their nose at you, well, somewhere there someone else who thinks they are "goyim" for the way they carry out their beliefs as well.

Goy - literal translation without the baggage -> the word means nation, or person from another nation. Today commonly refers to a non-jew, and some feel it has a negative connotation. It does not.

Now shiksa, there is another story, exactly the opposite. Everyone thinks it is a cute expression for a non-jewish girl. The etimology of the word? The hebrew word is shaketz, which literally means "the flesh of an impure animal". How's that for a cute phrase?

Goy - literal translation without the baggage -> the word means nation, or person from another nation. Today commonly refers to a non-jew, and some feel it has a negative connotation. It does not.


While a few others may disagree with you. ;)


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=700384&highlight=goyim

But lets stay focused on BillScanns topic.

badatz & CO FF:
Are there a lot of discussions in your respective communities of the, "You call this Kosher? Ha! I'll show you Kosher..." variety?

Unfortunately we thrive on it.

Once you get past Reform Conservative and Orthodox, Orthodox itself comes in hundreds of "flavors". The only comfort we ever get is knowing that whoever it is looking down their nose at you, well, somewhere there someone else who thinks they are "goyim" for the way they carry out their beliefs as well.

There are lots of varieties of Conservative, too. There are people who call themselves "Conservative" who belong to Conservative synagogues, and attend them 2 days per year (Rosh HaShanah & Yom Kippur), don't keep kosher, are totally ignorant of Jewish texts and Jewish study. There are people who call themselves "Conservative" who go to synagogue every Shabbat morning -- before going to the mall, or a football game (in the fall), etc. Some keep kosher only at home, and eat pig & shrimp outside the house. There are "Conservative" Jews who always where a kippah (yarmulke), only eat in kosher restaurants, pray 3 times daily, observe the sabbath & holidays as strictly as any orthodox Jew.

Rather than do the "we can out-do you on strictness" approach to keeping kosher, though, those Conservative Jews who keep kosher have varying standards of where they draw the line.

Example - Some cheeses are made with natural rennet, taken from the animal's stomach lining; Orthodoxy often considers this impermissible, and thus "kosher" cheeses" do not use animal rennet; Conservative Judaism has ruled that cheese with animal rennet may be eaten. OTOH, those (like me, actually) who keep our homes strictly kosher only use products that are certified kosher in our kitchens, so while I eat those cheeses outside of my home, I don't serve them.

Wine is another example - some wines (esp. French) used to be "fined" with animal products (the EEC banned this in 1997 due to mad cow worries). Some considered this reason to avoid wines not certified kosher, despite that there was no indication that the fining agent (which triggered a filtration process, as I understand it) stayed in the wine.

This is interesting reading for this non-Jew; you've answered a query I'd always had but never bothered to ask (always wondering why shabat shalom was said only on Fridays).

As long as the answers conform to the OP's question about terminology, I'd be interested in localised expressions. For example, there must be some rhyming slang used by Jews in parts of the UK and Australia - we abbreviate here and I bet the terms have been compacted and localised. ;) (Bondi and St Kilda locals might differ in use of terms, too)

OT, seeing as the gaming awards/rewards forum looks set to begin, are there terms for gaming and comps by Jews, too? :cool:

This is interesting reading for this non-Jew; you've answered a query I'd always had but never bothered to ask (always wondering why shabat shalom was said only on Fridays).

Don't forget Saturdays too! ;)

As long as the answers conform to the OP's question about terminology, I'd be interested in localised expressions. For example, there must be some rhyming slang used by Jews in parts of the UK and Australia - we abbreviate here and I bet the terms have been compacted and localised. ;) (Bondi and St Kilda locals might differ in use of terms, too)

You're so right, aussie do seem to shorten everything. I gotta think about that one.

goodo

While I lurk more than I post, I'm a non-Jew, non-male :) I'm a pagan female, and occasionally pipe up, but not much. This is fascinating reading, though!