Jews who descend from diaspora populations of Central and Eastern Europe and historically spoke Yiddish. Ashkenazi Jews make up approximately 90% of the Jewish population in the U.S.

B’Frahak is an expression often used within Iraqi Jewish community circles when someone wants to wish you well with the future marriage of your sons or daughters. Often expressed at holiday gatherings or dinners.

“Black Sabbath” is the first-ever compilation to showcase legendary Black artists covering Jewish songs. Featuring Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, and many others, it uses popular music to shed light on the historical…(more)

The cantor (or hazzan in Hebrew) is a ritual prayer leader in the synagogue. Cantors are responsible for maintaining knowledge of music for the intricate Jewish liturgical cycle…(more)

Jews worldwide observe a diverse array of rituals around death and dying, some dating back thousands of years. Many of these rituals are focused on treating the dead with respect and comforting and supporting those in mourning…(more)

The word diaspora has its etymology in Greek words meaning “to disperse across.” The term references Deuteronomy 28:25, referred to as the chapter of curses…(more)

A dybbuk (pl. dybbukim) is a form of ghost possession that appears in Jewish folklore and rabbinic literature. A dybbuk is a spirit of a dead person that cleaves to the body of one who is living…(more)

While many people know about the Holocaust that was perpetrated by Nazi Germany against six million Jews, including the terrible toll of the “Kristallnacht” pogrom in Germany in 1938, few know about the deadly pogroms against Iraqi Jews in the early 1940s, called the “Farhud.”…(more)

The Four Questions are a series of questions that form one of the central hallmarks of the Passover Haggadah (i.e. the ritual liturgy that accompanies the Passover seder and meal). It’s customary that the youngest person in attendance recites the questions (and their answers) for the rest of the attendees…(more)

Harissa is a hot chili pepper paste that originated in Tunisia. It contains roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers (Tunisian chili peppers), olive oil, and a blend of spices. A variant called Rose Harissa is made with rose petals. 

The Hoshen is a bejeweled rectangular “breast plate” (with twelve multi-colored squares in the center) and worn by the “High Priest of the Israelites.”…(more)

Ibbur (pl. ibburim) is also a form of ghost possession that appears primarily in rabbinic mystical writings. An ibbur is a form of possession intentionally cultivated by the living host…(more) 

The Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization, made up of a small-but-dedicated team from the music industry and academia. The Society takes its name from Abraham Zevi Idelsohn…(more)

Intergenerational or “inherited” trauma refers to the notion that the negative effects of traumatic experiences can be passed down to future generations…(more)

The Jazz Singer is a 1980s film starring Neil Diamond as a talented vocalist torn between tradition and family, and his dreams of becoming a successful pop singer. Starring Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier, The Jazz Singer tells the story of fifth-generation cantor Yussel Rabinovitch (played by Diamond)…(more)

Legends of Jews using magic beams of power have a long and august history. Stories that involve laser beams shooting out of eyes play a narrative role amongst two of the most important 2nd century CE rabbis, whose teachings are anthologized in the Talmud…(more) 

The Kaddish (קדיש‎) is a daily prayer recited during Jewish services. It requires a minyan (ten people) to be said. Though recited at each prayer service, the Kaddish is perhaps better known as the Mourner’s Kaddish, as it is a central part of the Jewish grieving…(more)

Kitniyot (קִטְנִיּוֹת) refers to grains that are typically not permitted for consumption during Passover according to Ashkenazi and some Sephardic customs. However, there is a long-standing custom that several Sephardic and North African Sephardic communities permit the consumption of kitniyot over Passover.

Literally translated from Hebrew to mean “fit” or “appropriate,” Kosher foods follow a strict set of laws set forth in the Torah.

Kubbeh (Kubbe, Kubba) can refer to either bulgur and wheat dumplings stuffed with a meat filling, or to a family of Iraqi and Kurdish-Jewish dishes consisting of these filled dumplings in a soup base. The dumpling filling and soup broth vary depending on the recipe and the region.

Lionel Ziprin was a born-again Hasidic Jew whose past was anchored in the artistic movements of the ’50s and ’60s. As a child, he was plagued by epilepsy and rheumatic fever, after which he had visions, such as seeing the Bible come to life in his grandfather’s house…(more)

Maven: (n. מבין, from Yiddish via Hebrew, a person who understands). A self-proclaimed expert on any topic or issue; or, an actual expert on any topic or issue. Differentiating between a self-proclaimed maven and an actual maven requires the ability to determine whether the hubris of the former leads to any genuine knowledge or…(more)

Mi Sheberach is the traditional prayer for healing in Jewish communities. A version of the Mi Shebeirach was popularized by the Jewish folk musician Debbie Friedman, which is embedded below. The prayer’s name is taken from the first two words that are recited…(more)

Mimouna is a Sephardic festival traditionally celebrated by Maghrebi Jewish communities (Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia) on the day after Passover…(more)

The word minyan ( מִנְיָן) means count or number in Hebrew. A minyan has historically been deemed the number of Jewish men over age 13 required to have a religious service. That number being 10…(more)

Mizrahi (or Mizrachi) Jews are descendants of Jews from North Africa and the Middle East. The oldest and largest Mizrahi communities were in modern-day Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. However, since there are many Jewish communities across these regions, not all Middle Eastern and North African Jews identify as Mizrahi. Today, most Mizrahi Jews live in the U.S. and Israel.

Naches is Yiddish for pride or joy in the accomplishment of one’s children. For many, family is at the root of the Jewish experience, and naches is often the ultimate expression of raising the next generation with meaning…(more)

The Old Testament is the name given to the Torah by Melito of Cardis in the 2nd century CE. It is comprised of the 24 books of the Hebrew bible or Tanakh. The Old Testament is a collection of Hebrew writings and the New Testament is written in…(more)

Passover (Hebrew: פֶּסַח; Transliterated: PAY-sach) is a major, seven-day holiday that commemorates the Jewish people’s harrowing Exodus (lit. from the Greek “way/road out”) from Egyptian slavery to freedom. As straightforward as this time of commemoration may seem to us today, the history of Passover is quite complex…(more)

Queen Esther has been celebrated through time in art, literature, and the annual festival, Purim. In the 5th Century BC, the Persian King Ahasuerus, dissatisfied with his wife…(more)

Sephardic Jews are those who descend from diaspora populations of the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally, some Mizrahi Jews — i.e., Jews from Western Asia and North Africa — also identify as Sephardic…(more)

(שבעה) is the Jewish tradition of observing a seven-day period of mourning for close relatives following the burial of the deceased…(more)

Shlemiel/Shlimazl (n. שלומיאל שלימזל, from Yiddish). While both of these words can be used independently, they are often defined in tandem. A shlemiel is a clumsy, incompetent person — someone who seizes failure with both hands. A Shlimazl is a hapless type, a person permanently behind the eight ball, who attracts bad luck like a magnet…(more)

Unleavened refers to a type of bread made without the benefit of leavening agents, known as raising agents. The most popular of these agents is yeast, but other agents include ginger beer, kefir, and sourdough starter…(more) 

Verklempt is Yiddish for “overcome with emotion.” It is one of the most popular Yiddish words to have permeated culture. The origins trace back to…(more)

A fusion language based grammatically in Middle-High German, but with significant admixture from Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic, and other languages. Yiddish is considered to have become a Jewish vernacular as early as the 9th century…(more)

One of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur is the “Day of Atonement” — the day that Jews ask God’s forgiveness for their sins from the previous year. Those who observe abstain from food, drink, and merriment for the duration of the holiday, spending the day in synagogue.

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend consisting of dried sumac, sesame seeds, salt, and savory herbs such as oregano, marjoram, or thyme. Depending on the region, cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, or caraway seeds may also be added. Za’atar is frequently used in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine. 

Zeyde is the historical Yiddish word for grandfather, while Bubbe means grandmother. Though it is a term that may be diminishing in popularity, it rose in prominence in the 2020 election, as Bernie Sanders became known as Zeyde or Zayde Bernie. This was perhaps the largest injection of Yiddish into the political and mainstream world since Joe Lieberman…(more)