Jewish Word | Is ‘Good for the Jews’…Good for the Jews?
The line remains in use, but its emotional underpinning has altered.
Jewish Word | Mazel Tov! A Toast to Astrology?
Wishing someone “mazel tov” acknowledges that they’re experiencing a significant life event at a fortunate time, when the stars are aligned.
Jewish Word | ‘Momala’ of the Year
At a brunch during the DNC in Chicago, California assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan was wearing a hat with two Stars of David flanking the slogan “Jews for Momala.”
Ask the Rabbis | How Do We Balance Civility With Disapproval For Others’ Politics?
We should learn from our sages.
Jewish Word | Verklempt: The Yiddish Word that Wasn’t
Borrowed from Yiddish and launched into the cultural stratosphere by a Canadian comedian and his Jewish mother-in-law, “verklempt” keeps evolving.
Jewish Word | Doikayt: The Jewish Left Is Here
Embraced by 1940s Bundists opposed to Zionism, the Yiddish word for “hereness” is being popularized by progressive American Jews.
Jewish Word | Amalek, Then and Now
Bibi Netanyahu’s invocation of Amalek, an ancient people whom the Israelites were commanded to wipe out, has caused many observers to fear for the inhabitants of Gaza.
Jewish Word | The Twisted Path of the Word ‘Genocide’
Since October 7 and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war, the word genocide has been used liberally by parties on both sides of the conflict.
Jewish Word | Not That Kind of Rabbi
In 1970 The New York Times ran an article about the secret language of New York City police officers.
Jewish Word | Beware the Fires of Moloch
In 2012, days after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 20 children and six adults, historian Garry Wills wrote an impassioned essay in The New York Review of Books.
The State of the Jewish State
That Israel’s existence is miraculous is clear—as every respondent made sure to let us know—but the rest, like everything in Judaism, is up for debate.
Jewish Word | Israel: What’s in a Name?
Israel was not considered as a name for the new Jewish state until late in the deliberations.