Dictionary of Jewish Words

by Joyce K. Eisenberg, Ellen Scolnic

Organized in an A to Z format for easy reference, the Dictionary of Jewish Words contains 1,200 entries derived from Yiddish, Hebrew, Aramaic, and English. The entries include words for and associated with Jewish holidays and life-cycle events, culture, history, the Bible and other sacred texts, worship, and more. Each entry has a pronunciation guide and is cross-referenced to other related terms. The introduction is an excellent primer on the history of Jewish words, their transliteration, and pronunciation. The indexes at the back, arranged by categories, help readers easily find the words they want, even when they don’t know the exact spelling. This handy and very accessible dictionary is an excellent resource not just for Jews, but for anyone who wants to check the meaning, spelling, and/or pronunciation of Jewish words.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

210 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2001

About the author

JOYCE KIRSCHNER EISENBERG is an Philadelphia award-winning author and columnist who has given her readers the inside scoop on topics ranging from Paris and parenting to bagels and breasts.

Her 15-year stint as an editor at a Philadelphia Jewish newspaper gave her the chutzpah to co-author the Dictionary of Jewish Words (Jewish Publication Society 2006) with Ellen Scolnic. In September 2016 they released their second book, The Whole Spiel: Funny essays about digital nudniks, seder selfies and chicken soup memories. Together they present programs and write as The Word Mavens; their essays and feature articles appear regularly in The Philadelphia Inquirer and in newspapers and websites nationwide.

Joyce co-authored The Scoop on Breasts A Plastic Surgeon Busts the Myths with her husband, Dr. Ted Eisenberg, a plastic surgeon who holds the Guinness World Record for most breast augmentations performed in a lifetime.

A longtime contributor to Fodor’s Travel Guides and author of Grenada (Chelsea House), Joyce was the former editor of the Delaware Valley Edition of Travelhost Magazine; her travel articles have appeared in Inside, Woman’s World, Globe Hopper, Military Lifestyles, Travel-Holiday and Walking magazines.

Joyce’s chapter on interfaith marriage is included in Jewish Marital Status (Jason Aronson 1989). She has edited Fannie’s Favorites, a series of kosher cookbooks; Light in Darkness, a Holocaust memoir; books on community banking and dyslexia; and numerous Fodor’s guides. A former English teacher, Joyce has taught memoir writing to seniors and is founder of the Playpen Writers Group.

To read more about Joyce, go to www.thewordmavens.com.

Reviews

[Craig Bolton]

The JPS dictionary of Jewish words by Joyce Eisenberg (2001)