Welcome to Nisht for Me, the brand new podcast exploring the ins, outs and wonderfully batshit crazy of British Jewish culture. While some of our listeners may be well versed in British Jewish parlance, we want this podcast to be as inclusive as possible so below is a short glossary of terms that might be a little unfamiliar to some. If you have a little shmy (look) you’ll be able to yachni (chat) like a macha (big deal) in no time.
Nisht for Me – Example of one of those Yiddish/English phrases that gets to the heart of an opinion. Best translated as ‘not for me’ and used to describe something that may well be popular amongst others, but just doesn’t work for the person ‘nishting’ (just made that verb up, let’s roll with it)
Shtetl – Yiddish for a small Jewish town or village in Eastern Europe, prominent in the 19th and the early 20th centuries, before shit went down.
BRCA – a genetic mutation increasing risk of cancer. People with Jewish ancestry, especially Ashkenazi Jews, have a higher prevalence of BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 compared to the general population. Gives a whole new meaning to the ‘Chosen People.’
Shvitz – very very hot, lending itself to the unbeatable verb ‘shvitzing’.
Shul – synagogue, a Jewish house of worship.
Theodore Herzl – Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who spearheaded the modern Zionist movement.
Hale – a suburb of South Manchester.
The Ten Commandments – The religious covenant, according to the Old Testament, handed to Moses by G-d, carved into two tablets of stone. Ranges from ‘You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain’ to ‘You shall not kill’ so a bit of an ethical spectrum.
Bubbelah – Jewish term of endearment, a favourite of Jewish grandmothers.
Baruch Hashem – Jewish way of saying ‘Thank G-d’
Shmuckling – Yiddish for a bit of wheeling and dealing. Or at least that was how it was used the Radnor household.
Yachniying – a good old chinwag
KD juniors – Jewish primary school in North Manchester, where the more secular Jewish families send their kids.
Barmitzvah – coming of age ceremony for Jewish boys, age 13.
Batmitzvah – the coming of age ceremony for Jewish girls, age 12. Insert joke about slower maturity levels in males here.
The Midland – the Midland hotel, in central Manchester, very posh and fancy. Incidentally Mr Rolls first met Mr Royce here.
Sem – short for Seminary, post-secondary school programmes for very religious Jewish women, often in Israel.
Yiddishisms – Yiddish terms. Expect a lot of them in this podcast.
Shiva house – Jewish house of mourning, where the family of the deceased gathers, immediately after the funeral, to receive visitors who wish to pay tribute to the person who has passed.
Shiva sitter – a person taking part in the shiva process, which can last up to a week.
Chuppah – the canopy under which a Jewish marriage ceremony takes place, the term is often used as shorthand for the ceremony itself eg ‘that Chuppah was a bit long and dull, wasn’t it?’, said no one ever.
Bracha – a Jewish prayer / blessing
Torah – the five books of the Old Testament, meticulously written on parchment scroll to be used in the synagogue.
Ein Kelahainu, adon olam – shorthand for end of Shabbat morning service, citing the last two songs sung.
Tallis bags – the bag in which Jewish men (and some women) carry their Tallisem (prayer shawls) worn throughout the shul service.
Adon olam – the Jewish hymn often sung to conclude the Shabbat service at synagogue. Different tunes abound. Everyone has their favourites.
Kiddish – a small spread of food served after a Shabbat morning service in synagogue. Expect small biscuits (kichels), bridge rolls, like tiny open finger sandwiches topped with the likes of smoked salmon, egg, tuna...and some interesting aromas.
Palwin – kosher sweet wine, used in Jewish ceremonial practices. Drunk by the sip, not the glass...unless you want to gag.
