Yiddish (and a few other) words and terms in The Devils Arithmetic

Seder - (Say der) A ceremonial feast usually held on the first night of the Passover where 4 questions are asked
by the youngest child attending. It is a meal that matzos (unleavened bread) is served at. p. 3
Passover - a Jewish holiday marked by the Seder ritual symbolic of the Hebrews escaping from Egypt p. 3
Haggadah - (Hag u duh) (the telling) story of the Passover
Malach ha-mavis- Angel of Death, bad or evil ruler

p. 5

p. 9

Yahrzeit- (among Jews) the anniversary of someone's death, esp. one's parents. p. 12
Yarmulke a skullcap worn by Orthodox Jewish men or during prayer by other Jewish men. p. 14
Dayenu - (Die yae noo) a song sung during the Seder meaning "It would have been enough" implying God has
done so much for us and yet he still keeps doing more. p. 15
Bitter herbsin the Jewish celebration of Passover, to remember the bitterness of the slavery in Egypt. Fresh
grated horseradish, romaine lettuce, and endive are the most common choices p. 15
Afikoman- Half piece of matzo which is broken in the early stages of Passover Seder and is set aside to have as
a dessert after the meal. Hidden as a game to keep the childrens attention. p. 16
kosher - genuine, obeying the law (Jewish) p. 17
"A goy zugt a vertl"- "As the peasant says" p. 23
Shadchan- Hebrew word for "matchmaker"

p. 25

shtetl - Yiddish word meaning a small village p. 26

Reb - teacher or wise person p. 29
rabbi-A religious teacher and person authorized to make decisions on issues of Jewish law p. 29
Pilpul- "sharp analysis" p. 36 (said with sarcasm)
Schnorrer (also shnorrer)- beggar (Yiddish); freeloader (German) p. 38
"yeshiva bocher"- A student who learns in a yeshiva. A yeshiva is a school for orthodox jews, with a strong
emphasis on Talmud study. p. 39
"bar mitzvah"- A 13-year-old Jewish boy, considered an adult and responsible for his moral and religious
duties. p. 42

shmatte- Dirty rag (Yiddish), ): rags, or torn clothes; shmatte: a piece of dirt, talking about a person that he/she
is worse than dirt p. 42
shul- A Jewish synagogue p. 43
goy- peasant (Yiddish)
rendar-doesnt seem to exist as a word in Yiddishbest guess is wealthy person or town leader p. 45
mishigaas- mess, disorder, craziness. p. 49
klezmer (from Hebrew "vessels of music")- Klezmorim, are the professional musicians in the group which play
dance tunes and instrumental music for weddings and other occasions. p. 52
Badchan (also Badkhn in Hebrew meaning "jester")- Jewish comedian p. 54
Sherelewedding song p. 59
"loytn kristlichen luach"- According to the Christian calendar p. 63
"bobbe meinses"- tall tales.

p. 67

"Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheynu Adonai echod"- "Here, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." Part of
the morning and evening prayers, called the Shema p. 70
Yankelea lullaby p.71
Chaper- a snatcher or kidnapper p. 71
Bissel- A little p. 80
"shabbos goy"- An individual who regularly assists a Jewish individual or organization by performing such acts
on the Biblical Sabbath that are forbidden to Jews under Jewish Law. p. 81
Mostochowa- (not a Yiddish word, only in book) a town

p. 83

"Buruch dayan emes"- "Blessed is the true (righteous) Judge (God). p. 83

"Raus, Raus schneller"- "Out, out faster!" p. 85
"Arbeit macht Frei"- "Work will make you free" (German) p. 87
Schnell- Faster p. 87
"zugangi"- newcomers p. 88

Mikvah- "a collection (of water)" (Hebrew); ritual bath to purify anything that is not considered pure - big tub
filled with fresh water from a stream or rain p. 90
Achtung! (pg. 92): Attention!
Sonderkommando- "special unit" (German); Work units of Nazi death camp prisoners, comprised almost
entirely of Jews, who were forced on the pain of their own deaths, to aid with the killing process during
the Holocaust. p. 113
Musselman- A camp slang word for a prisoner who has given up the will to live. p. 114
Organize- Camp slang word for prisoners acquiring illicit materials from the Nazis. p. 115
midden (not Yiddish) garbage or sewer pile p. 116
Blokova- A non-Jewish prisoner in charge at the camps. (Jewish prisoners were treated worse) p. 125
nemer iz nisht keyn gebera taker is not a giver

p. 126

Drek- Dirt, trash (German); Excrement (Yiddish) p. 128

"Az m'fraygt shyle iz trayf"- if you ask permission, the answer is no. p. 130
Kaddish-A mourner's prayer p. 134
"Yis-ga-dal v'yis-ka-dash sh'may ra-b"- Kaddish (prayer) p. 134
Gottenyu- Dear God! (Yiddish and English) p. 139
"Afile brenen un brutn"- "Even if you should be burned and roasted" (Yiddish) p. 145
"Ribono shel-oylam"- Master of the Universe (Yiddish) code for the plan is ruined p. 148
Kommandos- Unit or command (Generic German word) p. 153
Liebchen- Sweetheart or dear (German) p. 158
babushkafolded scarf for covering the head p. 158
L'chaim- To life! (Hebrew) a toast p. 162
Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass, specifically, the nights of November 9 and 10, 1938, when Nazibacked mobs shattered the store windows of Jewish businesses, attacked Jews in the streets, in their
homes and at their synagogues in Germany and in Austria.
The Jewish calendar has a day starting at night time at the first appearance of 3 stars. So their Sabbath starts on
Friday night and goes until Saturday night. In the Jewish calendar the Christian year 2000 is considered to be
the Jewish year 5761.