Let's Schmooze: Jewish Words Today

Can you tell Kol Nidre from kneidlach? Gushpankas from Gematrias? Naches from nachos? At last here is the book for you. With the belated entry of schlepp, shalom, spiel and scores of other Hebrew and Yiddish words into the melting pot of mainstream usage, English speakers today need to know what these words mean, where they come from and how they are used. Julian Sinclair's book fills this need and much more. As entertaining as it is erudite, "Let's Schmooze," traces the trajectory of 150 Jewish words from the Bible and Talmud to Yiddish slang, yeshivish creole and youth movement patois. Spanning a plethora of Jewish situations and subcultures, including food, magic, lifecycle events, the Joys of Yinglish, surviving synagogue and the Kabbalah craze, Let's Schmooze uses the lens of language to provide a snapshot of Jewish society and spirituality today. With a light touch it also raises critical questions about the acculturation of minorities in a post-multicultural world.