- Rosh Hashanah – The Jewish New Year, a time of reflection and repentance.
S:
- The Sages – Jewish scholars and religious leaders from historical times, including those who wrote the Talmud
- Sambousek – A filled pastry, often stuffed with meat or cheese, popular in Sephardic Jewish cuisine.
- Sephardic Jews – Diaspora Jews from North Africa, Middle East, Spain, and Portugal. There are a number of traditions, particularly around holidays, that are distinct from European/Slavic descent Jewish populations
- Seder – Hebrew for ‘order.’ It is the ritual ceremony and food that precedes dinner on the first night of Passover (first two nights for the Orthodox outside of Israel). The seder continues and concludes after dinner as well. Many call it a ‘ritual meal’ but there is not enough food to call it that.
- Shabbat – The day of rest. It has a variety of observances attached to it. It is from sundown Friday night until sundown Saturday night.
- Shamash – The helper candle used to light the Hanukkah menorah.
- Shomer Shabbat – A person who observes the Sabbath according to Jewish law (think Walter inThe Big Lebowski…IYKYK)
-Siddur – A Jewish prayer book containing daily prayers.
- Sukkot/Sukkah – A Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' time in the desert, celebrated by eating all meals in temporary structures (each structure is individually a sukkah but in Hebrew the plural is not an s but adding and -ot,hence the holiday is called sukkot).
T:
- Tehillim – The Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, often recited in prayer.
U:
- URI– Upper Respiratory Infection (like a head cold or bronchitis)
V:
- Verklempt – a Yiddish word for being overcome with emotion and since there is no good Sephardic or English word for that, it has become a common loan word
Y:
- Yom Kippur – The Jewish Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, dedicated to fasting and repentance.
- Yom Tov – A Jewish holiday or festival.
