Yiddish Word of the Day - "Friday Night"

In 2020 the Forverts launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

We posted the first of this series in May 2020. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll continue sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Today we get to learn the Yiddish word for Friday night and some of the rituals and customs associated with the start of Shabbat.

Enjoy!

Sephardim vs. Ashkenazim - Part One: Prayer Differences

More than 2000 years ago Jerusalem was burned and the Temple destroyed. The Jewish People were exiled and lost their unity. In the diaspora, the Jewish People split into two -- the Sephardim and the Ashkenazim.

Although there is more that unites these two communities than divides them, the differences are interesting and sometimes funny. Today we're posting the first of two videos that highlight the different way the Sephardim and Ashkenazim express themselves in prayer. Later this week we'll take a look at how each group reacts to tasting the other's favorite ethnic foods.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.