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While in no way complete, the Glossary includes words from the text that may be unfamiliar to the reader. Note that because both Hebrew and Yiddish are written in Hebrew script, and because Yiddish uses Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciations, the spellings in transliteration using the Roman alphabet can vary considerably. Ahavath/Ahawath. Often used fornames of Jewish Congregations, Ahavath means “Love of . . .” . Amun/Amud. The cantor’s platform in the synagogue’s sanctuary a special space where the cantor stands while chanting the prayers during a service. Anshe/Ansche/Anschei. Often used fornames of Jewish Congregations , Anshe means “People of . . .” . Ashkenazim/Ashkenazi Jews/Ashkenazic. Jews who originated from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine Riverin Germany—from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name forthis region and thus for Germany. Between the eleventh and nineteenth centuries , many Ashkenazi Jews migrated eastward forming communities in non-German-speaking areas, including Bohemia, Hungary,Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, and Roumania . TheseregionslargelydefinedtheEasternEuropeanJewish immigrations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century to the United States. In 1931, just as the Nazi party came intopower,over90percentoftheworld’sJewswereAshkenazim. Today, Ashkenazim constitute about 80 percent of the world’s Jewish population. The lingua franca of Ashkenazim is Yiddish. While the basic vocabulary and grammarare derived from medieval West German, Yiddish integrates many languages including German, Hebrew, Aramaic,andvariousSlavicandRomancelanguages—allshaped by the Judaism of its speakers. Yiddish was the vernacular languageofCentralandEastEuropeanJews ,includingmostofthose who immigrated to the United States. Yiddish uses the Hebrew alphabet as does Ladino, the vernacularof Sephardi Jews. Bais Medrash/Bes Medrash/Beis Medrash/Beth Medrash/Beit Midrash. A study hall (literally a “House of Interpretation” or “House of Learning”). Generally, a Bais Medrash is a room for study separate from the main sanctuary. It is not unusual to also use a Bais Medrash forworship services. Bimah.Theelevateddaisorreader’splatforminaJewishsynagogue, which is intended to serve the place where the person reading aloud from the Torah stands during services. Bnai/B’nai/Bnei. Often used for names of Jewish Congregations, Bnai means “Sons of.” Cantor/Hazzan/Chazzan. A singertrained to lead Jewish congregations in songful prayer. Many cantors orhazzans became noted outside of the synagogue and a numberbecame internationally glossary 203 18317-Wolfe_Synagogues 9/24/12 12:05 PM Page 203 noted opera singers. While traditionally a hazzan was always a man, today a woman can be a hazzan (also called a cantor) in all forms of Judaism except forOrthodox Judaism. CE (Common Era)/BCE (Before Common Era). These are nonreligious alternatives forcalendardates, but are in keeping with the standard Gregorian Calendar. Since the Gregorian Calendar is specifically Christian in reference, such methodologies are inappropriate for Jews. BCE is the equivalent of BC and CE is the equivalent of AD. The word common simply means that it is based on the most frequently used calendarsystem: the Gregorian Calendar. Chabad/Chabad-Lubavitch. Chabad is a Hasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism that is one of the world’s largest and best known. The name Chabad is an acronym forChochma, Bina, and Da’at,theHebrewwordsforthreeinterconnectedprocesses:wisdom , understanding, and knowledge. Shneur Zalman of Liadi foundedthemovementinthelateeighteenthcentury.Lubavitch was the Russian village of Lyubavitchi, which was home to the movement until the early twentieth century. Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, the sixth leader, fled war-torn Europe for New York in 1940, where the emigrants established a synagogue and their present headquarters in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. His son-in-law, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, called the Rebbe, turned the movement into a powerful force within Judaism. Schneerson was considered by many to be the Moshiach (Messiah), and rumors to that effect have persisted since his death in 1994. Today Chabad maintains institutions in over1,000 cities and 70countriesaroundtheworld.Chabadphilosophyincorporates the teachings of Kabbalah as a means to deal with one’s daily life and psyche. It teaches that every aspect of the world exists only through the intervention of God. Through an intellectual approach and meditations, Chabad teaches that one can attain complete control over one’s inclinations by elevating the mind overthe heart. Cheder. Cheders were widely found in Europe before the end of the eighteenth century. Lessons took place in the house of the teacher,knownasaMelamed,whosewageswerepaidbytheJewish community ora group of parents. Normally, only boys would attend classes; girls were educated at home by their mothers. Where money was scarce and the community could not afford to maintain many teachers, boys of all ages would be taught in a single...

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