“Coney Island Christmas” is a wonderfully funny show about getting along. There is some
Yiddish phrases used in the script. To help you follow along without straining, the following is a glossary of Yiddish terms found in the script. The particular spellings given are taken from the script as the playwright intended. There are alternative spellings and pronunciations for many of these words.
Mishugeh – Crazy, nuts
Chanukah – Jewish holiday, The Festival Of Lights, lasts for 8 nights
Dreck – garbage, crap, or a word we won’t say because it’s a family show!
Latkes – potato pancakes with onions traditionally served during Chanukah
Gefilte fish – a dish often served at Passover, another holiday (maybe another show?)
Bubeleh– a term of endearment like “sweetie” often said to a child
Shabbos (sometimes also called Shabbat) – the Sabbath . For Jews this is from sundown
on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
Brucha – blessing
Wisenheimer– the wise guy, class clown
Schissel – bowl
Shtetl – a small town with a large Jewish population
Oy Vey! – an expression literally meaning Oh Woe! but used to mean Oh, my goodness, or Oh God, etc. Sometimes just – Oy!
Gentile – Non Jewish person
Goyim – More of a slang term for non-Jews, sometimes used derogatively.
A Shanda for the Goyim – an act committed by a Jew that is so embarrassing that it offends other Jews and makes them look bad to all
Schlep – to carry or move about, often with difficulty
Pogrom – a violent massacre or persecution carried out against a particular ethnic group
Gay shluffen! – Go to sleep!
Good Shabbos!– A greeting that Jews say to each other on the Sabbath
Ferkokta – lousy, ridiculous
Farshtunkeneh – stinky, bad smelling
Schnapps – any kind of strong alcoholic drink
L’Chaim! – a toast meaning, “To Life!”
Try out your new vocabulary get your tickets HERE!
