LanguagesWords English borrowedBreadsStoriesA special day
Yiddish
A language Jewish families in Central and Eastern Europe spoke for about a thousand years. It is written with Hebrew letters.
Hebrew
The very old language of the Jewish people and of the Hebrew Bible. Today people in Israel speak it every day.
Mensch
MENSH
A Yiddish word for “a person.” It means a truly good and kind person: “What a mensch!”
Chutzpah
HOOTS-pah
Being bold, sometimes a little too bold. Asking for a third cookie takes chutzpah!
Bagel
A round roll with a hole, boiled and then baked. Jewish bakers brought it, and its Yiddish name, from Eastern Europe to America.
Challah
HAH-lah
A soft, braided bread. Many Jewish families bake or buy it for Friday evening, when Shabbat begins.
Folktale
A story told out loud for so long that no one knows who told it first. The story of the crowded house is a Yiddish folktale.
Shabbat
shah-BAHT
A day of rest every week, from Friday at sundown to Saturday night. Families light candles and share a braided bread called challah.
For families: Ask your child to teach you one word from the station game and where it came from. Then share a word, a food, or a story your own family carried from somewhere.
K–5 Lesson