Challenge and Change: History of the Jews in America
The Twentieth Century and Beyond
Learn It Glossary for Book 3
(If you cannot see the Hebrew words on this page, please download a free version of DavkaViewer. After downloading and installing the viewer on your hard drive close and reopen the Challenge and Change website and you will see the Hebrew lettering.)
Pacifism (pa·si·fizm) is opposition to war or violence as a method of settling disputes.
An armistice (ar·mi·stis) is the temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties.
A paradox (par·a·doks) is a statement that seems to be self-contradictory but, in reality, is possibly true.
"White-collar" positions are those that do not require manual labor.
Defamation (de·feh·may·shin) is an attack on the good name or reputation of someone or something.
"Lynched" (linched) means that a person was killed by a mob without legal authority.
Subversives (sub·ver·sivs) want to overthrow a government in an underhanded way.
A rebuttal (ree·but·tal) is an argument or evidence that proves something to be false.
Libel (lie·bell) is an attack on the good reputation of someone by written or printed words or pictures.
Repudiated (ree·pyou·dee·ay·ted) means rejected as having no authority.
Quotas (kwo·tas) are parts of something that are set aside; in this case, a number of spaces set aside for Jews or members of other minority groups.
Patronize (pa·tro·nize) means to support, often by purchasing goods from someone.
Extortion (ek·store·shin) is forcing money or information from a person by intimidation.
Theological (thee·ah·lo·je·kal) means related to the study of God and God's relation to the universe.
Raucous (raw·kiss) means "wild."
Decorum (dee·core·em) means "good manners," in this case, a more formal and dignified service.
Mechitzah (meh·*chee·tsa/dvign ) is the separation that divides the men's and women's sections of a traditional synagogue. It was originally derived from the women's "court" in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Dormant (door·ment) means "inactive."
Daven (dah·ven/oee`c) is Yiddish for "pray."
A denomination (dee·naw·meh·nay·shin) is a group of congregations which agree upon religious principles.
Expound (ek·spound) is to "explain" or "talk about."
Heresy (heh·reh·see) is a religious opinion that differs greatly from the commonly accepted one.
Klal Yisra'el (klal yis·ra·ale/l`xUi llM) means Jewish peoplehood.
An ideology(eye·dee·all·low·gee) is the body of beliefs that guides a particular person, group, or culture.
Revitalize (ree·vie·tel·eyes) means to refresh or renew.
Mores (more·raze) means traditions, or customs.
Ethnicity (eth·ni·seh·tee) refers to "a group of people of the same race or nationality who share distinctive cultural characteristics."
Freedom of the pulpit means that a congregation's spiritual leader may express his or her opinions freely without restraint from the congregation's lay leadership.
The parashah (pa·ra·sha/dWxR) the portion of the Torah read in the synagogue each week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Shabbat (Saturdays).
An isolationist (eye·seh·lay·shin·nist) believes in withdrawing his or her country from any alliances or commitments to other nations.
The Left indicates a liberal or radical political position.
Communism (kom·mye·nizm) is a theory of organizing a society. Under communism, as it was originally conceived, there is no private ownership, and labor is organized for the common benefit of all members of society so that each should work according to his or her ability and receive according to his or her wants.
A communist (kom·mye·nist) society is one in which the government controls all economic and social activity. As practiced in the Soviet Union, it involved a sharp reduction of individual rights and freedom and the harsh persecution of those who challenged the government.
To infiltrate (in·fill·trait) is to move into an organization secretly.
Idealism (eye·deal·lizm) is the perception of people and things as they should be rather than as they are.
Socialism (show·shel·lizm) is a theory of social organization based on common ownership of property.
The proletariat (pro·le·tare·ee·aht) is the industrial working class.
Endorse (in·dorse) means to "support actively."
Acquiescence (ak·wee·ess·sense) means consent or agreement.
An impetus (im·peh·tes) is a moving or motivating force.
The draft is the selection of people for required military service.
Pumpernickel (pum·per·nik·kel) is a type of dark rye bread.
Grits are coarsely ground and cooked grain.
Displaced (dis·playst) means homeless.
Domination (dom·meh·nay·shin) means "control."
Subversion (sub·vur·zhen) is an underhanded way to overthrow an established authority.
Infiltrators (in·fill·tray·tours) are those who become part of an organization secretly.
Dormant (door·ment) means "inactive."
A blacklist (black·list) is a list of people or organizations who are under suspicion or disfavor.
The Cold War is the struggle against expansionist Soviet Communism.
Clemency (kle·men·see) means "mercy" or "leniency."
To censure (sen·sure) is to express strong disapproval or criticism.
Affiliated (a·fill·lee·ay·ted) means "having a close association with another entity."
The haftarah (haf·ta·ra/dxhtd) is the weekly portion read from the Prophets, following the Torah reading on Sabbath (Saturday) mornings.
Allocations (al·low·kay·shins) are money that is set aside for a specific purpose.
Rebbe (reb·bee/iAx) is the Yiddish word for the rabbi-leader of a Hasidic group.
An acronym (ak·reh·nim) is a word formed from the first letters of words in a phrase.
Nocturnal (nok·tur·nil) means "occurring in the night."
The infrastructure (in·fra·struk·chur) of a country includes its electricity, dams, water supply, roads, bridges, communications, and transportation facilities.
Nationalize (na·shin·nah·lize) means to bring under the control or ownership of a nation.
A concession (kon·seh·shin) is something that is given up in political negotiations.
Sanctions (sank·shins) are punishing legal or economic actions by one nation toward another to force it to comply with legal, political, or humanitarian obligations.
A lobby (lob·bee) is a group of private persons who attempt to influence the voting of lawmakers.
A political action committee (PAC) is a committee formed by a corporation or organization to collect voluntary contributions to support candidates because the corporation is either limited by election campaign laws to only contributing a specified amount to a candidate or prohibited from giving money directly to the candidate.
Ecumenical (eh·kye·meh·neh·kel) means "promoting religious unity throughout the world."
Tout means to "advertise" or to "foster interest."
Annex (an·necks)means to incorporate a state, territory, or country into another.
An embargo (em·bar·go) is a legal restriction on trade with a foreign nation.
Oleh (o·leh/dlFr) (masculine form) means a new immigrant to Israel. Olah (o·la/dlFr) is the feminine form.
Rhetoric (reh·ter·rick) refers to the use of exaggeration in language.
Mundane (mun·dane) means "ordinary" or "routine."
Expansionism (ek·span·sheh·nizm) is a policy of taking over territory that belongs to another country.
Conscription (kon·scrip·shin) means being drafted, or compelled to serve, in the military.
Blasphemous (blass·feh·muss) means "not pious or reverent."
Suffrage (suf·feh·rej) means the right to vote.
Mystique(mis·teek) is "a framework of ideas or beliefs constructed around a person or object."
Covert (co·vert) means "secret."
A parasite (par·ra·site) is someone who or something that lives off of another without giving anything useful in return.
Siberia (Sye·bear·ree·ah) is a territory in eastern Russia to which many Soviet prisoners were sent.
A grassroots movement is organized and directed by average people who are not usually considered politically influential.
Counterculture (cown·ter·kul·ture) is the way of life of those people who reject the established values and behavior of society.
Patrilineal (pat·treh·lin·nee·el) means tracing one's identity through the father's ancestry. In defining Jews, only matrilineal descent had been previously considered.
Communes (com·munze) are relatively small communities, often rural. The residents of a commune share labor, interests, and wealth. Usually, property is owned by the entire group rather than one individual. Many such communes were established during the 1960s.
Rote means repetitive without thinking about something's meaning.
Havurah (*cha·vu·ra/dxEag) comes from the Hebrew term haver (*cha·vare/xag) which means "friend" or "companion." It is a group that learns and prays together.
Fervor (fer·ver) means "passion."
Renewal (ree·new·well) is a rebirth, the process of making something old seem new and exciting again.
Matriarchs (may·tree·arks) are mothers. In Judaism this refers to Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah.
Egalitarian (ee·gal·leh·tare·ree·en) is the belief in the equality of all people.
Autonomy (au·taw·no·mee) means "independence."
(The notation " *ch " in the pronounciation key signifies the Hebrew letter "chet" "g" which is pronounced like the "ch" in the words Bach or loch.)
