Yih'yu L'razton: Prayer sung after the silent reflection following the Amidah asking for acceptance from God. English translation: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer. Amen.
Temple Sisterhood: Self-collected group of women brought together by religion. Generally congregate for various reasons connected to the Jewish temple that they belong to--education, fundraising, Israel, etc.
Reform Judaism: A major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of the religion, the superiority of its ethical aspects over its ceremonial ones, and a belief in a continuous revelation not centered on the theophany at Mount Sinai. Abandoned aspects of Orthodox Jewish worship and ritual in an attempt to adapt to modern changes in social, political, and cultural life.
Conservative Judaism: A sect of Judaism that seeks to preserve Jewish tradition and ritual but has a more flexible approach to the interpretation of the law than Orthodox Judaism.
Orthodox Judaism: The most religious sect of Judaism, which subscribes to a tradition of mass revelation and adheres to the interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts.
UJA Banquet: Celebratory gala gathering, typically with a speaker or theme hosted by the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) organization. Often charity-related or with a fundraising purpose.
Related Terms
Hanukkah: Often coincides with Christmas, and is typically thought of as the Jewish equivalent. Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt. Begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, and is celebrated for eight nights. Each day of the holiday is represented on eight-branched Menorah, a traditional candelabra, dedicated specifically to this holiday. Traditional foods include: fried potato pancakes (latkes) and powdered jelly-filled donuts (sufganiyot).
Treif: Yiddish word for any form of non-kosher food. Daisy talks about the crab that's waiting for her Mobile. Crab (and all shellfish) is a form of treif.
Kosher: Originates from the word pure in Hebrew. According to the laws of the Torah, the only types of meat that may be eaten are cattle and game with cloven hooves and chew cud. No animal with split hooves is kosher. A kosher species must be slaughtered by a "Schochet," a ritual slaughterer, in a way that is painless and/or instantaneous to the animal. All kosher milk products must derive from kosher animals. Meat and milk products may not be combined, as per the Torah's directions. Only fish with fins and scales may be eaten; shellfish is forbidden.
1958 Temple Bombing: The temple bombing referred to by Daisy and Hoke. On October 12, 1958 Atlanta's oldest and most prominent synagogue, Hebrew Benevolent Synagogue was bombed. None were injured, but it triggered significant questioning of Atlanta's reputation as the "City Too Busy to Hate."
UJA: UJA stands for the United Jewish Appeal. A Jewish philanthropic organization that existed from 1939 until 1999, when it was enveloped by the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the merger of the United Jewish Appeal, Council of Jewish Federations, and United Israel Appeal, Inc.