The Chosen Reference

Since the first edition was published in 2001, the Dictionary of Jewish Words has had a reach beyond our expectations – to Jewish and Christian, secular and religious, and academic and lay readers. It has been reprinted, studied, used, and referenced in numerous forms.

Several Christian publishers, recognizing the Dictionary's user-friendly blend of scholarship and readability, have added the book to their collections for pastors, theologians, Christian lay-leadership and students — anyone interested in learning more about Judaism in an easy-to-read, modern, enjoyable format.

No matter how people are reading it, we‘re delighted that our definitions are spicing up their vocabulary and enriching their understanding of Jewish customs, holidays, and more. We hope this will lead to many more Sunday sermons including a sprinkling of Yiddishkeit or a reference to the traditions of Passover or Yom Kippur.

You can read our definitions...

In a glossary in a authoritative
edition of the Bible

Our definitions of Bible terms, people and places were selected to appear as part of The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide (2008). This concise handbook to the Tanakh is part of the acclaimed series of JPS Guides, of which the Dictionary of Jewish Words was the first.

On your Blackberry or iPhone

Olive Tree, a Bible software company, has made the Dictionary available for PDA and Smartphone devices. Our book is among their electronic offerings of commentaries, eBooks and dictionaries. It comes with the BibleReader, which includes a word finder, a phrase search feature, and a split screen for viewing multiple resources.

In libraries

• In the Divinity Library at Vanderbilt University.
• In the libraries of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and Mount Aloysius, a Catholic college that described it as ”a useful resource for researching world religions.”
• In the libraries of top universities across the country, including Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, University of Chicago, Yale, UCLA and Brandeis.
• As part of a comprehensive set of online books and articles on Religious Studies chosen by Questia librarians.

On your computer

Logos Bible Software sells the Dictionary of Jewish Words as a download for the computer and on a CD-ROM. The company’s mission is to “equip pastors, students, teachers and the church with tools to make Bible study easier and more accessible.”

In a collection of Bible references

Accordance, which designs bible software for the Mac computer, featured the Dictionary in its Jewish Collection. The set, on CD-ROM, includes English bibles, commentaries, the Mishnah, the Tanakh and more. Texts can be searched, displayed and compared.

In study guides

• When the Actors Theatre of Louisville, KY, staged a performance of The Chosen, they recommended the Dictionary to their audiences as a study guide.
• The Dictionary was also included in course bibliographies at the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and the Southern California Bible College & Seminary.
• The book is a recommended reference in continuing education courses offered by the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education in Philadelphia.