Glossary of Terms
antecedent: A preceding event or cause, or an ancestor.
ark: The container or cabinet, in a synagogue, that holds the Torah.
gefilte fish: Lumps of chopped, preserved fish meat.
gentile: A non-Jew.
Kiev: The capital of Ukraine.
Lutsk: The capital of the Volyn Region in Ukraine.
Lvov: A city in southeastern Poland.
matzoh: Unleavened bread traditionally eaten during Passover.
Odessa: A port city on the Black Sea in Ukraine.
Rovno: Capital of the Rovno region of Ukraine.
shtetl: A village or town.
spleen: A bodily organ sometimes associated with anger. Alex uses this word as a verb meaning "to vex."
squire: A man who attends a woman.
synagogue: A Jewish house of prayer.
Torah: The first five books of the Jewish Bible (also known as the Old Testament), often printed in the form of a scroll and read at synagogue services.
usurer: A person who lends money at interest. Usury is traditionally considered a sin.
Yankel-then-Safran: Yankel, before he changed his name from Safran to Yankel.
Yom Kippur: The Jewish day of atonement.
ClassicNote on Everything is Illuminated
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