chol hamo-eid
"Secular part of the occasion;" during Passover and Sukkot, the intermediate days of the festival.
dreidel
"Spinning top" in Yiddish (derived from German); "sevivon" in Hebrew; toy used in a children's Hanukkah game.
etrog
"Citron." Lemon-like fruit used in Sukkot rituals.
g'mar chatimah tovah
"A good final sealing;" a High Holiday greeting used between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Often abbreviated as g'mar tov.
gelt
"Money" (Yiddish); often given as a Hanukkah gift; used for playing dreidel.
grogger
"Noisemaker" (Hebrew); used to drown out Haman's name during the M'gillah reading on Purim.
hakafah
"encircle, round off, circle around, orbit;" procession of worshippers carrying Torah scrolls that circles the sanctuary; plural hakafot.
hamantaschen
Triangle-shaped pastries commonly filled with apricot jam or poppyseed spread (or other fillings) and eaten on Purim; the shape represents Haman's hat or ears
Hanukkah
"Dedication;" the joyous eight-day celebration during which Jews commemorate the victory of the Macabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
High Holidays
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur