Useful Judaica Terms and Objects that Begin with the Letter Y

Yad
Literally "hand" in Hebrew. The pointer used to read Torah Scrolls. For a full explanation see the Yad entry in the Judaica section.

Yarmulke
See Kippa under Judaica.

Yemenite Jews
Jews from the Middle Eastern country of Yemen. Due to isolation they developed different customs, traditions and Judaica than other Sephardic Jews.

Yemenite Shofars
Shofars made from antelopes. Yemenite Jews has no access to horns from Rams to make their shofars. Therefore, they brought horns from the Kudu, a type of antelope across the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Africa. For a full explanation see the Shofar entry in the Judaica section.

Yiddish
Known as the international language of Ashkenazi Jews. The language is an amalgam of German, Hebrew and other Slavic languages and it written with the Hebrew aleph-bet.

Yom HaAtzmaut
Literally "Independence Day" in Hebrew. An Israeli national holiday commemorating Israel's Independence. For a full explanation see Yom HaAtzmaut entry in the Jewish Holidays section.

Yom HaShoah
Literally "Day of the Catastrophe" in Hebrew. An Israeli national holiday remembering the Holocaust. For a full explanation see Yom HaShoah entry in the Jewish Holidays section.

Yom HaZikaron
Literally "Remembrance Day" in Hebrew. An Israeli national holiday remembering the soldiers who gave their lives for Israel as well as victims of terror. For a full explanation see Yom Hazikaron entry in the Jewish Holidays section.

Yom Kippur
Literally "Day of Atonement" in Hebrew. The holiest day of the Jewish calendar. It is a major fast on which we contemplate sins from the previous year and seek forgiveness and atonement. For a full explanation see Yom Kippur entry in the Jewish Holidays section.

Yom Yerushalayim