Shiksa

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Shiksa (Yiddish: שיקסע, Polish: siksa) or shikse, is a Yiddish and Polish word that has moved into English usage, mostly in North American Jewish culture, as a term for a non-Jewish woman, initially and sometimes still pejorative but now often used satirically. Shiksa usually refers to an attractive (stereotypically blonde) gentile woman or girl who might be a temptation to Jewish men or boys, e.g., for dating, intermarriage, etc. For some Jewish people (especially more religious types), the term may be used pejoratively (e.g. implying loose morals), but among others, it is more often used self-mockingly and satirically,^{[citation needed]} to poke fun at the supposed view among Jews that non-Jewish women are more attractive than Jewish women.^{[citation needed]}

Professor Frederic Cople Jaher writes:

The shiksa obsesses many Jews: Rabbis see her as an intermarital threat to the survival of Judaism; parents fear that she will lure their sons away from family and faith; and Jewish men fantasize about her sexual and social desirability. She figures prominently—even compulsively—in popular movies and bestsellers by Jewish directors and writers.^[1]

Among Orthodox Jews, the term may be used to describe a Jewish girl or woman who fails to follow Orthodox religious precepts.^[2]

The equivalent term for a non-Jewish male, used less frequently, is shegetz.

In South America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay), the term "shiksa" is used by both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews to indicate a housekeeper or maid and not simply a non-Jewish female.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Derivation

The word shiksa is etymologically partly derived from the Hebrew term שקץ, sheketz, which means "abomination", "impure," or "object of loathing", depending on the translator.^[3]

Several dictionaries define "shiksa" as a disparaging and offensive term applied to a non-Jewish girl or woman.^[4]

The word (written "siksa", pronounced "shiksa") in Polish culture is a popular pejorative (but often teasing or affectionate) word for an immature young girl or teenager. It means "pisspants" and is roughly equivalent to the English terms "snot-nosed brat", "little squirt", or "kid".^[5] It is a conflation between the Yiddish term and usage of the Polish word "sikać" ("to urinate"). The male equivalent is "sikus".

[edit] See also

Look up shiksa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Shegetz

[edit] References