Consult dictionaries and encyclopedias to help you understand the concepts and terminology used in Jewish Studies.

For additional sources, search QCAT by keyword, for example:

"jewish religion" and (dictionary or dictionaries)
holocaust and (dictionar? or encyclopedia?)

Dictionaries

Complete Hebrew- English Dictionary
REF PJ4833.A42 1974

Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion (via Oxford Reference Online)
REF BM50. J39 1999t

A Dictionary of Jewish Names and their History
CS3010.K28

Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period: 450 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.
REF BM50.D525 1996 (2 vols)

Dictionary of the Holocaust: Biography, Geography, and Terminology
REF D804.25.E67 1997

A Modern Hebrew Dictionary

Modern English-Hebrew Dictionary
PJ4833.Z57 2002 (REF DESK)

Modern Hebrew-English Dictionary
PJ4833.Z57 1989

Political Dictionary of Israel
REF DS126.5.R385 2000

Provides short entries to the political life of Israel with coverage of contemporary political and policy issues.

Encyclopedias

Antisemitism: a Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution
REF DS146.E8 A58 2005 (2 vols)

This comprehensive guide charts the history of both the purveyors and the victims of antisemitism over more than two millennia.

Basic Encyclopedia of Jewish Proverbs, Quotations, & Folk Wisdom
REF PN6519.J5 A42 1973t

Entries arranged alphabetically by subject and appear in Hebrew and English.

Columbia Guide to the Holocaust
REF D804.3. N54 2000

Contains essays covering the historical background of the Holocaust followed by encyclopedic entries.

Encyclopaedia Judaica
(via Gale Virtual Reference Library)
REF DS102.8 .E496 2007 (22 vols)

Comprehensive encyclopedia on Jewish history, culture, religion, and more.

Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation
REF BS1225. K363 (8 vols)

Jewish interpretation of the Torah. Entries arranged according to the books of the Torah.

Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust
REF DS135.E8 E45 2001 (3 vols)

Alphabetical entries with a lengthy bibliography at the end of v.3.

Encyclopedia of the Holocaust
REF D804.3.E53 1990t (4 vols)

Comprehensive coverage of the Holocaust. Entries include bibliographies. Contains a detailed chronology of the Holocaust.

Encyclopedia Talmudica
BM500.5.E613 (4 vols)

A digest of halachic literature and Jewish law from the Tannaitic period to the present time.

Holocaust Literature: an Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work
REF PN56.H65 H66 2003 (2 vols)

Entries in alphabetical order by author. Discusses life and works of Jewish writers. Contains a thematic index in the final volume.

Jewish American History and Culture: an Encyclopedia
REF E184.J5 J48 1992t

Alphabetical entries with bibliographies.

Jewish Encyclopedia
DS102.8.J5 1901-1906 (12 vols)

An older encyclopedia containing many entries that remain relevant today.

Jewish Law: History, Sources, Principles
REF BM520.5.E4313 1994

Four volumes cover history and principles of Jewish law, legal sources, literary sources, and Jewish law and its role in Israel.

Jewish Women in America: an Historical Encyclopedia
REF DS115.2.J49 1997 (2 vols)

Biographical entries with bibliographies. Arranged alphabetically. Large annotated bibliography of archival sources in the second volume.

Medieval Jewish Civilization: an Encyclopedia
REF DS124.M386 2003

Contains lengthy entries on major aspects of religious and secular Jewish life in the medieval period.

New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel
REF DS149.N56 1994 (2 vols)

Entries arranged alphabetically. Volume 2 contains extensive bibliography.

Reader's Guide to Judaism
(via Routledge Religion Online)
REF BM50.R43 2000

Alphabetical entries on various aspects of Judaism. Entries contain extensive bibliographies.