2007-08-14 04:38:39 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
non, sorry
2007-08-14 04:38:54 · update #1
Well we have a few.
non-Jew, gentile, and sometimes people say we use goy, although we usually don't anymore. None of these are offensive unless you put them in an offensive context, like all words. Gentile simply means not Jewish. Goy literally means "nation."
Peace
2007-08-14 04:42:46 · answer #1 · answered by LadySuri 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In English, the term is "gentile" or simply "non-Jew". Perfectly neutral terms.
Hebrew: the word "goy" is Hebrew for "nation". This can be any nation. In fact, the Jewish people are sometimes called a goy in the Bible. However, it eventually came to mean, specifically, a gentile nation. Given the relationship the Jews have with their neighbors, it wasn't usually used as a term of endearment.
Some people consider goy to be offensive, some people say it's not. Personally, if I was trying to be PC I'd avoid it.
Yiddish: aside from goy, there's also "shiksa/shaygetz". People often refer to the stereotypically beautiful gentile woman as a shiksa. What they don't realize is that the words shiksa and shaygetz literally mean "female abomination" and "male abomination". In other words, definately offensive.
2007-08-17 15:24:09 · answer #2 · answered by Melanie Mue 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The word is goy...plural goyim (hebrew). The word literally means nation(s). The Jewish people themselves are described as a 'goy' in the Torah.
Generally, when used, this term is meant to include anyone who is not a Jew. It is not offensive in and of itself, however, some non-Jews who don't bother to ask what the word means find it offensive out of sheer ignorance.
2007-08-14 12:12:07 · answer #3 · answered by mzJakes 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The term is Gentile:
Someone who is not a Jew. “The nations” is the common expression in the Old Testament for non-Jews as a group, and a Gentile is a person belonging to “the nations.”
# Both the Old Testament and the New Testament tell of numerous conflicts between Jews and Gentiles. Figuratively, a “gentile” is any nonbeliever.
2007-08-14 11:42:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goy,which means nation(Goyim,the nations).
I am not Jewish and I do not find the word offensive.
2007-08-14 11:41:59 · answer #5 · answered by James O 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goyim or Goy are used and can be meant to be offensive by some users. Most of us you the term Gentile.
2007-08-14 14:21:51 · answer #6 · answered by Feivel 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gentile. As far as I know it's not really meant to be offensive.
2007-08-14 11:56:31 · answer #7 · answered by Abriel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
gentile, i thought, but my jewish gramma is nice enough just to call me "bubbe"
i've heard shiksa, and i think that that one's offensive, but i'm not sure.
NOTE: AHA...goyim...i knew i didn't know the answer....why did i even try?
2007-08-14 11:41:37 · answer #8 · answered by elfkin, attention whore 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you're probably thinking of ;goy' or 'goyim'...sometmes people use them to mean some offense, but it's not actually offensive (unless you decide to take it that way.).
2007-08-15 08:56:44 · answer #9 · answered by -♦One-♦-Love♦- 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Non-Jewish would be Goy or, plural: Goyim.
Gentile actually means unbeliever.
.
2007-08-14 11:44:06 · answer #10 · answered by Hogie 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋