UPDATE: The 2013 Spelling Bee was won on the word “knaidel.” Read on for a recent history of Jewish words.
Arvind Mahankali wins! Correctly spells “knaidel” (small mass of leavened dough, from German-derived Yiddish) #spellingbee
— Vocabulary.com (@VocabularyCom) May 31, 2013
Hannah Citsay of Lititz, PA figures out Hebrew-derived “hesped” (oration or eulogy at a Jewish memorial service) #spellingbee
— Vocabulary.com (@VocabularyCom) May 30, 2013
The 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee featured a word of Jewish origin. Hannah Citsay, a student at St. Anne Catholic School in Lancaster, PA, correctly spelled “hesped,” the Hebrew word for eulogy at a Jewish memorial service, in the sixth round.
It’s not the first time a word of Jewish origin generated a buzz at the bee.
In 2006, contestant Saryn Hooks from North Carolina, stirred some broiges after her spelling of “hechsher” was initially rejected by judges before being overturned. (Another contestant’s brother showed some “chesed” by notifying the judges.)
In 2009, “kichel” was introduced to audiences with a definition sprinkled with basic Yiddishisms:
“The thought of someone kvetching about her kichel gave Meryl the spilkes.”
Despite correctly spelling “hesped,” Citsay was eliminated in a new portion of the contest, where contestants had to provide the definition of a word.
Hopefully, the accomplishment will still be deemed worthy of a K-I-D-D-U-S-H.
