shtetl

[ shtet-l, shtey-tl ]

noun

, Yiddish.

, plural shtet·lach [shtet, -lah, kh, -l, uh, kh, shteyt, -], English shtetls.

1. (formerly) a Jewish village or small-town community in eastern Europe.

shtetl

/ ˈʃtetəl /

noun

1. (formerly) a small Jewish community in Eastern Europe

Word History and Origins

Origin of shtetl¹

Yiddish, little town

Example Sentences

“It really was shtetl Carlton, back then,” said Arnold Zable, 76, a writer who captured the community and area in his book “Scraps of Heaven.”

From New York Times

In later years, Jewish studies professors have been less kind, complaining that Harnick's lyrics and Joseph Stein's book sentimentally sanitized the shtetl and misrepresented both Judaism and eastern European life.

From Salon

He later set up a village on the outskirts of Kyiv that he named Anatevka — like the fictional shtetl in the Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof” — for displaced Jewish families.

From New York Times

Before Anya could say anything else, Misha said, “Where did you come from? The same village as the fool? Or a shtetl close to it?”

From Literature

Their mother remained in the shtetl, and Mr. Jaffee never saw her again.

From Washington Post