Oi, weh! (oi, vë), Yid. Woe is me!
Oven, sealing of. As no fire is kindled on the Sabbath, the Sabbath dinner is cooked on Friday afternoon and left in the brick oven overnight. The oven is tightly closed with a board or sheet of metal, wet rags being stuffed into the interstices.
Passover (Hebrew, pesech). The feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorating the escape of the Israelites from Egypt.
Passport, foreign. A special passport required of any Russian subject wishing to go to a foreign country. To avoid the necessity of procuring such a passport, travellers often cross the border by stealth.
Perele (per´-e-le), Yid. Prop. n.
Phylacteries (fi-lak´-ter-is; Hebrew tefillin). Two small leathern boxes containing parchments inscribed with certain passages of Scripture, worn during morning prayer, one on the forehead and one on the left arm, where they are fastened by means of straps, in a manner carefully prescribed. The wearing of the tefillin is obligatory on all males over thirteen years of age (the age of confirmation).
Pinchus (pin´-chus), Hebr. Prop. n.
Pogrom (po-grom´), Russ. An organized massacre of Jews.
Poll (pol), Yid. A series of steps in the bathing-room, where cupping, etc., is done under a high temperature.
Polota (Po-lo-tä´), Russ. Name of a river.