Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Judaism The wife of a rabbi.
  • noun Judaism Mrs

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Yiddish רביצין (rebetsn), from Hebrew רב (rebbe, "master") plus Slavic -itsa (feminine suffix) plus German -in (feminine suffix).

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Examples

  • Not so long ago, I shared the views of colleagues who felt that Jewish women could never again submit to the indignity of mikveh (ritual bath); the title rebbetzin was demeaning; and the matriarchal longing for babies was also ideologically dubious.

    Lori Lefkovitz: Statement 2010

  • It seems that Nell's experiences as the silent partner to so many luminaries in New York prepared her for her new role as "rebbetzin," which she took very seriously, even beyond his untimely death in 1962.

    We Remember - Nell Ziff Pekarsky, 1910 - 1998 2010

  • In addition to her role as a rebbetzin, Hanna worked as a Hebrew teacher, coordinated volunteer services at the Jewish Convalescent Home, and founded Bikur Cholim, a network of volunteers who care for the ill and their families.

    Personal Information for Hanna Shaina Weinberg 2010

  • Celia received a traditional Jewish education, studying with a rebbetzin until the age of 8, and then went to a Russian school and gymnasium.

    Personal Information for Celia Dropkin 2010

  • In addition to her role as a rebbetzin, Hanna worked as a Hebrew teacher, coordinated volunteer services at the Jewish Convalescent Home, and founded Bikur Cholim, a network of volunteers who care for the ill and their families.

    Personal Information for Hanna Shaina Weinberg Jewish Women's Archive 2010

  • Celia received a traditional Jewish education, studying with a rebbetzin until the age of 8, and then went to a Russian school and gymnasium.

    Personal Information for Celia Dropkin Jewish Women's Archive 2010

  • Should a healthy baby be born, the new mother returned the talisman (with its heightened power) to her rebbetzin, who could pass it on to the next struggling woman in need.

    Lori Lefkovitz: Statement 2010

  • In addition to her role as a rebbetzin, Hanna worked as a Hebrew teacher, coordinated volunteer services at the Jewish Convalescent Home, and founded Bikur Cholim, a network of volunteers who care for the ill and their families.

    Narrator from Weaving Women's Words: Baltimore Stories 2010

  • In 1936, she married Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, thereby becoming the Satmar rebbetzin [traditional title given to the wife of an orthodox rabbi].

    Faige Teitelbaum. 2009

  • While this little story expresses great admiration and respect for the rebbetzin, it contains not the slightest bit of information about her characteristics, personality, actions or life.

    Hasidic Hebrew Fiction: Portrayal of Women. 2009

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