Shtetel Meaning: The Hebrew Word שְׁטֶטֶל Explained

Enter a Hebrew word or transliteration

שְׁטֶטֶל

shtetel

Formal Hebrew

Formsשְׁטֶטְלָאךְ

MeaningA small town where many Jewish people lived in Eastern Europe a long time ago, before the Second World War.

HistoryThis word comes from the Yiddish language. "Shtetl" means "little town". It is the small version of the word "shtot", which means "city", and comes from German.

Example

סבתא שלי נולדה בשטייטל קטן בפולין.

My grandmother was born in a small shtetl in Poland.

An illustration of a colorful Eastern European shtetl town with wooden houses, a yellow synagogue, and a busy market square.