---
title: "Hebrew in the news"
slug: "hebrew-in-the-news"
canonical: "https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-in-the-news"
question: "What Hebrew words are Israeli papers using right now?"
answer: "Language pages for the words Israeli papers are using this season, with gender and register, then a link to baba News for the story."
description: "Hebrew as it appears in Israeli coverage this season."
cluster: "direct-task"
html_status: "live"
updated: "2026-09-11"
numbers_used: "[]"
competitors_named: "[]"
---

# Hebrew in the news

These pages teach the Hebrew in the coverage. baba News is the coverage.

- [Shana tova](/hebrew-in-the-news/shana-tova): A good year — the Rosh Hashanah greeting that is also in every politician’s message this week.
- [Tzom kal](/hebrew-in-the-news/tzom-kal): Easy fast — the Yom Kippur line you will see on supermarket signs and in group chats.
- [Hatufim](/hebrew-in-the-news/hatufim): Hostages. The plural that has not left the Israeli front page since 7 October.
- [Herum](/hebrew-in-the-news/herum): Emergency. Matzav herum is a state of emergency; chadar herum is an ER.
- [Tzahal](/hebrew-in-the-news/tzahal): The IDF. An acronym Israelis say as a word.
- [Bibi](/hebrew-in-the-news/bibi): Netanyahu’s nickname, used by supporters and opponents, rarely neutral.
- [Likud](/hebrew-in-the-news/likud): The governing party. Primaries stories this month are Likud stories.
- [Hishtalvut](/hebrew-in-the-news/hishtalvut): Integration — used for Haredi draft, Arab citizens, and immigrants, depending on the paper.
- [Pigua](/hebrew-in-the-news/pigua): A terror attack. Israeli Hebrew does not say “incident” first.
- [Yalla](/hebrew-in-the-news/yalla): Let’s go — from Arabic, now the country’s punctuation.
- [Sababa](/hebrew-in-the-news/sababa): Cool, fine, okay. The weather of agreement.
- [Tachles](/hebrew-in-the-news/tachles): Bottom line, from Yiddish tachlis. The meeting is over when someone says it.
- [Kapara](/hebrew-in-the-news/kapara): Originally atonement; in speech, a fond “sweetheart” or “don’t worry about it.”
- [Chag](/hebrew-in-the-news/chag): Festival. Sukkot is a chag. Yom Kippur is not greeted as one.
- [Gmar chatima tova](/hebrew-in-the-news/gmar-chatima): May you be sealed for good — the High Holiday line that is not shana tova.
- [Havdalah](/hebrew-in-the-news/havdala): The Saturday-night ceremony that ends Shabbat. Also the moment the news cycle restarts.
- [Misrad Hapnim](/hebrew-in-the-news/misrad-hapnim): Interior Ministry. The office behind visas, status, and a lot of aliyah coverage.
- [Kupat cholim](/hebrew-in-the-news/kupat-cholim): Health fund. Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet, Leumit — not “the hospital.”
- [Am Yisrael Chai](/hebrew-in-the-news/am-yisrael-chai): The people of Israel live. Solidarity line, protest line, funeral line.
- [Pisga](/hebrew-in-the-news/pisgat): Summit — diplomatic or the top of a hill. Pisgat Ze’ev is a neighbourhood; pisga medinit is a summit.