We Jews cherish the allusions, aspirations and emotions intimately associated with certain Hebrew words. One such word is shalom, which, in everyday usage, can mean either “hello” or “goodbye.” The ...

Samuel Sislen of Washington, D.C., writes: “Jews have traditionally greeted one another ‘Shalom aleykhem’ and responded with the words inverted. Arabic speakers greet each other, ‘Salaam aleykum’ and ...

Someone would probably be labeled a hippie if he or she were to use the English word “peace” as a greeting or an expression when parting. Yet in Hebrew, the standard “hello” or “goodbye” is shalom ...

A scholar of Jewish languages argues that Trump’s use of the Hebrew word meaning hello, goodbye and peace stokes antisemitism. As a scholar who studies Jewish languages, I have collected countless ...