Do you know the Yiddish word “heimish?”
Heimish is derived from the Yiddish word for home, heym, and is associated with a sense of hominess. When translating the word into English, some meaning is lost, but think of steaming challah straight out of the oven, taking a nap under a quilt on a Shabbat evening, or lighting Hanukkah candles in deep winter.
It is a word that means coziness, familiarity, uncomplicated comfort — like plunking down on a worn couch with a good novel. Similar to the Scandinavian word hygge, heimish is less about one translation and more about an atmosphere of warmth and the feeling of contentment.
The outside world is tenuous, and these days, I find myself desiring more of a sense of heimish. I recently got married, and my husband and I both love decorating and caring for our new home together. My husband is Chinese-Filipino, while I am an Ashkanizi Jew, but a heimish home is for everyone. Here are some ways we are creating warmth and comfort in our shared home together — and ways you can do the same!
Decorate meaningfully
Both my husband and I are drawn to art and objects that are infused with spirituality and symbolism, and it is especially significant to us when they incorporate elements from both our cultures.
When we moved in together, we placed our mezuzah on our front doorpost. I picked out the mezuzah at a Sephardic festival in New York City, and was drawn to it because it is red and gold, both lucky colors in Chinese tradition. My grandmother gave it to us as a wedding gift, and seeing it every day, each of us taking a moment to touch it as we enter our home, gives us both a sense of grounding and comfort.
When we chose our ketubah, our Jewish wedding contract, we chose a replica of a ketubah from Shanghai, China, in 1946, from the collection at The Jewish Museum, decorated with cherry blossoms and birds. It now hangs as a beautiful piece of artwork in our home, visually weaving our cultures together.
Make intentional choices like this with decoration, choosing work that connects to your identity. This is a very tangible way to create a home that is welcoming, familiar, and inviting to both you and your guests. Our house is often full of Asian and Jewish friends and family, so these choices also signal to our guests that they are all welcome in our home.
Host cozy Shabbat gatherings
Another way we create a homey atmosphere is by hosting board game Shabbats. My husband is a chef and is also a board game enthusiast, and I love hosting. Especially as the months get colder, it is sweet to have friends over, to feed them delicious food, and to share laughter over a kitchen table.
Long after they leave, our home is complete with a sense of community and comfort. I find pairing Shabbat with an activity results in the ultimate cozy evening, and even if board games aren’t your thing, there are so many other options.
Once we did a Shabbat where we made tea bath bags of salt and botanicals, which was a big hit. I could imagine all sorts of cozy crafts working well for this kind of gathering: why not make bookmarks, or even try a Shabbat and Stitch?
Spend time in the kitchen
Whether you are feeding yourself or others, learning about traditional Jewish dishes and putting your own flair on them is a beautiful way to spend an evening, and bonus, it will fill your home with delicious and comforting smells.
I love making matzah ball soup, and I have a couple of twists that really make it my own. When I cook, I often put on a playlist composed of some of my favorite Jewish artists, including Elana Brody, Zach Myers, Adam Horowitz and 12 Tribes Music.
You can bring cozy energy into your home by learning a new recipe or practicing an old favorite. Growing up, my mom always made a chicken on Fridays for Shabbat, but I don’t always have the energy to cook on a Friday evening. On some Fridays, I turn on the rice cooker, pick up a rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad, and warm up some apple cider. It is enough to fill my home with aroma and turn a normal evening into a relaxing and nourishing experience.
Escape into a book
As someone who loves to read and write Jewish fantasy and poetry, I love escaping into a cozy book filled with elements of mysticism and magic.
Some of my favorites from last year include the absolutely delicious, queer, clever “Thistlefoot” by Gennarose Nethercott, told from the perspective of Baba Yaga’s house, featuring creepy puppets, steamy romance and some of the most lyrical prose I have ever read.
I also love “The Dovekeepers” (Alice Hoffman, author of “Practical Magic”), a fictionalized account of the Siege of Masada that includes Jewish magic, epic love stories, and is a testament to the strength of women against all odds.
Poetry books I turn to as the days get dark are “Ruin & Beauty” by Deena Metzger, which is full of imagery-rich magic realism and ecopoetry, and when I need a dash of spring and light-filled hope, “The Underdream” by Aiyana Masla is a balm.
The key to finding heimish coziness in your reading practice is having a comfy, cozy place to curl up, and an enthralling book to pull you in (Hey Alma has some suggestions if you’re looking for a new Jewish read). A mug of tea and a soft blanket to snuggle under doesn’t hurt, either!
All of these suggestions — choosing significant and spiritual art for your home, filling it with friends, hosting cozy Shabbats, making Jewish recipes your own, creating Jewish playlists and snuggling up with a Jewish book — are easy and sweet ways to make your home a heimish one.
You don’t need to buy all new rugs, or create the perfect Instagram house of throw pillows and tapestries. Instead, settle into the older Jewish idea of heimish, focused on creating a home that is warm to others, and most importantly, inviting to your own body and soul.
