10 Jewish Salutations to Use for Your Jewish Friends

Among many other names, you can refer to your Jewish friend as ‘Chaver’. You can say hi, hello, to express your gratitude and reach out to your friend with a specific salutation peculiar to a festive season or a holiday in the Jewish culture.

For the Jews, just like every other tradition, their salutation shows courtesy and expresses goodwill via gestures or words on different occasions.

10 of those kinds of greetings to use for your Jewish friends make up a significant part of this article. They have specific meanings and pronunciations that are used in contexts.

Beyond their function as a cultural heritage, you can use these salutations to express how you feel and celebrate your friend during exciting moments in the Jewish tradition.

Table of Contents

1. Shalom Chaver (pronounced as shah-LOHM khah-VER)

You can say hello, goodbye, or peace to your Jewish friends with the salutation ‘Shalom’. The Jewish greeting ‘Shalom’ is universal to men, women, and other groups of people.

On the other hand, ‘Shalom Chaver’ means ‘Peace, friend’. Shalom (peace) is of utmost value in the Jewish religion. It doesn’t simply mean absence of conflict; it signifies wholeness and completion.

When you say to your friend ‘Shalom Chaver’, you are wishing them a peaceful and harmonious life. It is a versatile Jewish salutation that expresses your best wishes to your friend concerning their wellbeing.

2. Shabbat Shalom Chaver (pronounced as shah-BAT shah-LOHM khah-VER)

When it is Sabbath, there are specific salutations that are timely to your friends. One of them is ‘Shabbat Shalom Chaver’. ‘Shabbat Shalom’ is used as a greeting from Friday evening to Saturday evening to signify ‘Peaceful Sabbath’. You can say it to your friend to wish them a refreshing Sabbath filled with peace.

A typical religious Jew considers Sabbath as a day of rest and spiritual reawakening. A part of the expectation during that season is that they cease work but spend their time bonding with family and in personal meditation.

In order to win your friend a peaceful and happy time relaxing, you can say to them ‘Shabbat Shalom Chaver’. It is a formal salutation that shows deep respect for the Sabbath.

3. Gut Shabbes Chaver (pronounced as GOOT SHAH-bes khah-VER)

Gut Shabbes Chaver is an excellent way to say Good Sabbath to your friend. This is because it sheds off and breaks down all walls of formality.

You can use it in place of ‘Shabbat Shalom Chaver’ as an informal alternative. When you greet someone with the salutation ‘Gut Shabbes Chaver’, it is an excellent way to indicate that they are your close pals and that your utmost desire is for them to have a good Sabbath.

This is most applicable in the synagogues, social halls, community centers, at home, and even during an online conversation with your Jewish friend.

4. L’chaim Chaver (pronounced as L’KHAY-im khah-VER)

A joyful time for celebrations, like weddings or holidays, is a great opportunity to greet your Jewish friend with the salutation ‘L’chaim Chaver’.

It literally depicts ‘cheers to life, friend’. Furthermore, you can say ‘L’chaim Chaver’ to your friends as a toast to wish them good health, joy, and happiness, and even to celebrate a joyful moment together.

This Jewish greeting gives prominence to your friend’s health since it enhances a person’s well-being and life entirely. When you say to your friend ‘L’chaim Chaver’, it can also signify that you wish them a long life.

This expression is mostly used in formal settings. It can be the first thing you say to your friends when you meet with them at a ceremony, like a wedding.

5. Shavua Tov Chaver (pronounced as shah-VOO-ah TOHV khah-VER)

A super interesting way to engage your Jewish friends and motivate them to have a productive week is to say to them ‘Shavua Tov Chaver’ at the beginning of the week, which could be on Sunday or Monday.

The salutation ‘Shavua Tov Chaver’ is used to wish your friend a fruitful and productive week. Particularly when your Jewish friend shares their plans with you for the week or you remind them of the tasks they are obligated to accomplish within the week, you can encourage them by saying ‘Shavua Tov Chaver’.

Beyond cheering your friends up for the new week, this is one of the best ways to inspire them to begin the week in a positive way.

6. Gut Yontif Chaver (pronounced as GOOT YON-tif khah-VER)

During Jewish holidays like Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot, you can wish your friends a good time of celebration by saying to them ‘Gut Yontif Chaver’.

Like a number of cultures in the world, holidays in Judaism are events that bring people together, i.e., unite people.

During periods like that, you can say to your friend ‘Gut Yontif Chaver’ to recognize the significance of the moment you’re in and to wish them a joyful celebration.

It is used specifically during holiday parties and other casual settings to wish your friend a pleasant moment.

7. Chag Sameach Chaver (pronounced as KHAG sah-MAY-akh khah-VER)

To enhance a stronger bond with your friend during holidays, you can use the Hebrew salutation ‘Chag Sameach Chaver’ to show how excited you are about the festive season.

If you have a friend who loves to participate in Jewish celebrations, you can use ‘Chag Sameach Chaver’ to greet them and wish them a high-impact celebration.

Unlike ‘Gut Yontif Chaver’, this salutation is used in typical festival seasons celebrated among the Jews. When you greet your friends by saying ”Chag Sameach Chaver’, you wish them a delightful time of celebration.

8. Mazal Tov Chaver (pronounced as MAH-zl TOHV khah-VER)

There’s a special place for your high-achieving Jewish friend when reaching out to them. You can begin with the salutation ‘Mazal Tov Chaver’ which is a congratulatory greeting to someone who is celebrating a unique occasion.

You can also reach out to someone who just had a baby, graduated, got married, bought a car, or any celebration of that sort with this salutation.

This salutation is a great way to show your friend that you recognize their achievement and that your desire is that they attain more as time unfolds.

When your Jewish friend begins a new venture and gets promoted, you can hail them using this salutation.

Much more than saying congratulations to your friends for the milestone they have achieved, when you say to them ‘Mazal Tov Chaver’ you also wish them good luck.

9. Tov HaShana Chaver (pronounced as TOHV hah-SHAH-nah khah-VER)

The salutation ‘Happy New Year filled with prosperity’ can be customized for your friend as ‘Tov HaShana Chaver’. You can use it specifically when a new year begins to wish your friends good tidings.

In Judaism, the new year marks a renewing season filled with freshness. And so, when you say to your friend ‘Tov HaShana Chaver’, you highlight the significance of this Jewish holiday and extend your heartwarming wishes side-by-side.

This greeting is mostly used during the Rosh Hashanah season, which is typically celebrated in September or October. It gives them a positive energy that they should kickstart the year with.

10. Toda Raba Chaver (pronounced as toh-DAH RAH-bah khah-VER)

You can say ‘thank you so much’ to your friend using the Jewish expression ‘Toda Raba Chaver’. It is also suitable when you want to say to your friend that you appreciate their actions towards you or something they say to you.

This salutation extends your appreciation to your Jewish friend for doing something they allow you to enjoy or profit from.

The greeting ‘Toda Raba Chaver’ is essentially used to appreciate your friend for the help and support they have offered you. When you hail them in this manner, it highlights that they have been so kind to you at a time when you needed their assistance in a project you embarked on.

Final Words

When using this salutation, it is important to pronounce them correctly and respectfully, as culture demands. Also, remember that the greetings ought to be used in a suitable context, considering formal and informal situations.

You can combine a number of greetings together or include a personal name you call your friend to make your salutation a customized one.

If you’re not familiar with Jewish culture, this article has given you a hint of some greetings to your friend.

Ensure you seek clarity if you’re unsure about a certain greeting or some aspect of the Jewish culture. Shalom!