Jewish Chronicle Layout - Jewish Names

16

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE AUGUST 2, 2007

Style WHAT’S IN A NAME? Depending on what Jew you ask, quite a bit BY HILARY WEINGARDEN Staff Writer

Today’s culture revels in creating new and unusual names. No longer is it uncommon to hear of children called Apple or Nevaeh (heaven spelled backward). In the Jewish world, where first names like Chana, Aryeh, Moshe and Rivke were once staples of identification, one commonly hears monikers like Stacey, Steve, Tom or Kelly these days. Likewise for last names. Once, names like Cohen, Greenberg and Blum held sway. Today, more names like McDowell, Gallagher or O’Sullivan show up on congregations’ membership rolls. For Jews, the whole process of naming the next generation has been a complicated one, made even more perplexing by the times in which Jews lived, the people from which they were descended or the dreams to which they aspired. In biblical times Jews were known by their family relationships — the son (or daughter) of someone else. As times changed and Jews were scattered throughout the Diaspora, they often took more secular-sounding names. Sometimes rulers made them take surnames. Jews frequently found themselves with secular names for everyday life and Hebrew names for synagogue life. In the last century, American Jews frequently changed their names to get ahead in business or avoid discrimination. And even more recently, with the explosion of intermarriage, Jews have names that don’t sound Jewish at all. With so many forces at work in the Jewish world, is there still something to be said for traditional names? Perhaps, some people say. “Having a Jewish name is a way of distinguishing yourself instead of becoming immersed into the anonymity of secular society,” said Rabbi Daniel Kripper, spiritual leader of Adat Shalom in Fox Chapel. “If you have a Jewish name, you are rooted in certain traditions, and people are looking for that.” That is true in part because names are integral to people’s perceptions of themselves and others. “The name is part of the identity. It’s a major part,” said Edwin D. Lawson, pro-

fessor emeritus of psychology at State University of New York at Fredonia. Lawson, who is an expert in Jewish onomastics, or the science of Jewish names, explained that many psychological studies have proven the connection between one’s name and one’s self-concept. “If there are a bunch of names flashing on a screen, you’ll see your name first, if it’s there,” Lawson said. When one hears a familiar name it cues ideas of that person’s physical charac-

government often forced Jews where they lived to choose a surname. Other times, they took the initiative themselves as a way of blending into the majority culture. According to Benzion C. Kaganoff ’s book, “A Dictionary of Jewish Names and their History,” this trend can be dated back to the time of Alexander the Great. Jewish aristocracy

n e h

tablishing a Jewish identity,” he added. “It makes the point that one’s Jewish identity is as important, if not more important, than his American identity.” Many Jews who become more religiously observant as adults recognize this connection between Jewish identity and names. Often, they take on their Hebrew names permanently, discarding their secular names. There is a longstanding tradition in the Ashkenazic community of naming a child after a deceased relative as a way of memorializing the dead. This tradition allows the child’s name to connect him to his family heritage and thus, to Judaism. “ T h e hope is that the children will carry on the strong attributes of the people they’re named after,” said Jewish educator Amy Pincus, who named all three of her children after deceased grandparents. “We wouldn’t have thought to have done it any other way,” she added. “Our heritage and tradition are so much of who we are and names are so important.” One way in which Jews compensate for using secular names is through the tradition of giving two names — one secular, the other Hebrew. This tradition has existed for hundreds of years, even before the destruction of the Second Temple, according to Kaganoff. However, giving dual names may not be a truly effective way of strengthening a child’s Jewish identity. In many places, Hebrew names are used only when one is called to the Torah, or on written documents such as a ketubah. But secular names are used all the time. The importance of secular identity is thus reinforced through names far more often than Jewish identity. “All three of our children have names that are the same in English and in Hebrew, so that they have one identity,” said Pincus. “It’s much easier to feel connected if you have one identity. It was important to us that there was a real sense of continuity in their names.”

e l C o pp A l l e M w U o L B erg cD ivke r e b M R h n e g e a r l h E l n G e H a a OS va G v i e M N A N h A e H C Ary

S ’ O

Chronicle art by Jane Muder

teristics, personality, interests, and other key elements of that person’s identity. Judaism understands this connection between names and identity, Kripper said. In fact, the second book of the Torah, Exodus, is called Shemot, or names, in Hebrew. Exodus begins with a history of the Jewish people, outlining the family tree through names. At Passover seders, participants mention that the Jews in Egypt, despite living in a foreign land, did not adopt Egyptian names, but rather kept their original names. “The fact that they didn’t change their names meant that they stayed Jewish,” Kripper said. “The idea is that they were able to preserve their tradition through their names.” Yet throughout history and to this day, Jews have adopted secular names. The

l l u

adopted G r e e k names, and much of the Jewish majority took on Aramaic names. This phenomenon occurred again during the major periods of Jewish immigration to the United States. Jewish immigrants, wanting to join American culture, adopted secular names that also protected them from anti-Semitism. Today, however, there is less need to blend into a greater society. Ethnic groups take pride in their distinct customs and embrace the cultural points that differentiate them from others, rather than hide them. Active Black, Jewish, Latino, Hindu, Muslim, and gay and lesbian groups can be found on college campuses and in communities across the nation. “The term ‘melting pot’ doesn’t mean anything today,” Kripper said. “People are looking for ways of preserving their identity in the midst of a mass, secular society.” “Giving a Jewish name is a way of es-

(Hilary Weingarden can be reached at [email protected])