Lara Dämmig

Jewish Names

[German]

Parents-to-be often spend months debating, before they decide on the name for their child. The name is most often an indicator of the culture to which the parents feel linked. It also shows the hopes and wishes cherished by the parents when their child is born, the tradition in which they perceive themselves, and a sign of which family they belong to.

The meaning of a name is illustrated for us by the Paraschah section of the Torah, known as “Lech Lechah”. It says, “When Abram was 99-years-old, the Eternal appeared to him and said, ‘See, I affirm my covenant with you, and you will become the father of many nations. Therefore you will no longer be called Abram. Abraham will be your name, for I have made you the father of many nations’.” (Gen. 17:4-5) And later it is written: “As for Sarai, your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai. Her name will be Sarah. Princess will be her name.” (Gen 17:15)

Here we experience naming as a constitutive act reflecting the new status of Abraham and Sarah. When parents give their children Jewish names they want to make plain the status of the child in the society and their belonging to the Jewish people. But what is a Jewish name? Which names did Jewish men and women have in the past and present? One of the founders of Semitics, Leopold Zunz (1797 – 1886), wrote in “The Names of Jews, an Historical Study” ("Namen der Juden. Eine geschichtliche Untersuchung"), that by the 6th and 5th century B.C. Jews were already being given names that were not Hebrew. Zunz wrote, "As a result, each period shows ... that people do not hold on to the traditional names; individuals followed their needs as to how to proceed with the living language, and perceptions had free rein over vocabulary.”

Over the centuries, the names Jews gave their children were influenced by the surrounding cultures. Foreign names were adopted and transformed. Phonetic changes were made to Hebrew names or they were translated. History and local procedures made themselves felt.

I have neither a Jewish first name nor a Jewish surname. My first name originates in the country from which my grandparents emigrated and in which my Jewish mother was born and raised. My surname is that of my non-Jewish father. My Jewishness is not apparent from my name. Nevertheless it represents the history of my family and of the Jews in the country where I live.

Lara Dämmig is one of the initiators of Bet Debora. She lives in Berlin.

A call to our readers

Jewish Women’s Groups, Rosh-Chodesh, Shiurim, Prayer and Study Groups, Egalitarian Minyanim

We are accepting contributions from Jewish women’s groups and related activities for a Bet Debora handbook. The topics are new liturgies and rituals. We want to know:

• Who are you?

• How often do you meet?

• What is your aim?

• What do you do?

Your contribution should be set in attractive form and describe one of the rituals you have created or contain a new text of a prayer. Using photographs to illustrate the contribution would be greatly appreciated!

Please direct contributions and questions to: rachelherweg@gmx.net