Feminine Equivalent

11

11 en years ago, when
I had my daughter,
little did I know I
was part of a bur-
geoning trend. My
husband and I were
as thrilled at having
a healthy daughter
as we would have been with a son
and wanted to celebrate with
friends and family. So we had a
baby naming for her, to welcome
her to Judaism and her commu-
nity.
Boys are named at the brit mi-
lah the bris, while girls tradi-
tionally have been given their
names during services at syna-
gogue or temple. The father would
be called to the bimah for an aliyah
and the name would be an-
nounced to the congregation.
Today, with gender equality
having moved into Judaism, many
new parents of daughters want
more. "People feel they want to
celebrate the birth of a boy or a
girl," notes Rabbi Paul Yedwab of
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
Simchat habat, the rejoicing of p,
a daughter, is not part of a tradi-
tional liturgy and is not halachic,
"so you can be very creative," says There is no specified time for a I'd like to see this in addition, with
Rabbi William Gershon, associate baby naming, though Rabbi Ger- a party after, like a brit," he says.
rabbi at Congregation Shaarey shon recommends it be done
At Temple Israel, the service is
Zedek in Southfield. "It's a reli- within the first 30 days of life. called brit banot, covenant of the
gious response to the miracle of While more common in other ar- daughters. During Friday night
birth of a new life. People get a lot eas of the country, it is done here and Saturday morning services,
out of it, and it really responds to with increasing frequency, though both boys and girls are named,
the religious needs for a lot of peo- not as often as Rabbi Gershon with parents and siblings bringing
the new baby up to the bimah and
ple." Rabbi Gershon says the prac- would like to see.
"I
would
like
to
see
it
become
receiving two gifts from the con-
tice of adding a service, with a brit
as a model, to the synagogue nam- the norm. I don't want to discon- gregation: In the Beginning: The
ing began about 20 years ago. tinue being named in the shul; but Jewish Baby Book and a gift of

—

"I come from a family of girls,
and I was raised very egalitarian.
There's always a big party and cel-
ebration for a boy at a brit; and I
wanted a special ceremony to cel-
ebrate my daughters' births and
have them enter the Jewish
covenant as a boy would with a
brit," says Ms. Peskin-Shepherd.
She looked at different baby nam-
ing ceremonies and wrote one for
her family.
"The emphasis for me with
Hope was having her enter the
covenant with God. She was
named for my father, and I want-
ed her to know one day whom
she was named after and why she
was named after him," says Ms.
Peskin-Shepherd. Her sister adapt-
USA BRODY SPECIAL TO
ed the ceremony when her daugh-
THE JEWISH NEWS
ter was born, and it was used
again when Leah was born, cre-
ating a special family tradition. The
immediate families took part in
the service and invited friends and
Keith Miller and Sheri
relatives to witness the ceremony
Aaron Miller hold their
and celebrate at a brunch.
twins, Ian and Shelly,
during their naming
Diane and Norman Ash of
ceremony at Temple Shir
Shalom. Rabbis Dannel
Birmingham welcomed family
Schwartz and Michael
and friends to baby namings for
Moskowitz officiated.
both their daughter Marissa, 7,
Shabbat candlesticks symbolizing and their son Justin, 11. Rabbis
light.
from Temple Beth El came to their
In addition to the naming at home to perform the service on a
temple, parents often do a more Sunday, and then an appetizdr and
personalized service in their dessert buffet was enjoyed. "I ( g)
homes. Some write their own ser- wanted to provide a warm and in-
vice. For Alisa Peskin-Shepherd timate atmosphere to celebrate Lr;
and her husband, Dr. Steve Shep- the birth of our children," says Di-
herd, of West Bloomfield, creat- ane. "I wanted to begin their lives <r
cc
ing a service took on a special with a Jewish ritual, and though
meaning for daughters Hope, 4 they would have no recollection cr
1/2, and Leah, 18 months.
of the event, they would hear
t

Hardly

known

two decades

ago, a baby

naming gives

equal time to

Jewish girls.

