s

same kind of work ethic and takes pride
in her family. Her middle name, Ann,
is a family name. All of the women in
my wife’s family have the middle name
Ann.”

A NAME FOR A NAME
Sticking with the originals, 21-month-
old Solomon Arnold Ostreicher’s par-
ents Susan and former Detroiter David
Ostreicher, now of Cincinnati, named
him in memory of his great-great-
grandfather Solomon Burg, and great-
grandfather Arnold Edwards.
“We wanted to name him for them
and we liked those names,” David said.
“We hope that Sol will be gentle and
kind like his great-grandfather Arnold
and someone with a firm handshake
who has yet to meet a stranger like his
great-great-grandfather Sol.”
Many Ashkenazi Jews (those of cen-
tral and eastern European descent) fol-
low the custom of naming their children
after a deceased individual, keeping
the name and the memory alive. And
according to aish.com, in a metaphysi-
cal way it can form a bond between the
soul of the baby and the late relative,
with the child even inspired by the good
qualities of the deceased, as, “not only a
statement of what we hope she will be,
but also where she comes from.”
It may even spur curiosity in the child
leading to interest in his or her name-
sake and family lineage.
“The phrase ‘sunrise sunset’ comes
from a verse in the book of Kohelet that
has been interpreted to mean, ‘When
one great soul leaves the world, another
comes into it,’” said Rabbi Rachel
Shere of Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills. “Naming after a loved
one, whether English or Hebrew, affirms
the essence of this verse.”
Weiss-Berger, whose children are all
named in memory of loved ones said,
“We strongly believe in the notion that
naming is a type of prophecy. We hope
not to have set expectations that are too
big for any of our children to fill with
their names, but we are confident that if
we set our sights high they will shine.”

THE HONOR OF A NAME
For Sephardic Jews (of Spanish or
Middle Eastern descent), naming a baby
after living relatives is very much an
honor.

Name
Game

Sarah Mizrahi and her husband,
Daniel, gave each of their five children
the name of a living family member and
also the name of one who has passed
away.
“My husband is Sephardi; his parents
are from Egypt,” Sarah said. “I grew up
in the Seattle Sephardic community
in the Greek/Rhodes community.” For
each child they followed both the typi-
cal Sephardic tradition of naming in
honor of a living individual, but also
followed Daniel’s family tradition to give
one name in memory of someone who
passed away.
The Mizrahis live in Oak Park with
Ezra Samuel, almost 10, George Aaron,
almost 9, Esther Rowena, 6½, Elianna
Allegra, almost 5, and Oscar Claude, 20
months.
The family has ways to get around
any confusion of having family mem-
bers share a name. “I have a George as
does my brother,” Sarah said. “When we
are together we say ‘Detroit George’ and
‘Seattle George’ and both my sisters-
in-law have Ezras as well but one goes
by his English name, ‘Andrew,’ and the
other goes by ‘Ezra Noam.’”
English names are given as soon
as the parents can agree on one. The
Hebrew name is officially announced
at a boy’s bris or a girl’s baby naming,
which may take place at a brief ceremo-
ny-celebration or in synagogue on a day
when the Torah is read.
Parents may explain their name
choice and its significance and a spe-
cial Mi Shebeirach (prayer for healing)
is said.
According to reformjudaism.org,
“The traditional wish is offered, that
this child may grow into a life of study
of Torah, of loving relationships and the
performance of good deeds.”
A child’s Hebrew name will be used
at lifecycle events like religious school,
bar/bat mitzvah, on a ketubah and
when called to the Torah for an aliyah
or Mi Shebeirach.
“The naming of a Jewish child is
a most profound spiritual moment,”
according to aish.com. “The sages say
that naming a baby is a statement of
her character, her specialness and her
path in life. For at the beginning of life
we give a name, and at the end of life a
‘good name’ is all we take with us.”

*

Dozens of Jewish names dominate Baby Center’s Top 80 list
so far for this year, with one, Noah, even topping it. Some
others are Ethan, Elijah, Michael, Benjamin, Jacob, Matthew,
Caleb, Levi, Eli, David, Nathan, Ezra, Aaron and Asher for the
boys; and Ava, Abigail, Evelyn, Hannah, Elizabeth/Elisheva,
Nora, Anna, Leah and Sarah for the girls.

*

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June 16 • 2016

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