How can I find my relatives in Poland?
Is Mietkiewicz a Jewish name?
Judaism is a religion, not a region where one is a native of.
Reply:The spelling is definitely Polish but I doubt if it is a "Jewish Surname".
What you have is a fixed surname derived from patronymics. Patronymics is the form of name where it is someone son of someone else.
The "wicz" is the Polish "son of" - as is "witz". So the surname actually means "son of Mietki". Mietki would be a FIRST NAME.
But it isn't as easy as it looks. The region you are talking about was at times under Russian, Lithuanian, Polish and even for a time, Germanic rule. EACH had their own form of "son of" and surnames could often change based on the powers that be. During Russian rule, the name would be Mietkievich (vich being Russian "son of") or if under Lithuanian rule, it could be Mietkis or Mietkiescu or many other forms. Also realize that "V" and "W" are almost completely interchangeable in all as none use the arabic alphabet.
Many jews did take this form of surname when they were forced to adopt fixed surnames in the 1800s. For example, the Jewish name would have been maybe Itsak ben Ibrahim (Isaac son of Abraham). When this Itsak was forced by the government to adopt a fixed surname, it was common for jews to take the local form that meant the same thing as their actual name. Thus Isaac could have become Abramovich, Abramowitz, Abramowicz, Abramescu, etc. all of which means "son of Abraham" as did his "former" jewish name. Because of high Eastern European Jewish immigration, that's why you see a large number of Jewish families with the "wicz, witz, vech, vitch" endings. A lot of non-jewish families in those regions (even more than Jewish of course) had those forms of surnames, but there wasn't as large of emmigration as there was with Jewish populations.
Why I don't think it is Jewish is that if this was a Jewish conversion from patronymics to fixed surname, then "Mietki" would have to be a Jewish name. Even taking into account spelling differences, I cannot come up with a traditional Hebrew name that would fit "Mietki", so that's why I would suspect that this is actually a Polish person not of Jewish lineage.
But realize that the form of surname changed all the time depending on the powers that be. You can find one person under many different forms. To complicate matters, when immigration to the US occurred, an immigrant often picked their "favorite" spelling, not necessarily the spelling last used in the homeland. A person may be Mietkievich (Russian spelling) in the homeland, but also may not have been too fond of Russian rule...so upon immigration, he picked to him the more favorable Mietkiewicz (Polish spelling) so as to distance himself from Russia. What fun huh?
Reply:As noted in your other question, you get the immigration paperwork on your grandfather, mother and her siblings from the Australian Archives. It will tell you where they were born.
Then you contact the International Red Cross Displaced Persons program through you local Red Cross Office and find out if they have information on other members of the family.
Once you know the hometown of your mother and grandparents, then find a Catholic priest or nun who is from Poland, and there are many in the Jesuit order if you're at a loss where to start, and ask if they can help you make contact with your Polish relatives.
I'm not sure why you think Mietkiewicz is a Jewish name. If your mother was Jewish, then she was Jewish. That doesn't mean her name was particularly Jewish. As also shown in the other answer, every record I can find on people with that name shows they were Catholic. But it was very possible for a Catholic man named Mietkiewicz to marry a Jewish woman named Goldman and their offspring would be Jewish. The name didn't change, just the religious preferences of some people with that name changed.
If you think they were Jewish just because they were displaced, the reality is also different. After the war, and especially when the Russians were setting up shop in Poland, everyone who could get out did get out. Religion had nothing to do with it. If they were in concentration camps and lived to tell about it, they were more likely to be Christians than Jews. Remember that Catholics/Christians were also sent to the camps for helping Jews. No one was immune to torture.
Reply:Ancestry.com lists two Mietkiewicz families living in Ohio in 1920, but it doesn't give their country of origin. However a quick google search of the Mietkiewicz surname turns up a Toronto-based Internet producer, Mark Mietkiewicz, who writes on Jewish topics, for instance, "Peak at lavish 'Bash' Mitzvahs". If Mr. Mietkiewicz's numerous articles are any indication, Mietkiewicz is a name used by Jews. Thus, you might want to turn to a genealogical web site that specializes in Jewish family history:
http://www.jewishgen.org
http://www.pitt.edu/~meisel/jewish
Reply:I can't speak for anyone else but all the Mietkiewicz's that I am related to are Jewish. "Mietkiewicz" may not be a traditional Jewish name (like Cohen or Levine). But in the same vein, I’ve also met a Jewish "Smith" or two over the years.
I have found an excellent resource to be Jewishgen database which has helped me find the names of many Mietkiewicz's who lived near my family's hometown of Czestochowa. Go to http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Polan... (may require free registration). Type in Mietkiewicz and hit “search”. When you get your results, look in the "Piotrkow Gubernia" section. You'll see the names of many Mietkiewicz's - a handful of whose families survived the Holocaust. Most did not.
I am not aware of any Jewish Mietkiewicz's still living in Poland. But you never know.
Reply:i dont think so he is n about ur relative u've to get his/her address then u can find him/her
martial arts movies
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
What is the name of the Jewish holiday where Jewish women have to clean their entire house?
What is the name of the Jewish holiday where Jewish women have to clean their entire house? I also wanted to know, why Jewish women have to do this?
What is the name of the Jewish holiday where Jewish women have to clean their entire house?
Men AND women do this before Passover.
Why?
Because we remove all unleavened product from our homes that may have gone on the floor, in the furniture, on the counters, in the cubboards, every place, even places we don't think it will be found.
We clean under, on, around, in, out, whatever you can think of for at least a couple weeks before Passover. We don't just refrain from eating bread/grain products, we also remove it completely from our homes.
Reply:Well, the holiday is Passover, but it has nothing to do with cleanliness. Before Passover begins, all traces of leavening in a household have to be removed; this usually necessitates a thorough cleaning of the house.
As to why it's Jewish women - it isn't. NO Jew is allowed to possess any form of leavening during Passover. While it may be traditional in some households for women to do the cleaning, a man is just as forbidden from possessing leavening agents as a woman is, and his responsibility is no different from a woman's.
Reply:Erev Shabbat???
There really isnt a certain holiday where there is JUST jewish women who would clean the home. On Passover, All in the household participate in the cleaning of the home. It is interconnected with the search of chometz(unleavened bread) and the cleaning up of it.
Reply:This is Passover, or in hebrew, Pesach.
This must be done because on Passover, Jewish people can only eat certain foods, nothing with yeast, or anything that rises. There cannot be any traces or any crumbs of these foods with yeast in the house, that's why women have to clean, so they don't accidently eat these foods with yeast.
Reply:Why do you think it's Jewish women who clean the house? Men definitely are participants.
It's passover. It's also NOT mostly about cleaning. It has tons of religious significance %26amp; most of it is about the Seders (meals with an order) in which we use a Hagadah to guide us through telling the story %26amp; the lessons learned.
Reply:The truth is
That prior to any Jewishh holiday the house should be clean also clean garments should be dressed.
Basically because each holiday is a shabt in nature .
PESACH is the same plus any reminders of bread should be cleaned away .
Your jewish wife? Aren't you jewish ?
If not then this the first and most severe problem .
A jewish woamn must marry a jewish man point.
Be Well
Ben Aharon Hacohen
Reply:passover, they clean out any bread in there house to remmber when they were freed from egypt they ran out with bread that wasnt fully baked (they call this bread matza).they spend the entire holiday not eating bread but matza.
Reply:passover, peasach
What is the name of the Jewish holiday where Jewish women have to clean their entire house?
Men AND women do this before Passover.
Why?
Because we remove all unleavened product from our homes that may have gone on the floor, in the furniture, on the counters, in the cubboards, every place, even places we don't think it will be found.
We clean under, on, around, in, out, whatever you can think of for at least a couple weeks before Passover. We don't just refrain from eating bread/grain products, we also remove it completely from our homes.
Reply:Well, the holiday is Passover, but it has nothing to do with cleanliness. Before Passover begins, all traces of leavening in a household have to be removed; this usually necessitates a thorough cleaning of the house.
As to why it's Jewish women - it isn't. NO Jew is allowed to possess any form of leavening during Passover. While it may be traditional in some households for women to do the cleaning, a man is just as forbidden from possessing leavening agents as a woman is, and his responsibility is no different from a woman's.
Reply:Erev Shabbat???
There really isnt a certain holiday where there is JUST jewish women who would clean the home. On Passover, All in the household participate in the cleaning of the home. It is interconnected with the search of chometz(unleavened bread) and the cleaning up of it.
Reply:This is Passover, or in hebrew, Pesach.
This must be done because on Passover, Jewish people can only eat certain foods, nothing with yeast, or anything that rises. There cannot be any traces or any crumbs of these foods with yeast in the house, that's why women have to clean, so they don't accidently eat these foods with yeast.
Reply:Why do you think it's Jewish women who clean the house? Men definitely are participants.
It's passover. It's also NOT mostly about cleaning. It has tons of religious significance %26amp; most of it is about the Seders (meals with an order) in which we use a Hagadah to guide us through telling the story %26amp; the lessons learned.
Reply:The truth is
That prior to any Jewishh holiday the house should be clean also clean garments should be dressed.
Basically because each holiday is a shabt in nature .
PESACH is the same plus any reminders of bread should be cleaned away .
Your jewish wife? Aren't you jewish ?
If not then this the first and most severe problem .
A jewish woamn must marry a jewish man point.
Be Well
Ben Aharon Hacohen
Reply:passover, they clean out any bread in there house to remmber when they were freed from egypt they ran out with bread that wasnt fully baked (they call this bread matza).they spend the entire holiday not eating bread but matza.
Reply:passover, peasach
Fisher-Price dolls say Islam is the light.Fisher is Jewish name. Did a Jew plant the saying in the dolls?
That way American parents will think the Muslims planted the saying, Islam is the light in the dolls and the Muslims will be scapegoated again. What is your opinion?
Fisher-Price dolls say Islam is the light.Fisher is Jewish name. Did a Jew plant the saying in the dolls?
what the fu)) this crap is goimg too far leave my little babys toys alone
Reply:Like critics believe, I think the doll is actually saying 'Who turned out the light?'
Now, the The Little Mermaid (Aerial) figurine with a sound trigger being pressed repeatedly saying 'You're a slut' is coincidental, but it's not some subliminal message like the whole Islam is the light thing is thought to be.
Reply:I don't think it was intentional. Like Fisher-Price and Nintendo have commented, they have thousands of different sounds that people market to big corporations and companies. The sounds are interchangeable and they got put together in the wrong order.
Or maybe it was intentional, but I really doubt any Muslims (or Jews) were at fault. Probably some basement-dwelling nerd with nothing better to do, so he thought it would be funny to piss off a bunch of overprotective parents. :b
Reply:Mrs. Christianson had a 3rd grade classroom with a Christian boy, Muslim Boy and a Jewish Boy. Mrs. Christianson told the class that if anyone could guess who the greatest person ever to live was, she would give them a dollar. The Christian boy quickly raised his hand and said, "The Pope." "Good answer but not correct", replied Mrs. Christianson. The Muslim boy threw up his hand and said, "Mohammed!" "Nice try but no", she replied. The Jewish boy threw up his hand an yelled, "Jesus was!" "Wow, you are correct! Here is your dollar."
After class, as the children were leaving, Mrs. Christianson pulled the little Jewish boy aside and told him she was surprised that although he was Jewish, he still knew the correct answer. The little Jewish boy smiled at her and said, "Look, I know Moses was the greatest man ever to live but business is business."
Reply:That silly doll again. Have you listened to the tape? It's so garbled that it's amazing anyone can hear any words at all out of it. Stupid hype that's all it is.
Reply:Fisher Price produces children's toys. I believe that they make toy's for children of all religions, since NOT doing so would cut out some of their prospective target market.
Fisher-Price dolls say Islam is the light.Fisher is Jewish name. Did a Jew plant the saying in the dolls?
what the fu)) this crap is goimg too far leave my little babys toys alone
Reply:Like critics believe, I think the doll is actually saying 'Who turned out the light?'
Now, the The Little Mermaid (Aerial) figurine with a sound trigger being pressed repeatedly saying 'You're a slut' is coincidental, but it's not some subliminal message like the whole Islam is the light thing is thought to be.
Reply:I don't think it was intentional. Like Fisher-Price and Nintendo have commented, they have thousands of different sounds that people market to big corporations and companies. The sounds are interchangeable and they got put together in the wrong order.
Or maybe it was intentional, but I really doubt any Muslims (or Jews) were at fault. Probably some basement-dwelling nerd with nothing better to do, so he thought it would be funny to piss off a bunch of overprotective parents. :b
Reply:Mrs. Christianson had a 3rd grade classroom with a Christian boy, Muslim Boy and a Jewish Boy. Mrs. Christianson told the class that if anyone could guess who the greatest person ever to live was, she would give them a dollar. The Christian boy quickly raised his hand and said, "The Pope." "Good answer but not correct", replied Mrs. Christianson. The Muslim boy threw up his hand and said, "Mohammed!" "Nice try but no", she replied. The Jewish boy threw up his hand an yelled, "Jesus was!" "Wow, you are correct! Here is your dollar."
After class, as the children were leaving, Mrs. Christianson pulled the little Jewish boy aside and told him she was surprised that although he was Jewish, he still knew the correct answer. The little Jewish boy smiled at her and said, "Look, I know Moses was the greatest man ever to live but business is business."
Reply:That silly doll again. Have you listened to the tape? It's so garbled that it's amazing anyone can hear any words at all out of it. Stupid hype that's all it is.
Reply:Fisher Price produces children's toys. I believe that they make toy's for children of all religions, since NOT doing so would cut out some of their prospective target market.
I need a Jewish name for a girl in my book?
I am writing a book and this girl named Ruth just found out that her name is not really Ruth, and I need to come up with a jewish name for her. help anyone?
I need a Jewish name for a girl in my book?
Rebekah, Sarah, Rachel.........you could go to behindthename.com and check out some Jewish names they have. That site has a ton of catagories of names to choose from as well.
Reply:I found this website: http://adaniel.tripod.com/jewishnames.ht...
It has some good ones but I liked the names Raya and Mina.
Another good website to help you is: http://www.babynames.org.uk/jewish-girl-...
It has a lot of names.
Hope I helped
~Lyla A.
Reply:Bluma it means "Flower."
Rani it means "She is singing."
Reina it means "Clean/Pure."
Shayna/and or Shana it means "Beautiful, Pretty."
Reply:Sarah
Rachel
Dinah
Rebekka (THAT'S MY NAME :P)
Lily
Esther
Tabea (pronounced Tabi)
Edan
Elia
Gabi
Gilah
Hannah
Mical
Good luck!
:-)
Reply:Rachel, Rebecca, Leah, Rivka.
Reply:Rachel
Sarah
Rebecca
Talia
... and Ruth is a Jewish name already :)
Reply:Go to www.babynamesworld.com and look there. They have a category of Jewish girl names that you could look through.
Reply:Sarah
Miriam
Esther
Roberta
Pisah
Reply:Naomi
Miriam
Mary
Elizabeth
Reply:Call her Weshji, which is just an anagram from the word Jewish. See if anyone catches on.
Reply:tamima i have a jewish cousin named that she lives in isreal and i like the name
Reply:Petra
Reply:Sarah
Reply:Name her Mary???...idk
I need a Jewish name for a girl in my book?
Rebekah, Sarah, Rachel.........you could go to behindthename.com and check out some Jewish names they have. That site has a ton of catagories of names to choose from as well.
Reply:I found this website: http://adaniel.tripod.com/jewishnames.ht...
It has some good ones but I liked the names Raya and Mina.
Another good website to help you is: http://www.babynames.org.uk/jewish-girl-...
It has a lot of names.
Hope I helped
~Lyla A.
Reply:Bluma it means "Flower."
Rani it means "She is singing."
Reina it means "Clean/Pure."
Shayna/and or Shana it means "Beautiful, Pretty."
Reply:Sarah
Rachel
Dinah
Rebekka (THAT'S MY NAME :P)
Lily
Esther
Tabea (pronounced Tabi)
Edan
Elia
Gabi
Gilah
Hannah
Mical
Good luck!
:-)
Reply:Rachel, Rebecca, Leah, Rivka.
Reply:Rachel
Sarah
Rebecca
Talia
... and Ruth is a Jewish name already :)
Reply:Go to www.babynamesworld.com and look there. They have a category of Jewish girl names that you could look through.
Reply:Sarah
Miriam
Esther
Roberta
Pisah
Reply:Naomi
Miriam
Mary
Elizabeth
Reply:Call her Weshji, which is just an anagram from the word Jewish. See if anyone catches on.
Reply:tamima i have a jewish cousin named that she lives in isreal and i like the name
Reply:Petra
Reply:Sarah
Reply:Name her Mary???...idk
Sanchez is a Jewish last name from Spain( Sancho) ,but what tribe does it belong?
I'm writing about my identity , it is important to me to find out about my origin , thank you so much for your input .
minilily68
Sanchez is a Jewish last name from Spain( Sancho) ,but what tribe does it belong?
The name is not associated with any particular tribe. It's Spanish.
I don't believe any Jews can actually trace their genealogy back to the 12 tribes. Israel was consolidated into a single kingdom, and also split into two distinct political units, since the days that the land was allocated to the 12 tribes. The Jewish kingdom was destroyed by Rome, and the people scattered across the world. Jewish culture and identity was dramatically transformed during this time -- over 2 thousand years.
Reply:Consider a DNA test via familytreedna.com Look for results of Y-Chromosomes J1 (Cohen Modal Haplogroup), and others. Ask questions to genetists that have at least a PhD regarding your DNA results. Report Abuse
Reply:Sorry to disagree with you but Sanchez is not specific to the Jewish faith, it is a very widespread Spanish last name. It does not denote or belong to any "tribe".
Sanchez
Last name origin %26amp; meaning:
Spanish (Sánchez): patronymic from the personal name Sancho.
Sancho
Last name origin %26amp; meaning:
Spanish and Portuguese: from Sancho, a popular medieval personal name, which is probably from a Latin form, Sanc(t)ius, a derivative of sanctus ‘holy’. The personal name was borne by a 9th-century martyr of Cordova.
Sánchez or Sanchez is a frequently common Spanish last name. As a patronymic, it means "son of Sancho". The name "Sancho" itself comes from the Basque Santxo.
Reply:Jews throughout the world took the surnames of the cultures they came to live in; this would include the name Sanchez. Only those of the tribe of Levi maintained surnames which they could recognize their ancient tribal affiliation by, such as Levi, Levy, Lewis, Cohen, Caan, etc...
According to history, only the tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin remained "Jewish" after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel by Assyria in 720 BCE.
Besides, if you're only "discovering" Jewish ancestry this doesn't make you Jewish. According to Rabbinic Law one's mother has to be Jewish to be consider a Jew, unless you convert that is.
Reply:Present day Jews do belong to tribes in a sense as they are identified like the 12 tribes in the Old Testament. I don't quite understand their tribal connection. I know the Cohen-Levi tribe is the priestly tribe and their DNA is 80% proven.
I do know this there are 3 branches of Judaism. Reform Jews do not agree on the old traditional definition of a Jew like the Orthodox and Conservative.
Orthodox and Conservative Jews define a Jew by the mother, not the father. They state they get the nation from the mother and the tribe from the father and if they don't have a Jewish father they belong to the tribe of the nearest male relative on the mother's side of the family. If they don't have a Jewish mother, the only way they can be a Jew is to convert to Judaism, but still how they define the tribe is not the same way as the old 12 tribes of Israel.
Reply:I really cannot say but yes it may be possible because the Jews scattered all over the world and according to mine it is from the tribe of Benjamin so who knows, i got this info from a group who traces back Jewish roots at my sisters church.
Reply:How would you know that?
Jews have kept track of the tribe of Levi, because of their future role according to Orthodox Judaism. I don't believe they have kept track over 3000 years of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, etc. the rest have gone to Assyria and no one seems to know what happened. Alot of things like Josephus I recommend should not be believed unless proven.
schoolsmartial arts
minilily68
Sanchez is a Jewish last name from Spain( Sancho) ,but what tribe does it belong?
The name is not associated with any particular tribe. It's Spanish.
I don't believe any Jews can actually trace their genealogy back to the 12 tribes. Israel was consolidated into a single kingdom, and also split into two distinct political units, since the days that the land was allocated to the 12 tribes. The Jewish kingdom was destroyed by Rome, and the people scattered across the world. Jewish culture and identity was dramatically transformed during this time -- over 2 thousand years.
Reply:Consider a DNA test via familytreedna.com Look for results of Y-Chromosomes J1 (Cohen Modal Haplogroup), and others. Ask questions to genetists that have at least a PhD regarding your DNA results. Report Abuse
Reply:Sorry to disagree with you but Sanchez is not specific to the Jewish faith, it is a very widespread Spanish last name. It does not denote or belong to any "tribe".
Sanchez
Last name origin %26amp; meaning:
Spanish (Sánchez): patronymic from the personal name Sancho.
Sancho
Last name origin %26amp; meaning:
Spanish and Portuguese: from Sancho, a popular medieval personal name, which is probably from a Latin form, Sanc(t)ius, a derivative of sanctus ‘holy’. The personal name was borne by a 9th-century martyr of Cordova.
Sánchez or Sanchez is a frequently common Spanish last name. As a patronymic, it means "son of Sancho". The name "Sancho" itself comes from the Basque Santxo.
Reply:Jews throughout the world took the surnames of the cultures they came to live in; this would include the name Sanchez. Only those of the tribe of Levi maintained surnames which they could recognize their ancient tribal affiliation by, such as Levi, Levy, Lewis, Cohen, Caan, etc...
According to history, only the tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin remained "Jewish" after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel by Assyria in 720 BCE.
Besides, if you're only "discovering" Jewish ancestry this doesn't make you Jewish. According to Rabbinic Law one's mother has to be Jewish to be consider a Jew, unless you convert that is.
Reply:Present day Jews do belong to tribes in a sense as they are identified like the 12 tribes in the Old Testament. I don't quite understand their tribal connection. I know the Cohen-Levi tribe is the priestly tribe and their DNA is 80% proven.
I do know this there are 3 branches of Judaism. Reform Jews do not agree on the old traditional definition of a Jew like the Orthodox and Conservative.
Orthodox and Conservative Jews define a Jew by the mother, not the father. They state they get the nation from the mother and the tribe from the father and if they don't have a Jewish father they belong to the tribe of the nearest male relative on the mother's side of the family. If they don't have a Jewish mother, the only way they can be a Jew is to convert to Judaism, but still how they define the tribe is not the same way as the old 12 tribes of Israel.
Reply:I really cannot say but yes it may be possible because the Jews scattered all over the world and according to mine it is from the tribe of Benjamin so who knows, i got this info from a group who traces back Jewish roots at my sisters church.
Reply:How would you know that?
Jews have kept track of the tribe of Levi, because of their future role according to Orthodox Judaism. I don't believe they have kept track over 3000 years of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, etc. the rest have gone to Assyria and no one seems to know what happened. Alot of things like Josephus I recommend should not be believed unless proven.
schoolsmartial arts
To Jews who know people who have converted did those converts take a Hebrew/Jewish name upon converting?
Is it true that the justification for changing ones name upon converting to Judaism comes from the fact that Abram became Abraham, Jacob became Israel and Hajar became Kushrut(sp) upon being Jewish?
To Jews who know people who have converted did those converts take a Hebrew/Jewish name upon converting?
Yes, after a fashion. Abraham and others whose names were changed underwent spiritual transformations; their names were changed to reflect this. The same is true today.
The sages say that one of the virtues of the Jews in their exile in Egypt was that they did not alter their names. That would have signaled an altered worldview, the adoption of a new lifestyle, a quick and efficient scrapping of the past.
A change of name for the convert, following that logic, signals the embracing of a new philosophy, a new identification, a purposeful, mindful statement of intent for the long future. "A convert is as a newborn child, k'tinok she'nolad." A new person needs a new name. That is why the rabbis instituted that converts should choose Hebrew names for their new Jewish lives.
Reply:You need a Hebrew name to be called to the Torah.
Converts use Avraham for their father's name and Sarah for their mother's. So for Jewish ritual, I'm Miriam Leah bat Avraham v'Sarah.
That's the practical side. The metaphorical/mystical side is as metaphorical or mystical, or not, as the convert.
Reply:Every convert is given a hebrew name. It may sound like their English name, or that may choose one of their own.
Whether the convert then uses that name in public, or stays with their given name is their personal choice.
I also know other Jews who feel their first name is not Jewish enough, and will change their name to something more appropriate.
Sometimes Johns will change to Joshua, as an example
Enjoy,
Jeffrey
Reply:Most people who convert to Judaism do take on a new Hebrew name, yes. I'll be honest and say I'm not entirely sure of the reason underlying it, so I'll star your post for my fellow Jews who no doubt will be able to answer this :)
To Jews who know people who have converted did those converts take a Hebrew/Jewish name upon converting?
Yes, after a fashion. Abraham and others whose names were changed underwent spiritual transformations; their names were changed to reflect this. The same is true today.
The sages say that one of the virtues of the Jews in their exile in Egypt was that they did not alter their names. That would have signaled an altered worldview, the adoption of a new lifestyle, a quick and efficient scrapping of the past.
A change of name for the convert, following that logic, signals the embracing of a new philosophy, a new identification, a purposeful, mindful statement of intent for the long future. "A convert is as a newborn child, k'tinok she'nolad." A new person needs a new name. That is why the rabbis instituted that converts should choose Hebrew names for their new Jewish lives.
Reply:You need a Hebrew name to be called to the Torah.
Converts use Avraham for their father's name and Sarah for their mother's. So for Jewish ritual, I'm Miriam Leah bat Avraham v'Sarah.
That's the practical side. The metaphorical/mystical side is as metaphorical or mystical, or not, as the convert.
Reply:Every convert is given a hebrew name. It may sound like their English name, or that may choose one of their own.
Whether the convert then uses that name in public, or stays with their given name is their personal choice.
I also know other Jews who feel their first name is not Jewish enough, and will change their name to something more appropriate.
Sometimes Johns will change to Joshua, as an example
Enjoy,
Jeffrey
Reply:Most people who convert to Judaism do take on a new Hebrew name, yes. I'll be honest and say I'm not entirely sure of the reason underlying it, so I'll star your post for my fellow Jews who no doubt will be able to answer this :)
Can anyone help me with this Jewish name question?
I am learning more about my Jewish culture %26amp; would like to know how to write my name Deborah Ruth. I know Deborah is "Devorah" but how is Ruth written. Thanks.
Can anyone help me with this Jewish name question?
רות(Rut)
Reply:Hashamer Hascha'er
Reply:just go to a church
Can anyone help me with this Jewish name question?
רות(Rut)
Reply:Hashamer Hascha'er
Reply:just go to a church
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