Reply to Can I name my Jewish daughter Mary?

Forum Index » Expectant and Postpartum Moms

Reply to "Can I name my Jewish daughter Mary?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, you can obviously do what you want.

Non-Jews won't even notice, but a lot of Jews will think it's weird (like this one writing this post). Other Jews won't notice, either.

I think some of us Jews find using generally religious Christian names to feel a little too much like what happens in times and places when Jews are trying a little too hard to pass as Christian, or when it has been dangerous to be easily identified as Jewish. Obviously, that's not the case now, but that, and [b]a history of Jewish persecution by Christians[/b] is why people don't see them as "just" a name. Not to mention that plenty of Christians choose "Mary" because it's religious, not just cultural.

Obviously, those situations are not the case right now, but that's behind the weirdness. [/quote]

"... by Christians ...".  This same "logic" leads some fundamentalist churches to blame "the Jews" for the crucifixion of Jesus.  Just no. [/quote]

Um ... the Inquisition? Pogroms? Holocaust? Christians have a documented history of persecuting Jews. [/quote]

The point is that by saying someone should not name her Jewish daughter Mary because the Inquisition, Pogroms and the Holocaust were undertaken "by Christians" is to blame "Christians" as a whole for the Inquisition, Pogroms and the Holocaust.  I would have no problem naming my child Joshua, notwithstanding the actions of Dh? Nuw?s and Simon Bar Kosevah.  In this country we don't recognize corruption by blood.

[/quote]

Oh please.  That PP referenced "the history of Jewish persecutions by Christians."  Which is historically accurate, and which (in part) explains why some Jewish people get uncomfortably with some acts of assimilation, like celebrating Christmas and naming their children names that have strong Christian religions connotations.  Nobody said it was "corruption by blood."  You're being completely absurd and I wonder what your agenda is.  [/quote]

Agenda?  None, other than pointing out that group blame (whatever group that may be) for the acts of others of the same group is wrong and leads quickly to things like racism, nationalism, sexism, anti-semitism, anti-Catholicism, sectarianism, and about 20 other -isms that many of us are working hard to eradicate in society.  Its people like you who would blame "the Muslims" for 9-11.  Its divisive, wrong and, well,  completely absurd.  My referring to someone like Simon ben Kosevah, who died almost [u]two millennia[/u] ago fighting the Roman Empire, was meant to show you how ridiculous group blame is.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics