Religion: Names

Fortnight ago Germany’s Government decreed that, before next January 1, Jews in Germany who do not bear “Jewish” first names must add to their names “Israel” or “Sarah,” according to their sex. The question then arose: What constitutes a Jewish name? That question became a pressing one not only for 500,000 German Jews but for “Aryan” Germans with such Hebraic names as Paul, Joseph, David. Last week the Government resolved doubts by publishing an official list of Jewish names—including no Pauls or Josephs. Some of them:

Males: Abel, Abimelech, Abner, Absalom, Ahab, Aaron, Ascher, Baruch, Bud, Dan, Denny, Eli, Elias, Elihu, Enoch, Esau, Esra, Ezechiel, Gad, Gideon, Habakuk, Hillel, Isaac, Isachar, Isidor, Ismael, Israel, Itzig, Jehu, Jehuda, Jeremia, Jethro, Joab, Jochanan, Joel, Jona, Jonathan, Juda, Kaleb, Laban, Lazarus, Levi, Lot, Lupu, Manasse, Moab, Mordechaj, Moses, Naftali, Nathan, Nehemia, Noa, Obadja, Pinkus, Ruben, Sally, Salomon, Samuel, Saul, Schmul, Scholem, Sebulon, Sirach, Simson, Teit, Uria, Uriel, Zedekia.

Females: Abigail, Bela, Chinke, Driesel, Fradchen, Frommet, Gole, Hadassah, Hannacha, Hitzel, Jezebel, Judith, Libe, Mathel, Pesschen, Pessel, Pirle, Rachel, Rebekka, Rivka, Sara, Schlämche, Tana, Zipora.

At least one section of world Jewry took the Government’s list calmly. In Palestine, young, race-conscious refugee Jews have been prompt to rid themselves of such German names as Hans, Fritz, Gretchen. Popular today among Palestinian youths are, for males, Uri, Shmuel, Micha; for females, Brocha, Ayala, Ruth. So, in Manhattan last week, reported Mrs. David B. Greenberg, national chairman of “Youth Aliyah,” an immigration service sponsored in the U. S. by Hadassah, Women’s Zionist Organization. Mrs. Greenberg was pleased to see Hadassah— Biblical name of Esther, Jewish queen and nemesis of the Persian plotter Haman—on the Nazi list. Said she: “Any Jewish girl should be proud to bear it.”