Re: Personal Conjugation based on Closeness

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 17:54:21 -0500 John Cowan <jcowan@...>
writes:
> It's common (almost obligatory) for Jewish boys to be named, at
> least in
> their Hebrew names, after their dead relatives, frequently their
> grandfathers
> (my friend Joe Zitt is Yosef ben Hirsh ben Yosef ben Hirsh ben Yosef
> etc. as far back as anyone can go).
> There's a story about a couple that named their son Zalman, after
> his great-grandfather Zeyde.  (Zeyde = "Grandfather".)
> --
> John Cowan  jcowan@reutershealth.com  www.reutershealth.com
-

Although it's not a universal custom... i don't know about the smaller
subcultures (Italkic, Yemenite, Romaniote, etc.), but the Ashkenazic
subculture does what you've talked about; in the Sephardic subculture, on
the other hand, they can also name their children after living relatives.

I was actually named after a deceased relative, but spelled wrong :-P


-Stephen (Steg)
 "in speaking, you recreate the world."