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Conservative Judaism/Child Naming
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Question
Dear Rabbi,
Thank you for making your knowledge available! My wife and I are expecting a child in September. My wife is not jewish but has relatives that are. I want to be respectful of naming traditions and not name the child after a living relative. My wife has an aunt named Sandy I believe short for Sandra. Is this too close for our prospective name choice of Cassandra?
Thank you for your time!
Dear Kurt,
Congratulations on your forthcoming joy and I hope that it will be a healthy arrival for mother and child - and father.
Because the Sefardi Jews DO name after living relatives and since the Gentile community have a tradition of Jr. etc., I can't see that anyone would be troubled even if the names were the same.
I find no match of Cassandra in Jewish tradition. The Jewish tradition for Sandra does have alternative name "Sandra" for "Alexander" in gratitude to Alexander the Great sparing the Jewish state.
Somehow I would urge you to check Cassandra in Greek text of gods, goddesses and oracle. That's from my gut.
Best wishes and thanks for writing
Rabbi Dov
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| Comment | Thank you very much for the sources. My library had most of th books you mentionned and I will go to the synagogue with my religion class over the March break so I might get more information then. Thanks again, Eric | ||
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Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner
Expertise
Write to me with questions about Jewish customs and law, history, philosophy and tradition for answers from a Conservative perspective or conversion. I am a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a member of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. Having served in congregational pulpits since 1970, I now am President of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc. a non-profit educational endeavor. I established it to create new formats of hands-on programs and provide free educational downloads at www.jewishfreeware.org. In addition to general informational questions I welcome your questions about programs for social action, outreach to dual-faith families, inter-faith clergy projects, healing services, education for conversion, adult education for the congregation and the community. If you have questions about Informal and Formal Education I am ready to share my extensive experience with Youth Activities, Camping and Religious School/Hebrew High School on a congregational, community and national/international level.
Experience
I have served on the National Youth Commission for more than 25 years and serve on the Boards of the Conservative Zionist movement MERCAZ and the World Council of Synagogues. I have always dual-families and taught candidates for conversion with a great sense of fulfillment. I am very proud of 25 years on the Jewish camping staff of Camps Ramah. My greatest source of pride is my family! Ask me about them, please!:-)
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