History Hebraization of surnames

1 history

1.1 in yishuv

1.1.1 jewish agency booklet


1.2 after establishment of israel
1.3 supporters , opponents

1.3.1 supporters
1.3.2 opponents


1.4 later

history
in yishuv

among yishuv (the first return eretz yisrael—the land of israel), there strong feeling of sh lilat ha gola (hebrew: שלילת הגולה‎ negation of diaspora/exile ), included exchange of diaspora surnames purely hebrew ones. part of zionist movement not aliyah wanting create image of israeli jew different yiddish speaking, shtetl living, , perceived weak diaspora jews, , these things significant part of people of first , second aliyot. of immigrants of first aliyah (1882–1903) hebraized surnames, , practice became widespread during second aliyah (1904–1914). hebraizing name, foreign last name cast aside.

jewish agency booklet

this process started individuals eliezer ben-yehuda (perelman) , adopted new yishuv. before founding of state of israel, in 1944, zionist leadership , jewish national council proclaimed year of naturalization , hebrew name . special committee under chairmanship of mordechai nemzabi, jewish agency adviser on matters of civilian defense, published booklet contained guidelines on creation on new hebrew surnames.

changing foreign surname hebrew



first names surnames



change of names names of places, plants or sites in eretz yisrael


after establishment of israel

after israeli declaration of independence, there still attitude hebraization of family names should continue, in order rid of names diaspora sound. hebraization of names became typical part of integration process new immigrants among ashkenazi jews, among sephardi , mizrahi jewish immigrants arab , muslim lands; sephardi , mizrahi children typically given new hebrew names in school, without permission parents.

david ben-gurion, first prime minister of israel, committed use of hebrew language (he changed surname grün ben-gurion). tried convince many people change surnames real hebrew ones. ben-gurion got herzl rosenblum sign israeli declaration of independence herzl vardi, pen name (later changed legal name), ben-gurion wanted more hebrew names on document. 9 more of signatories of document go on hebraize name, well.

ben-gurion, in order israel defense forces soldiers, wrote, desirable every commanding officer (from squadron commander chief of staff) should change surname, whether german, english, slavic, french or foreign in general, hebrew surname, in order role model soldiers. israel defense forces must hebrew in spirit, vision, , in internal , external expressions.

a binding order of same issue issued officials of state in 1950, , particularly represented state abroad. committee hebrew names established supervise implementation of order, task assist , advise choice of hebrew name.

in addition pressure state, tensions between jewish ethnic groups caused people hebraize names dis-identify stigmatized ethnic group or merge collective israeli identity , therefore created desire hebraize.

supporters , opponents

the hebraization of surnames provoked sharp controversy in days of yishuv , after establishment of state of israel.

supporters

among significant supporters yitzhak ben zvi (shimshelevich), leader of labor movement, historian , second president of state of israel. born in ukraine on 24 november 1884. studied law in istanbul david ben gurion. in 1906 attended founding conference of poalei zion , in 1907 settled in land of israel. belonged founders of ahdut ha-avodah party, active in haganah, member of jewish national council, , signed israeli declaration of independence. ben zvi died in 1963.

ben zvi wrote:

our surnames of foreign origin, cling exile [...] names based on hebrew first names damaged , distorted original [...] german , english suffixes, son or sohn , slavic in , ovich , ovsky , shvili . these surnames fill air , pages of our newspaper, posters , announcements in our streets , public squares [...] indeed not clear if hardship of inheritance remained result of middle ages , subsequent ghettoization should tolerated...

all rabbinic authorities encourage hebraizing first names (vayikra rabba 32, , kor ei sh mo, pp. 173–181), , actively encourage last names, (rabbi shlomo aviner (resp. elat shlomo viii, 67-68), , did themselves: among them: rabbis menashe hakatan (klein), maharam schick, shlomo goren (goronchick), shaul yisraeli (israelite), moshe zvi neria (menkin), shlomo aviner (langenauer).

opponents

one of opponents of hebraization of surnames moses calvary, writer , teacher. born in germany 1883, received traditional, general, , rabbinical education. member of ahdut ha avodah, educator in meir shafia youth village, principal of hebrew gymnasium (high school) in jerusalem, , educator in ahava youth village in kiryat bialik.

yitzhak ben zvi demands disqualify foreign names close us. assumption our immigration eretz yisrael revolutionary act, return 1 s origins. let memory of diaspora therefore erased crown returned ancient times, wrapping our names in envelope of our language. have doubts if zealousness appropriate. our names part—a significant part—of our history. bearers of historical names still alive , among us; names of figures mark our history—names sasportas or benbenisti, abrabanel or don yehia, rappaport or eibeschitz—there no reason delete chronicle of our national life. let preserve faith of our fathers in our revival. not betray our memories radical action; , text not relate famous: variety in our names sign of our colorful history, two-thousand year-old history, traces cannot wiped out light-handedly.

some people emotionally attached diaspora last name, reasons such having noble origins (hebrew: יִחוּס yichus), or desire continue identify ethnic group. there story of israeli diplomat told david ben-gurion, change name if can find me 1 non-jew named lifshitz. others had names entirely hebrew begin with.

the disagreement hebraization of surnames continued. many people preserved foreign surname, such first president of israel chaim weizmann, president of supreme court of israel shimon agranat, , others.

later

this trend moderated time. time of wave of immigration former soviet union in 1990s, practice waning. soviet immigration wave had effect of weakening practice of hebraizing names—as part of marked general tendency of these immigrants cling specific russian linguistic , cultural identity. conspicuous example former (2009–2013) israeli minister of tourism, stas misezhnikov. though outspoken israeli nationalist on other issues, misezhnikov did not feel impelled change slavic surname (nor equally slavic first name), , there no public pressure on him so—as there have been on israeli minister during country s first decades.

however, today, people continue hebraize surname, serving in idf , israel s diplomatic missions, representing state of israel. number of small significant; 15% of american , british immigrants israel come on nefesh b nefesh flights hebraize names on arrival.

there trend of reverting ancestral, non-hebrew names return 1 s roots , preserve traditions unique each ethnic group. there people re-adopt name family abandoned sake of israeliness , such israeli writer yitzhak orpaz restored family s original family name of averbuch .