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Mar 10, 2011
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Can crazy and unusual names be considered abusive to children?
MK Zevulun Orlev, head of the Children's Rights Committee in the Knesset, has proposed a new law, with the support of the Moetza L'Shlom HaYeled, that would, if passed, make it illegal for a parent to give a crazy and unusual name - any name that could be considered harmful or insulting - to a child.
Orlev says that his committee has received numerous letters from people complaining about unusual names, names they find hurtful and insulting. An example is the name Zerubavel - while at one time this name was in regular use, in 2011 it can be considered harmful to a child. Another example is the name Adolph, which was a common name in Germanic countries but today is not acceptable in Israel.
The law would empower clerks at the Ministry of Interior to veto a name when the parents come to register the new child with his or her name. In such a situation, the clerk does not have the final say, but the parents request for that name would be passed along to a special committee made up of psychologists and social workers who will invite the parents to a meeting. They will explain to the parents how the selected name might be harmful to the child.
The committee will not really have veto power, as they will only be able to veto a name that is very extreme and will definitely harm the child in the future. The committee will include professionals from minority sectors, such as the Arab sector, the Haredi sector, and others, who will be able to take into account unusual names that are considered common in those communities.
(source: Channel 2 News)
MK Zevulun Orlev, head of the Children's Rights Committee in the Knesset, has proposed a new law, with the support of the Moetza L'Shlom HaYeled, that would, if passed, make it illegal for a parent to give a crazy and unusual name - any name that could be considered harmful or insulting - to a child.
Orlev says that his committee has received numerous letters from people complaining about unusual names, names they find hurtful and insulting. An example is the name Zerubavel - while at one time this name was in regular use, in 2011 it can be considered harmful to a child. Another example is the name Adolph, which was a common name in Germanic countries but today is not acceptable in Israel.
The law would empower clerks at the Ministry of Interior to veto a name when the parents come to register the new child with his or her name. In such a situation, the clerk does not have the final say, but the parents request for that name would be passed along to a special committee made up of psychologists and social workers who will invite the parents to a meeting. They will explain to the parents how the selected name might be harmful to the child.
The committee will not really have veto power, as they will only be able to veto a name that is very extreme and will definitely harm the child in the future. The committee will include professionals from minority sectors, such as the Arab sector, the Haredi sector, and others, who will be able to take into account unusual names that are considered common in those communities.
(source: Channel 2 News)
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Nobody names their kids after my husband's great-uncle Adolph...
ReplyDeletewhy is zerubavel harmful. i wouldn't choose it, but "harmful"?
ReplyDeleteI think, even on this blog, it was written that Rav Kanievsky Shlit"a said not to give a child the same name as a rasha. Even an adult should change their 'non-Torahdige' name to something more appropriate.
ReplyDeleteHey, what's wrong with 'Zelda'?
Shprintza is a very common (and beautiful) name amongst Chasidisha babies.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Rav Chaim Kanievsky said "Shira" is not a real name, and anyone named Shira should change their name.
my grandmother was zelda.....ill never use it though
ReplyDeleteThis should not be a subject of legislation. What a disaster if a every 'rosh katan' clerk in the Min. of Interior starts thinking he's a 'rosh gadol' and is empowered to make such decisions! So many of us have small horror stories about Ministry clerks who arbitrarily changed the names of immigrants, based solely on their sense of 'this is how we do it in Israel.' Our family name spelling was changed by a clerk in Petah Tikva when I got my teudat zehut in '76. I still remember calling my grandfather and father, aleihem hashalom, to ask if I should make a fuss over it and get it legally changed (back).
ReplyDeleteZerubavel may seem a bit weird today, but how does such an honored name in Tanach become 'forbidden'?
I experienced a strange rule at the Misrad HaPnim when I went to get my baby's birth certificate. I told the clerk what his Hebrew name is, and that on the English side I wanted the English equivalent, eg. Yonatan, Jonathan. She refused, saying she's only allowed to spell the Hebrew name in English, so she wrote Yonatan in English letters.
ReplyDeleteWhy does she have that kind of control?