Rabbis issue list of names Jews should not give their children

A group of Israeli rabbis has put together a list of names they say should be off-limits to Jewish children – including Ariel and Omri, the given names of Israel’s prime minister and his eldest son.

Saying the name Ariel is problematic because it could beckon an angel instead, drawing down his wrath, the rabbis caution.

Omri – the name of an evil Biblical king – should be taboo because of the highly negative connotation.

And naming children after dismantled Gaza settlements, like Katif, is another bad idea, they say, because of the controversy involved. Jewish settlers, predominantly religious, unsuccessfully opposed the Gaza withdrawal this past summer.

The rabbis’ list, presented on an Internet site, also offers preferred names. Rabbis said they compiled the list in response to a flood of requests from parents concerned they may accidentally give their children names that could shame them for life.

What other names raise rabbinical ire? All those that sound non-Jewish – like Donna, Barr and Shirli. So do typically male names given to girls – like Roni and Danielle- and names that include the suffix or prefix “el,” which means God in Hebrew.

But parents should not run off to the Interior Ministry too hastily. Only those names with a very negative connotation, like Omri, should be changed so as not to risk traumatizing the children. Instead, parents can slightly alter the names to Hebraicize them. For example, Susie can change to Shoshi, which means “Rosie.”

Concerned parents’ questions appear on the Web site.

“When my daughter was born, we called her Roni but I was never comfortable with the name,” wrote a woman named Liat. “Afterward I had a dream that it wasn’t good to call her Roni. What should I do?”

“Change it,” was the reply.

In Judaism, names are very important and each person’s soul has a designated name, the Web site explains. The names follow people into their afterlife.

Israel’s Interior Ministry has barred the names God, Hitler and Bin Laden from being registered in its population files, said Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Census Bureau.