Oh yeah, Lina's pregnant...

[emmyfair]

What, no one is going to mention that Azrael is the name of the Archangel of Death in some extrabiblical traditions? The name literally means Whom God Helps.

I think it would make an ADORABLE baby name. That, or Wormwood.

Screwtape! :lol:

[Lianachu]

What, no one is going to mention that Azrael is the name of the Archangel of Death in some extrabiblical traditions? The name literally means Whom God Helps.

The Batman comic character is named for that meaning so I was kind of there, lol. :D

[thoughtful]

I'm asking for a Hebrew translation of "G-d's special snowflake". I think its the perfect name for the child.

Roughly:

Sheleg M'ykhad Shel Yah

(assuming they continue to refer to God as "Yah." It always sounds like a nickname to me -- so familiar. "Yo, Yah, how's it hangin' man?")

ETA - should have read ahead -- sorry!

[NurseNell]

I think she should name him/her in honor of her Mexican heritage. That would be cool. Probably won't happen though.

The name Jesus comes to mind. :geek: Every Hispanic neighborhood has its share of the name.

[thoughtful]

The name Jesus comes to mind. :geek: Every Hispanic neighborhood has its share of the name.

Since they call God "Yah," they can shorten the Spanish pronunciation of Jesus, as well, and just call him "Hey!"

[fundyfunland]

Ok. First, Hi Lina!!!! Hope you're not experiencing too much morning-sickness. Keep praying to Yeshua for comfort.

And....my name for her baby shall be: Umglik or Zufal, which apparently means "accident" in Yiddish. She could even incorporate G-d into the name to praise him, so like, Yahumglik. Got a nice ring to it!

[evenstar210]

What about Shilgi-yah (which is actually Snow White in Hebrew)?

But it's got the "yah" in there too...

[defrauding]

If it's a boy they can name him Anth-ny Yahs-me D-dd because teh O's are ebil.

"Yahs-me" can also be read as "Yah's me." That's, like, the ultimate in special-snowflake names.

(Since we talked about "I" and "me" in the other Lina thread, the grammatically correct version is "Yah's I" even though it sounds weird as all get out.)

[ladyamylynn]

Lina just "liked" Attachment Parenting and Mothering Magazine on her facebook page. Significant?

[stonefruit]

I can't find her FB page (or their "couple" FB page) - help a sister out?

[Angri-la]

The Batman comic character is named for that meaning so I was kind of there, lol. :D

Wasn't the evil wizard Gargamel's (from the Smurfs) cat called Azrael? And that was also the name of the "Very Goth" character on SNL...Azrael Nightshade. I have a steel trap brain for pointless pop culture; why couldn't it have been for organic chemistry?

[ladyamylynn]

I can't find her FB page (or their "couple" FB page) - help a sister out?

Their couple page is linked to some of TT's relatives. Otherwise it's not searchable. Her page is just gone from what I can tell.

[GeoBQn]

She also "liked" that well-known Jewish organization called Vision Forum.

[Beeks]

Oh man, after all the Duggar hype - when I saw this thread bumped I thought for SURE Lina had announced her very first Blessing!

[stonefruit]

Their couple page is linked to some of TT's relatives. Otherwise it's not searchable. Her page is just gone from what I can tell.

Alas. What are their names, though?

[GeoBQn]

Here's their page:

facebook.com/profile.php?id=1359167200&sk=wall

Here's TT's mom's page:

facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001218409359

According to Wikipedia, Mothering Magazine "covers alternative childbirth options, and advocates breastfeeding, alternative education, homeschooling, co-sleeping and opposition to vaccination. It takes a stance against circumcision and endorses HIV/AIDS denialism and promotes anti-vaccination." Oy.

[stonefruit]

Thanks, GeoBQN! Looks like they've really locked down some of the privacy settings there.

[julie]

HIV/AIDs denialism? Whatthefuck? Is this a real thing? And what exactly are they denying?? Oh, Lina. :?

[Patsy]

Sometimes that the condition exists (it's just doctors and big pharma and white governments pretending that certain symptoms make up an illness), sometimes that hiv doesn't cause aids, sometimes other stuff besides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_denialism

http://www.tac.org.za/community/

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 7966.story

[julie]

Holy crap.Thanks for the links!

[ohpotteryourotter]

I can't really wrap my brain around the fact that some people think HIV/AIDS don't exist.

[2xx1xy1JD]

My cousin's parents are from India. Her father is an Orthodox rabbi (a real, Jewish rabbi) and they follow some secular Indian traditions.

Ditto. We have friends who are Mexican Orthodox Jews, who speak Spanish and eat tacos and have Mexican artwork at home. We have friends who are Indian Orthodox Jews, who have saris and make kick-ass samosas. Dh's Iraqi Jewish relatives speak Arabic and shop in Arab markets. We're Canadian, so I make pancakes with maple syrup and have a kid who plays hockey (the big prize in his Jewish hockey league is called the Kiddush Cup). Non-religious aspects of a culture are fine.

[LucySnowe]

It takes a stance against circumcision and endorses HIV/AIDS denialism and promotes anti-vaccination." Oy.

My headscratching didn't get as far as the HIV/AIDS denial because, um, if they're going to be good 'Jewish' parents, the circumcision thing is kind of important...well, it will be fun to see how this all plays out!

[LIzzieB]

Ok, I might be showing my ignorance here, so sorry if this is a bit of a dumb question. :oops:

I thought that being an Ashkenazi or Sephardic Jew was a cultural or ethnic identity rather than religious. Is this correct? What are the major differences in religious and cultural practice?

And how can Lina and TT "choose" to be Sephardic?

I recently found out I have Russian Ashkenazi ancestors so I'm especially interested...

[Soldier of the One]

Ashkenazi or Sephardi are ethnic/cultural markers. Judaism is a 'big tent', or a 'tribe' if you will, with many different branches the world over. Ashkenazi tends to describe Jews of Western, Central and Eastern European descent. Sephardi tends to describe Jews of Southern European and Middle Eastern descent. Another subgroup is Mizrachi, which tends to describe Jews of Middle Eastern and Arab descent.

All these people are Jews. But they do vary in local religious customs ('minhagim') and cultural/linguistic/culinary traditions.

If someone converts to Judaism, they tend to align with whatever group they affiliate with. So an American convert to Judaism tends to adopt Ashkenazi cultural norms.

If someone converts with a Sephardi community, yes, then they could become 'Sephardi' in an adopted sense. But you need to do it in the context of a community. You can't really decide to become one thing or another on your own.

Hope this helps!