Newspaper Page Text
TIB* BOVTHIKN I 8 I A I L 1 t I
Friday, March 17, 1M1
PLAIN TALK—by Alfred Segal
Ora
mmmmmrnm
All About Montgomery
My good old friend Mr. Dalid
was feeling depressed, as we
were sitting together at a table
in our town’s Wheel Cafe, for
coffee break; though I myself
was drinking sherry. (I describe
him as “Mr. Dalid,” which is the
Hebrew title of the letter "D,”
his anglicized name begins with
“D”)
Mr. Dalid shook his head this
way and that, and out of it deep
sighs Were issuing.
“What’s your trouble, Mr. Da
lid?” I inquired.
“Oh,” he began, “it’s all about
my newest grandson, born just
two weeks ago . . and a fine
baby, though I say it myself.”
“So, you should be joyous
rather than be sighing here over
your coffee,” 1 protested.
“Well,” he replied, “I feel so
sad because of the name they’ve
put on this new child. They’re
calling him Montgomery ... to
grow up as Montgomery, though
he’s really Moses, according to
our family tradition. Montgom
ery!”
He went on: “Moses always
was in our family. Far back
there in the family’s history a
lot of us were named Moses. I
myself am Moses, as you well
know, and a Moses always has
been in our family . . . And now
it’s Montgomery!”
Poor old Mr. Dalid’s chin fell
even deeper down on his chest
as he set down his coffee cup on
the table . . . “As you may
\ i
* i
‘ • % j
CHAS. fi. WALKER
ROOF- ING CO.
know,” he said, “I have all of
ten grandchildren. And, as I’ve
told you, though Moses or some
other fine old Biblical name
used to be in all our family far
back there, today there isn’t one
Biblical name among my ten
grandchildren.”
Mr. Dalid recited their names
“Here’s my granddaughter
Shirley who should have been
Sarah which was the name of
that grand lady in our Torah;
and there’s grandson Mack who
if he had been Jewishly named
would have been Malachi which
originally was the name of our
noble prophet in the Old Testa
ment; and there’s my grand
daughter Rosalind who should
have been Rebecca in accordance
with the name of her departed
grandma and the name of that
fine Biblical lady who was
known as Rebecca; and the
grandson who should have been
Isaac was named Ivan. So the
names run among my ten grand
children ... all names that at
tempt to get away from the
Biblical . . . except for the
initials.”
“Segal,” he protested “you
should speak on that in your
column. Maybe you can persuade
parents to start naming their
children in accordance with an
cient Jewish customs . . . after
noble Biblical people.”
“You seem to have something
there,” I told Mr. Dalid.
“But what about your own
first name which you sign ‘Al
fred’,” he went on. “Is there any
Alfred in the Good Book. As I
recall there was an Alfred who
was king in England.”
My head dropped . . “Yes,” I
muttered, “I really should be
Abraham.”
I reached into my coat pocket
and by way of comforting Mr.
Dalid I pulled out a page of
“Temple Topics,” newsletter of
the Progressive Synagogue on
Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The temple’s Rabbi, Dr. Theo
dore N. Lewjs, had sent it to me
in order to call my attention to
an article in it, titled “What’s in
CAREER
07P0RTUNITY
We have an opening in our
expanding organization for one
or two new associates. Estate
Planning, Business and Grosp
insurance. Very competitive
portfolio. Three year Training
Program. Salary Plan.
IRVING HOWARD SHAW
Managar, Atlanta Agancy
IM Fulton Fatfaral Building
Atlanta 3, Oa.
JActoon 5*7431
■wmmni
Shenandoah Life
t9touA4utc* (ZompaiUj
Home Office: ROANOKE. VIRGINIA
Crews Drug Company, Inc.
Prescriptions, sick room supplies
To serve you better we offer
FREE CITY WIDE DELIVERY SERVICE
(Have your Phyaidan phone your Prescription
to us and we will deliver to you at No extra cost
or we will be hsppy to pick up your Prescription
and Deliver To You.
a YOUR CHARGE ACCOUNT INVITED:
(This is a food way to keep record* on money
spent for Medicine far Tai Purposes,
• THIRTY YEARS SERVING THE PRESCRIPTION
NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE OP ATLANTA.
# TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU PROM
Crews
Crews
Apothecary 1
N Carrier 8L,
N.K., between
Peachtree and
Coartlaad St,
TRlaity I-ttN
Atlanta, Ga.
Apothecary 2
ITU Ftree St,
NJL, 8trickier
Doctor Bldg,
(in Lobby)
TRlnlty 5-4754
Atlaata, Ga.
"House of Service*
a Name?” It had been written
by his associate rabbi . . . Daniel
Jeremy Silver. I read it to Mr.
Dalid.
Rabbi Silver was saying: “Let
the name we choose be a re
spected one ... a revered grand
father, a great-hearted grand
mother . . . rather than some cur
rent athletic or cinematic hero.
Pity, 20 years from now . . our
Brigittes and Elvises!
‘The problem of translating
archaic or awkward names into
acceptable modem equivalents
is often difficult. The custom
grew to render the name wholly
into English. Thus ‘Aryeh’ be
came Leonard; both the Hebrew
and the English suggesting a lion
and a lion-hearted. Sometimes
there is no English equivalent,
so another custom developed of
retaining the identical first let
ter. Thus ‘Mendale’ became Mor
ris or Martin. The ftsults are
often ludicrously incongruous.
One wonders at the connection
between a saintly great-grand
father named ‘Menachem’ and
his newly-named great-grandson
‘Maverick.’ If we truly revere
and wish to honor our ancestors,
we would be well advised to
choose our names from the Book
which they honored, the Bible.”
And finally, Rabbi Silver
speaks up to members of the
temple who shortly or in the ro-
■Mter future may have tables
to give names to. He says: “So
when yon choose, choose wisely
and choose lE^S
have chosen coma to tie tempi*
that we may consecrate that
name with yon.”
When I had finished reading
Rabbi Silver’* piece to Mr. Dalid,
I said to him, < “RAbbi .Silver goes
along with you all the way on
the matter of Jewish kids’
names.”
But Mr. Dalid was sigbing
again ... “I keep on thinking
about that Montgomery . . the
new one in our family . . Mont
gomery who should have been
Moses.”
Mr. Dalid’s fist banged the
AUTHENTIC CANTON ESI
CHINES! POOD
HVAHD |T HHH CNRNUi CMFS
Also Complete lino AmOrfcoa Food*
Doily 1| AM- Is II PJR.
Isadsy - (Naas) to 11 ML
26Vi CAIN ST., N.L
EEsaEA Rl^olt Ema# EAamsfm AsmAas ItaA^I
BVaT wwvmy svvVwl
Atlanta, Georgia
Air-Condi&ontd
Music by Musmk
JAckson 2-6706
Food to Take Out
GEORGIA
INCOME nut
DUE APRIL 15th
April 15, 1961 is the DEADLINE for all Georgia
taxpayers to file their 1960 income tax returns.
File now to avoid penalties later.
If y6n need help In making up your tax return,’
please contact one of the State Income Tax Unit
offices listed below, or writ# the Atlanta office.
ZONK OFFICES—
# ALBANY • AUGUSTA • COLUMBUS
e GAINESVILLE e MACON • ROME
e SAVANNAH • VALDOSTA • WAYCROSS
GEORGIA
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
DIXON OXFORD
Stato Committionor of Movonuo
OLD STATE OFFICE BUILDING
ATLANTA 3, GEORGIA