In Leslie's Name

The Circle of Life

Judaism has a positive perspective on the unending circle of life and renewal from conception through death and back again to life through the continuity of the generations. 

Among Ashkenazi Jews, it is customary to name a baby after a family member who has recently passed away. The usual explanation is that the parents hope that in receiving the name of an admired family member, the child will emulate in his or her life the virtues of his or her namesake. To a certain extent, it is also believed that the soul of the loved one will live on in the child who now bears his or her name. Also, learning about the persons for whom they are named is an excellent way for children to identify with the history of their own Jewish families and by extension, with the history of the whole Jewish people. 

Some parents add these personal explanations to the naming/circumcision ceremonies for their children. We are delighted that Avi and Chedva Rubner have chosen to honour and remember their uncle Leslie/Hershy (Menachem Zvi) by naming their youngest son Ido Zvi. The name Zvi dates back through the generations in our family to the early 1800s, with the first known Zvi : Zvi Herman Rubner.

Read Avi and Chedva's naming explanation below.