Names fall foul of Israeli rabbis

Calling 'Ariel' could invoke an angel's wrath, the rabbis say

A group of Israeli rabbis has issued a list of names they say Jewish parents should not call their children for fear of bringing bad luck.

The list includes the names Ariel and Omri - which happen to belong to the Israeli prime minister and his son.

Calling Ariel, the rabbis say, could mistakenly invoke the wrath of a namesake angel, while Omri was the name of an evil biblical king.

The rabbis also warn against naming children after former Gaza settlements.

This, they say, is a bad idea because of the controversy surrounding Israel's withdrawal from Gaza earlier this year.

Afterlife

The list appears on the Moriya website, where concerned parents have posted questions.

One woman, Liat, wrote: "When my daughter was born, we called her Roni but I was never comfortable with that name.

"Afterward I had a dream that it was not good to call her Roni. What should I do?"

The reply simply reads: "Change it".

The rabbis also discourage giving Jewish children "non-Jewish" names, such as Donna and Shirley.

However, they warn that only names with particularly negative connotations should be changed, and advise that some names can be Hebraicised, such as changing Susie to Shoshi.

According to Judaism, names have a spiritual dimension, reflecting a person's characteristics and remaining with the soul in the afterlife.