Legal status of Hebrew names
Hillel Raymon
>Can anyone tell me what the legal status of one's Hebrew name is?
>I have in mind using my Hebrew name all the time, rather than "Robert" and
>this is the reason for the inquiry.
>Have other people using their Hebrew names all the time (e.g. "outside
>of Israel") found problems when people want to see documentation (e.g. to
>open bank accounts etc.).? My Hebrew name is certainly not written down
>anywhere, so I could not oblige them in this. I don't know what
>documentation (or if it's "legal") others have from b'rit milah.
Robert is actually raising two separate issues, one legal, the second
practical.
It is a simple formality (at least in America---I am not sure about in
Australia) to change one's legal name to another, "English" or ethnic or
invented. The appropriate documents would have to be produced only when
otherwise required regardless of the name change, i.e., to obtain a passport,
driver's license, Social Security card. Once those basic identity documents
would reflect the changed name, they would suffice as identification for all
other purposes, e.g., to open bank accounts (although there may be a
short-term difficulty in obtaining credit until you establish a credit record
under your new name and/or credit reporting agencies are informed of the name
change).
The practical difficulty is another story. In an English-speaking country
such as America, many clerks seem to have difficulty with non-English names,
whether Hebrew or Yiddish or Indian or Chinese or African. This is perfectly
understandable when the name is difficult to pronounce or spell, but less so
when the name is simple and easy to spell, or when the transaction is in
writing. Some may comment that the name is "interesting" or even "beautiful"
or "lovely"; others have far more negative comments or facial expressions.
Sometimes the reaction may be attributed to ignorance, other times to
antisemitism, racism or xenophobia.
The question all of this raises is, how do we deal with the practical
difficulty? Do we Anglicize or Americanize our names, becoming just another
ingredient in the bland so-called melting pot? This was the road taken by
many of our immigrant ancestors (which has incidentally led to much
difficulty in tracing family trees). Or, rather, do we proudly continue (or
resume) to bear the names of our ancestral heritage, dismissing any practical
difficulties as mere petty annoyances which pale in comparison to the
importance of preserving our traditions? The lack of neutrality in the
language in which I have posed the alternatives indicates my position.
Hillel Raymon <raym...@aol.com>
Highland Park, NJ
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