I recently found out my family has Jewish ancestry on my mother’s side but it was kept quiet because of the Holocaust. I was wanting to know how I could go about legally obtaining a second name in “Hebrew”. Out of respect for my father, who is a gentile, I don’t want to change my birth name. I have tried to look up info but I have had little results and where I live rabbis are hard to come by. Any help will be appreciated.

Our names define our essence so I encourage you in your quest for a Jewish name. The prevailing custom is to give a name at a newborn’s circumcision on the eighth day of his life. If you had a circumcision then by a qualified ritual circumciser, you probably already have a name. If you are in fact Jewish, but were never circumcised, a name is not the only thing you need. A quick painless non invasive procedure could take care of that in the event you no longer have the foreskin.

Be in touch,
Shlomo Soroka