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ArchivesRe: Jews & Elizabeth
in reply to a message by LMS
This is just a theory, and I could be completely off, but I suspect that it could be because it was never as common as a Biblical name there in the past. While many Jews in Israel give Biblical names to their children (especially the Orthodox), those names are actually really dated there. For example, I have a cousin named Dina who was born in the US; when our young Israeli cousins found out, their response was that it was an "old-lady name."
Elisheva, the wife of Aaron, is an incredibly minor and relatively unimportant character in the Old Testament (unlike the Elizabeth in the New Testament). Because of that, I suspect that it may not have the same dated feeling as other Biblical names. So instead of naming their daughter Esther after her grandmother, parents may be more likely to go with Elisheva to honor her instead.
Esther was one of the most common names given to Israeli girls in the 1950s, and many of those Esthers are now becoming grandmothers. Israel is mostly Sephardic Jewish and they name children after living relatives. I don't think that it is that unreasonable to assume that many of these Elishevas have a grandmother named Ester or Esther.
Elisheva, the wife of Aaron, is an incredibly minor and relatively unimportant character in the Old Testament (unlike the Elizabeth in the New Testament). Because of that, I suspect that it may not have the same dated feeling as other Biblical names. So instead of naming their daughter Esther after her grandmother, parents may be more likely to go with Elisheva to honor her instead.
Esther was one of the most common names given to Israeli girls in the 1950s, and many of those Esthers are now becoming grandmothers. Israel is mostly Sephardic Jewish and they name children after living relatives. I don't think that it is that unreasonable to assume that many of these Elishevas have a grandmother named Ester or Esther.
This message was edited 3/18/2019, 5:45 AM
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Because Elizabeth is the English form of Elisheva, and Elisheva is a Hebrew name which appears in the Torah / Old Testament. This Israeli popularity list from 2016 is the same as the one here on BtN, except it lists the Hebrew transcription first, and the English translation second. https://bloodandfrogs.com/2018/04/101-most-popular-jewish-girls-names-in-israel-in-2016.html . Apparently people may use one or the other or both, depending on circumstances.
Elisheva/Elizabeth was #58, which isn't extraordinarily popular. My guess is that it is seen as a true Hebrew name from the Torah which just happens to have an English equivalent, like Rivka or Dvora. Its long history of usage in the English-speaking world and elsewhere also means that many people will have ancestors with this name. I don't think you need to seek far and wide for more reasons for its use.
Elisheva/Elizabeth was #58, which isn't extraordinarily popular. My guess is that it is seen as a true Hebrew name from the Torah which just happens to have an English equivalent, like Rivka or Dvora. Its long history of usage in the English-speaking world and elsewhere also means that many people will have ancestors with this name. I don't think you need to seek far and wide for more reasons for its use.
This message was edited 3/18/2019, 10:32 AM
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Elisabet is the form used in the Greek translation of the Torah, the Septuagint. It may not be exactly the same name as Elisheva, but it's still a Jewish name with probably a similar meaning. I think you'll find plenty of other Jewish names found in the New Testament that remained popular, as Jewish names, without reference to the Gospels.
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I know at least one Jewish Elizabeth who has a Hebrew name of Elisheva, so there are bound to be more than just a few.
Some other New Testament names of Hebrew origin that have remained semi-popular in Jewish circles:
-Alexander (although this has more to do with Alexander the Great and his conquest of Judaea)
-Eleazar
-Eliezer
-Joseph
-Joshua
-Levi
-Matthew / Matisyahu
-Saul
-Simeon
-Simon / Shimon
Some other New Testament names of Hebrew origin that have remained semi-popular in Jewish circles:
-Alexander (although this has more to do with Alexander the Great and his conquest of Judaea)
-Eleazar
-Eliezer
-Joseph
-Joshua
-Levi
-Matthew / Matisyahu
-Saul
-Simeon
-Simon / Shimon
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True, but most of these appear prominently in the Torah and have the same English form in the Old Testament as the New Testament, so they would have remained common Jewish names even if the New Testament didn't exist. Elizabeth, like Alexander and Matthew, is not in the Old Testament/Torah in that form, so I can see where some confusion might arise.
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