Menachem Mendel Bluming Muses: Names Significance


The medrash in Leviticus Rabbah 32:5 teaches that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egyptian slavery in the merit of their not changing their names from Jewish names. It is alluring to sound more Egyptian or to sound more secular in order to fit in. Maintaining a Jewish identity inspires a family to maintain Jewish practice.
Someone recently asked me my name and when I told him that it is Menachem Mendel Bluming they asked me but what is your real name? Menachem Mendel Bluming I said. They said no I mean the name that the doctor calls you in the office or that they called you in school? I acquiesced. Okay either Menachem Mendel Bluming, Menachem Bluming or Mendel Bluming.
They became insistent. Don’t you know Jews who have names like Peter, Paul or Charles? I certainly do I answered, fine Jewish people. But my name is just Menachem Mendel Bluming, that’s it.
Do you mind if people call you something different, he asked? I said sure how about Mendel Menachem Bluming? Now he had had enough.
My point is that no one mistakes Menachem Mendel Bluming. It just sounds Jewish and is meant to.
Your name is your identity and although in truth my last name Bluming is not an originally Jewish name. Bluming is an adopted name, still my first name makes it clear that my identity is Jewish.
Yes I admit that there is no Dr. or telemarketing agent in the world who can possibly pronounce Menachem as in Menachem Mendel Bluming but they do try and I give them credit for that. It would be much easier if I could tell them that my secular name is just Peter, you can call me Peter, but I don’t because my identity is Menachem Mendel Bluming.
There is a Russian gentleman who came here from the USSR in 1979 and when he named his first son he named him with three very very Jewish sounding names. He said that I am proud to be an American where I can wear my Jewish identity proudly and I don’t want my son mistaken as anything but a Jew. That is why I came here from the USSR.
It is very American to stand proudly as a Jew. This country was founded by people seeking the liberty to live as they are. The more Jewish you look the more you are living the American theme and dream.
How do we fight anti-Semitism today? Of course we need to defend ourselves, use political means and engage in conversation and fight bigotry at every level etc. etc. However at a core level the best thing that you can do to fight against this mounting cause of obliterating Judaism and Jews is by strengthening your Jewish identity because the Jewish people are eternal and by locking yourself with that people you are able to declare loudly Am Yisrael Chai! My People will live and our proud identity will endure.


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