AviLondon

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  • in reply to: Kallah Taking Chosson’s Last Name Upon Marriage- Jewish or Gentile? #1451527
    AviLondon
    Participant

    I myself was asked in Antwerp to sign a kesuboh with my name plony ben plony and add my surname.

    in reply to: Kallah Taking Chosson’s Last Name Upon Marriage- Jewish or Gentile? #1450956
    AviLondon
    Participant

    I forgot to add that sometimes a man took his wife’s first name and made it into a surname – Reina became Reines. This happened in our family over 200 years ago, although I don’t have that surname. But this was before surnames were legally required.

    in reply to: Kallah Taking Chosson’s Last Name Upon Marriage- Jewish or Gentile? #1450948
    AviLondon
    Participant

    Surnames for Jews became mandatory in most countries over the past 200 years. Prior to that, a yid was Moshe ben Yaakov, unless he had a “nickname” (e.g. Schneider, Bleier, Marmorstein, Schechter) due to his profession. When surnames were imposed, the officials were very nasty and had to be bribed not to give offensive names: Grossnass, Schwartzkopf, Katz. The last name was not as bad as the goyim thought as it meant – to us – Kohen Tzedek.
    There are some Sefardim who call up by the family name. I have seen this in Moroccan and Algerian shuls (i.e. that follow those minhogim).
    What would be interesting is whether, al pi halocho, the fact that a chosson is koneh his kalloh also gives him the right to change her last name to his. Has anyone come across this?

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