May 20, 2004

by Reb Yudel
Philogos fun factoid

From the Forward's Philogos language column:
Non-Hebraic first names among Jews in Slavic countries were distinctively Jewish ones that had sometimes been preserved for centuries from distant lands, such as the Spanish-derived Shprintze (from Esperanza) for a woman, or Shne'ur (from Spanish Senyor) for a man.

I wonder if founding Chabad rabbi R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi knew the origin of his name?

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