Welcoming a Child

The ceremony for girls is called Zeved HaBat, “gift of the daughter.” The name echoes the words of Leah in Genesis 30:20 after the birth of her son Zevulun: God has given me a good gift. It is practiced in Sephardic, Middle Eastern, North African, and Italian communities.

• At home. Among Ottoman Sephardim the ceremony was usually held at home in the weeks after the birth (in some communities, around the thirtieth day). Relatives sang, offered blessings, and announced the baby's name, followed by a spread of Sephardic delicacies and flowers. Prayer books show it was practiced by at least the seventeenth century.
• In the synagogue. In the Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn, the father, his father, and his father in law are called to the Torah on the first Shabbat after the birth. The rabbi recites a blessing for the girl, and the congregation sings songs called pizmonim.
• A blessing with heroines. At the fijola, the blessing said before the name is announced mentions matriarchs and heroines such as Miriam and Queen Esther.

The dove in the cleft of the rock

The Brit Milah, or covenant of circumcision, takes place when a boy is eight days old, following the commandment to Abraham in Genesis 17. A trained specialist called a mohel performs it, the baby receives his Hebrew name, and a festive meal follows. Sephardic and Mizrahi families surround the ceremony with customs of their own:

• Elijah's chair. A special chair, the Kise Eliyahu, is set aside for the prophet Elijah, remembered in Jewish tradition as a witness at every Brit Milah and a protector of children. Chairs were often finely carved or covered in rich fabric; a carved chair from Fez, Morocco, dated 1903, is in the collection of ANU Museum of the Jewish People.
• Honored roles. The sandak holds the baby. In many Sephardic families, the father's parents are honored at the first son's ceremony and the mother's parents at the next.
• The night before. Men of the family and community gather to read passages of the Zohar, a classic work of Jewish mysticism. This evening is called “Zohar” or Brit Yitzhak, “covenant of Isaac,” and ends with sweets and words of Torah.

Customs of protection

Ottoman Sephardim (Turkey, Greece, the Balkans)

The girls' ceremony was called las fadas, “the fairies,” a name borrowed in medieval Spain from Christian neighbors, or la fijola, from hija, “daughter.” Guests took turns holding the baby. In Turkey, an embroidered silk veil covered mother and daughter until the naming, and was saved for the girl's wedding.

Seattle (Sephardic America)

Immigrants from the Ottoman Empire brought these customs to Seattle. A 1950 home movie shows the fijola of Marlene and Charlene Souriano. In the old country, women also held a kortar fashadura, “cutting the swaddling cloth,” sewing the baby's clothes while singing Ladino songs.

Salonica (Thessaloniki)

Scribes wrote protective amulets called kame'ot, folded into small triangles. Some people carried theirs from birth into adulthood, sewn shut and worn on a string.

Syria

A special decorated curtain honors Elijah. At a Brit Milah, guests add gifts to a tiered tray of flowers and candles, which is then auctioned for charity.

Morocco

Elijah's chair is brought from the synagogue to the home the night before and decorated with colorful fabric. Guests smell dried rose petals during the blessings, and a dish of sand is set near the mohel.

Iran

Persian Jewish families have a custom of setting out a large tray of apples at the Brit Milah.

Yemen

Babies were welcomed on the first Simchat Torah after their birth, carried by a father or grandfather in the joyful Torah procession. Families also used folk protections such as salt in the baby's carriage.

India

Jewish families in India welcomed a daughter by decorating the home with flower blossoms floating in water.

Honoring the living. Many Ashkenazi Jews name a baby after a relative who has died. Sephardic and Mizrahi families usually name children after grandparents, whether living or not, and many grandparents look forward to the honor. A common order was: the first son after the father's father, the first daughter after the father's mother, the next son and daughter after the mother's parents.

Pidyon HaBen. On the 31st day after birth, a family whose first child is a son may hold the “redemption of the firstborn.” The father gives five silver coins to a kohen, a descendant of the ancient priests, followed by blessings and a festive meal. In Ottoman Sephardic homes, fragrant rue might appear here too.

Common misconceptions

• “Ceremonies for girls are new.” Sephardic families have held Zeved HaBat for centuries.
• “Jews never name a baby after a living person.” That is an Ashkenazi custom. Many Sephardic and Mizrahi families do the opposite.
• “A home ceremony is less important.” Among Ottoman Sephardim, the home was the usual setting for welcoming a daughter.
• “Every family follows the same customs.” Practices vary by community and by family.

In the public school classroom

• Teach how cultures around the world welcome babies, and compare with customs such as the Islamic aqiqah feast held seven days after a birth.
• Explore names: students can research the meaning and story of their own name, with family permission and without pressure to share.
• Watch the 1950 Souriano home movie and discuss what it shows about immigrant family life in Seattle.
• Describe ceremonies; do not reenact them or have students sing the blessings. Mention circumcision briefly and factually, as a religious practice, in age appropriate terms.

In Jewish schools and communities

• Hold a Zeved HaBat for a new baby girl, with Song of Songs 2:14 and a Ladino song.
• Display an image of Elijah's chair and invite families to bring naming photos.
• Study Genesis 30:20 and Song of Songs 2:14 and 6:9 with older students.
• Explore the Sephardi & Mizrahi Education Toolkit for heritage across the school year.

At home and with family

• Ask: Who was I named for? Was that person alive when I was born?
• Find out how your family welcomed babies. Is there a special blanket, veil, or amulet?
• Label baby and naming photos with names, places, and dates.
• Record an elder's memories and share them with JIMENA's oral history project.

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