Baby Naming

A little while ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a baby naming ceremony for our youngest friend, C. Her parents are members of a synagogue in Seattle, and it is part of their tradition for new baby girls to be welcomed and have their names announced for the congregation (I'm sure that's not the right work, but...). Lucky for the rest of us, friends as well as family are welcome to attend the Sabbath service which includes the naming.

The invitation to this event included some general hints on attire, but I wanted to make certain that I didn't make a mistake. I checked with some Jewish friends from work about the dress code. The two of them were guessing about what type of synagogue it might be, but they both agreed that generally conservative clothing would be appropriate. One suggested that I should just "wear what you normally wear to church" which left me to explain that I was just as much a stranger to churches as synagogues. Finally, they told me to avoid anything sleeveless or above the knee, and to wear a hat if I wanted to be really safe. Hat in hand, I set off for the synagogue on a Saturday morning.

I was most impressed by the welcome we received at the door. Not only was there a greeter there, but he handed us off to two people who welcomed us again and patiently explained what would happen and which books we would need. I've been to other religious gatherings where the feeling of being the stranger is very pronounced. In some places you get questioning glances and even cold looks from people who recognize you as an outsider. Here, however, people went out of their way to be kind.

We (the friends) all sat together and tried to keep up with the service. It took me a moment to remember that the books are read in the reverse order from ours, so turning to the correct page took a little time. Luckily, there were people around us who let us know when to stand, when to sit, and when to read-this-section-until-you-finish-and-then-sit. Wanting to not mess up meant paying close attention to the proceedings, but not one time did I feel that people were craning around to get a look at the outsiders.

The part where P, A, and their kids went up on the Bema (Bima?) was my favorite. They all looked so happy and proud to be there (was that an act to cover the nerves? I would have been very nervous). Baby C was perfectly behaved, never cried even once, and looked absolutely adorable in her little pink outfit. After the service there was a lunch where more people came over to chat with us, welcome us, and generally be friendly. All in all, it was a great experience, and I was very happy to be a part of such an important day. I'm still not a religious person myself, but it is very heartening to know that there are places where religion creates real community and encourages people to be their best.