Rabbi holds naming ceremony for her one-year-old (From Surrey Comet)

Rabbi holds naming ceremony for her one-year-old

8:00am Saturday 4th February 2012 in Kingston By Nazia Dewji

Kingston Liberal Synagogue’s first female rabbi has held a celebratory naming ceremony for her one-year-old daughter, Eliana Lily Rogers, at her synagogue.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, 33, from Surbiton wrote a special service to mark the occasion, which was attended by family and friends, as well as members of the Jewish community on Saturday, January 21.

She said: “It was a wonderful service that lasted for about an hour-and-a-half.

“It was a really special way to mark a child’s entry into the world and with names being so important in Judaism we wanted to do it. It’s just that by the time we got round to doing it Eliana was one.

“She knew something was going on and somehow knew the day was about her.”

With no official procedure for a naming ceremony, Rabbi Baginsky was able to be very creative.

She said: “The birth of a boy is often celebrated with a circumcision so it is nice for a girl to have some kind of equal event, a ritual even. Tradition is important but so is innovation and marking a time.”

Rabbi Danny Rich, who is the head of the liberal movement, conducted the ceremony, which was followed by a birthday party for Eliana’s three-year-old brother, Joshua Shachar Rogers.