Dick Plotz wrote on 25/1/01 as follows:
I recently identified several brothers of my great-grandfather Moses PLOTZ
under the name PLOST in the 1858 revision list of Zelva (Pazelva), Kovno
Guberniya in the ALD. The head of the family was the second brother,
Shimkha Gedalia, although the eldest brother Itzik appears in the
list as well.
I have never seen this double name, Shimkha Gedalia, before. In fact, I'm
not even sure whether "Shimkha" is a form of Shimon, Simkha, or something
else. But it occurs to me that anyone with this unusual double name is
likely to be a relative. If anyone in your family bears the name Shimkha
Gedalia, please get in touch so we can try to identify a connection.
The name Shimkha Gedalia is a combination of two separate and unrelated
Hebrew names. The name Shimkha is the Yiddishized,
Litvak-pronounciation version of the Hebrew name Simcha, and Gedalia is
another Hebrew name. Thus, there is no link between these two Hebrew
names, as would be the case with a Hebrew name composed of a Hebrew
name and its Yiddish kinui, e.g., Menakhem Mendl. So, this indicates
that when the person was named during his circumcision, he was named
after two different persons, one Simcha, the other Gedalia, and these
were very likely his ancestors.
The name should not be considered to be unusual, in that it was quite
normal (and is today) for a Jewish child to be named after two
different relatives.
Prof. G. L. Esterson, Ra'anana, Israel
<jerry@...>
