Israeli out of luck in bid to change name for luck

Middle East News

Sep 29, 2009, 13:04 GMT

Tel Aviv - What's in a name? Quite a lot, if an Israeli citizen, who approached the population registry wanting to improve on his moniker, is to be believed. The 40-year-old wanted to add 20 new names to his original first name, telling the stunned population registry clerk that 'the names will get me a better life,' the Ma'ariv daily reported Tuesday. Among the new handles the unidentified man wanted were Happiness and Prosperity, Tranquility, Pleasant, Laughter, Smile, Original, Perpetual Joy, Wonderful, Special, Unique and I Invented. He refused to be deterred by the clerk's explanation that, while there is no legal limit to the number of names he could have, not all of them would fit onto his identity card. After a protracted argument he agreed to give up 16 of the names and settled for just four new ones. Under Israeli law, a citizen can apply to change his name once every seven years. The Interior Minister has the prerogative of refusing any name on grounds of either public affront or deception. Thus a man who once wanted to change his name to 'Elohim' (God) was, understandably, unable to do so. So too the man who wanted his name changed to Timtumi, a variation of the Hebrew noun for 'idiot,' because he had been stuck with that name since childhood. Only after a strenuous argument was the population registry clerk able to persuade him not to be so stupid.

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