Samarrah | Imamother

louche

Mon, Sep 27 2010, 7:24 pm

Dev80 wrote:

A neighbor of mine had a Samara and she said the name came from the word "Shomron" as in Yehuda and Shomron, translaed to Juda and Samara...something like that.

That's Samaria.

Ruchel

Tue, Sep 28 2010, 5:46 am

shevi82 wrote:

Samira sounds like an arab name. I don't think Samara would work in Israel...

Samira is an Arab name also used by jews, just like Golda started a German name and then was used by Jews, and Bella started Italian and was then used by Jews, and Perla started Spanish and was then used by Jews.
Google Jud(a)ea-Arabic. There are plenty of Israeli women who use their Judeo Arabic name.

ora_43

Tue, Sep 28 2010, 5:52 am

Ruchel wrote:

shevi82 wrote:

Samira sounds like an arab name. I don't think Samara would work in Israel...

There are plenty of older Israeli women who use those names, mostly those who came here as teens or adults from Arabic-speaking countries. But I don't know of parents who give their young girls Arabic-sounding names.

shevi82

Tue, Sep 28 2010, 3:33 pm

Are Machluf and Massud used by Arabs? I have heard of Jews with these names but did not realize they are used by arabs today. I remember davenig for Aryeh Deri and his name is Aryeh Machluf.
I think the names such as Golda are different because they are not used by non-Jews today.

ChossidMom

Tue, Sep 28 2010, 5:21 pm

amother wrote:

I also know a Samara, originally from South Africa. Now living in Australia. Also a lovely person.. maybe it's the same one

SAME ONE!! I haven't seen or heard from her since she got married and moved away.

If you're in touch with her pm me and I can send regards through you!

merelyme

Tue, Sep 28 2010, 5:28 pm

Reminds me of this short story:

AN APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA
W. Somerset Maugham (1933)

Death speaks: There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture; now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.