Shawn Is Not A Jewish Name

מוצש"ק פר' בשלח/ערב ראש השנה לאילנות תשע"ג

The Jewish Press: Shawn, Amit, Agam and Alicia
Yori Yanover, January 25th, 2013

Our photo agency, Flash90, presented this morning a few obligatory Tu B’Shvat images, to be used by harassed editors looking for a quick filler with their eyes still half closed and their lips touching the day’s first cup of coffee out of many.

Each image is always accompanied by a suggested caption, providing as much background information as possible, for the same half-awake editor to pick from for his/her readers.

Here’s the caption that accompanied the above image:

“Shawn, Amit, Agam and Alicia plant a tree on January 24 2013 celebrating the Tu Bishvat holiday. Tu Bishvat is a Jewish holiday that marks the “New Year of the Trees.”

(snip)

What got my attention instead were the names of these sweet, Israeli children: Shawn, Amit, Agam and Alicia.

Two out of the four are foreign! And the Israeli ones are very much not your run of the mill Yitzhak and Rivka.(cont.)

Yeah, Shawn isn't in the least bit Jewish.  It's a shame being in Israel, and not having a Jewish name.  Alicia I suppose can be played around with to fit it into Hebrew, albeit pushing it.

What I'd like to know is if "Shawn" is even Jewish.

If he isn't, then why is he here in Israel?

Why is he in my child's gan (Kindergarten), and why is he in a photo in a supposedly Jewish newspaper?

I leave the debate over mixed vs. separate ganim for another time.

And, if you're clueless as to what I am referring,...I am referring to gender.

But, that will have to wait until another time.