Author Topic: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names  (Read 3486 times)

Offline Yonah

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Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« on: November 28, 2018, 05:12:16 PM »
I should know this, but I don't, and I should also have been able to find it on the Internet, but I didn't - the question:

Why does Chabad not spell out place names that have San/Santa/Saint in the name - example - A recent post on the site about the St. Regis Princeville resort spelled in S. Regis instead. I've also seen a lot of California Chabad houses to the S. instead of the other forms of Saint - i.e. S. Monica, S. Diego, etc.

I this a custom? Is it based on a halachic opinion of one of the Rebbes of chabad that's not shared with the Jewish world?

Offline yelped

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2018, 06:09:52 PM »
Who said it's not shared with the rest of the Jewish world?

Offline chbochur

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2018, 06:10:43 PM »
I should know this, but I don't, and I should also have been able to find it on the Internet, but I didn't - the question:

Why does Chabad not spell out place names that have San/Santa/Saint in the name - example - A recent post on the site about the St. Regis Princeville resort spelled in S. Regis instead. I've also seen a lot of California Chabad houses to the S. instead of the other forms of Saint - i.e. S. Monica, S. Diego, etc.

I this a custom? Is it based on a halachic opinion of one of the Rebbes of chabad that's not shared with the Jewish world?
The Rebbe mentions it in likutei sichos cheilek chof vov I'll get a pic of it soon

Offline chbochur

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2018, 06:15:57 PM »
The Rebbe mentions it in likutei sichos cheilek chof vov I'll get a pic of it soon

Offline chbochur

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Offline Yonah

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Offline Yonah

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2018, 09:06:46 AM »
Who said it's not shared with the rest of the Jewish world?

It's possible that it is, but many other shuls seem to use those prefixes in the names of their shuls. I imagine that the difference of opinion has to do with the concept of does the name of a place convey reverence to the person it was originally named after.

Two interesting points from the article posted above:
- The aboriginal example was St. Petersburg, which I have even heard russian friends refer to as Petrograd
- It references Mumbai as being a possible name which we shouldn't use, but seemingly Chabad still uses it.

Offline good sam

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2018, 09:26:33 AM »
It's possible that it is, but many other shuls seem to use those prefixes in the names of their shuls. I imagine that the difference of opinion has to do with the concept of does the name of a place convey reverence to the person it was originally named after.

Two interesting points from the article posted above:
- The aboriginal example was St. Petersburg, which I have even heard russian friends refer to as Petrograd
- It references Mumbai as being a possible name which we shouldn't use, but seemingly Chabad still uses it.
How about Virginia, Maryland, and a million other places with similar names?
If you don't care why would you comment?
HT: DMYD

Offline CS1

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2018, 09:32:07 AM »
California Gourmet Belgian Nut-Free Chocolate Chips https://bit.ly/CaliforniaGourmetDirect

Offline koplonko

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2018, 11:23:38 AM »
Could be this is anothet chabad thing thats widely criticized...

Offline whYME

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #10 on: November 29, 2018, 11:26:10 AM »
The aboriginal example was St. Petersburg

Offline koplonko

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #11 on: November 29, 2018, 11:26:30 AM »
- It references Mumbai as being a possible name which we shouldn't use, but seemingly Chabad still uses it.
Most (caring) sources would (at least in the beginning) call it Bombay

Offline koplonko

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2018, 11:35:28 AM »
It seems like it started when rabbi levitanski brought the key (iinm) of the chabad house to the rebbe, and he was bothered by the idea of saying the name to the rebbe. when it was his turn he it popped into his head to call it Simcha Monica and apparently the rebbe was pleased with it

Offline Yonah

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2018, 11:49:27 AM »
How about Virginia, Maryland, and a million other places with similar names?

While Virginia and Maryland are named for people, those names don't imply that they were holy - as the San/Santa/etc prefix does (Virigina was after Elizabeth I, and Maryland after Queen Henrietta Maria). There are a lot of other places named for people - Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania come to mind, and even the Rebbes in the articles above were okay with the names, (i.e. Petersburg) and not the titles.

Offline chevron

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #14 on: November 29, 2018, 02:54:27 PM »
I say sweet baby J! but I wonder if a meshichist says sweet baby menachem!

Offline whYME

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2018, 03:51:23 PM »
Sometimes I wish there was a "dislike" button for posts.

Offline Yonah

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2018, 05:03:47 PM »
Sometimes I wish there was a "dislike" button for posts.

I'm sorry you don't approve, it was a legit question, and I had a hard time finding an answer on google. I wasn't expecting the trolls, but maybe I should have.

Offline koplonko

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Re: Chabad and the word 'San/Santa/Saint' in place names
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2018, 05:19:50 PM »
I'm sorry you don't approve, it was a legit question, and I had a hard time finding an answer on google. I wasn't expecting the trolls, but maybe I should have.
I think he said
Sometimes I wish there was a "dislike" button for posts.
About this
I say sweet baby J! but I wonder if a meshichist says sweet baby menachem!