Your first name Eden, shorthand for Gan Eden, a pure and perfect place, has a strong connection to our nation, and is linked to boundless color and beauty. Unfortunately, exactly 100 days before our Eden was born, our own “world of good” was disrupted by the horrific events of Simchat Torah. Many stories of bravery of heroism were and will still be told, but one that really struck us was the story of Eden Nimri. The 22-year-old commander was stationed in an IDF outpost near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, only one kilometer from the Gaza border. When a squad of Hamas terrorists descended on the outpost, Eden and her team, still in their pajamas, rushed to the nearby bomb shelter that had two entrances with no doors. Nimri, who was armed, took control of one entrance while the other four soldiers who also had their guns on them protected the second entrance. There were a number of unarmed female soldiers sheltering there as well. When terrorists began throwing grenades at the entrance being protected by Eden, she led the fierce gun battle with the terrorists, essentially drawing all attention to herself, allowing the other unarmed troops to escape and survive the attack.
Dearest Eden; your name has a triple layer of meaning: firstly you are named after a hero, a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others. You are named after someone who made the most selfless of actions and it's hardly a coincidence that you were born exactly 100 days after October 7th. Secondly, your name is intertwined with Gan Eden, a realm symbolizing purity and perfection. In a world that has recently experienced so much darkness, through your very existence, positive examples and proactive actions, you will illuminate the world, not just for yourself, but for others as well, so it can indeed go back to being a world of boundless color and beauty. And lastly, your name Eden is strongly connected to Bobby Minna who is not able to be here in person because she is in Shamayim making chicken soup, saying tehillim and watching over all of us. An alternative meaning of Minna is comfort and protection and there is no greater comfort or protection than Gan Eden. Bobby Minna; thank you for advocating for us from up there and believing in me and our family more than anyone else, and we are sorry that we didn't have the opportunity to tell you that we are expecting before you left us earlier this year.
Your second name Hadassah has significant meaning as well. When narrowing down the many names that Daniella and I were considering for our first daughter, a common theme that we wanted our daughter to connect to were the virtues of a strong and powerful woman. Daniella’s great Aunt Stella was a perfect example of such a character. Aunty Stella was a fun and witty person, who always loved a quality joke, and had the greatest sense of humor. She was a most determined person, who always lived up to and charged ahead at life’s challenges. Daniella, along with her mother and sisters, were lucky enough to go to England and visit Aunty Stella one final time in January of 2020. In hindsight the timing was perfect, as unbeknownst to us at the time, global travel was screeched to a halt in March of 2020. As Stella’s Hebrew name is Esther, and we wish my mom to live past 120, we couldn't use the actual name Esther. Rather, we went with Hadassah, as “אסתר היא הדסה“. Hadassah was Queen Esther’s middle name. Both Queen Esther and Aunty Stella were tough courageous women who went miles above to help their people, as well as those closest to them. It is our hope our little baby follows in their footsteps and continues the chain of powerful, and, more importantly, impactful Jewish women. Eden Hadassa; we pledge to you today to do our utmost to avoid the typical first-time parents’ mistakes and to do all that we possibly can to steer you on the correct path. Daniella, myself, and our families couldn’t be more honored and privileged to be your biggest cheerleaders in life.
We love you.
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