Jon: Thanks to everyone for joining to celebrate this special moment for our family. It is customary to wait and reveal the Hebrew names of a child at their Bris (if boy) and Simchat Bat, or celebration of daughter. For that reason, our daughter has come to be known in these early days as Baby Girl Hornstein, or simply, “BGH”. Or for all of you rap fans out there, the Notorious BGH.

 

Erika: So, BGH- We knew you would be quite the celebrity right when you were born, as you are the first grandchild on either side for both Jon and myself. We were also the first born on either side, and we know the feeling of being spoiled by the family paparazzi. The three of us will now share this special bond of building a completely new branch of the family tree, a great privilege and also great responsibility. This is one reason, BGH, that your first name is Dalia (pause), which literally means a strong branch or flowering branch in Hebrew.

 

Jon: Erika and my relationship was founded on family and Jewish values. Early on, we realized that both of us loved being the last person sitting at the Passover Seder table with our grandfathers. When we found out that BGH would be born around Passover, we knew who she was meant to be named for: Jon’s maternal grandfather, Joe Bernstein, and Erika’s paternal grandfather, Billy Rief.

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Dalia’s middle name is Shir, meaning song in Hebrew, and that exemplifies the beautiful tunes at the Passover table that we loved singing with our grandfathers as kids. This year, as we sung these songs over zoom with our families, we could feel Dalia Shir kicking in Erika’s belly. We took this to mean that we made a good choice.

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Erika: One of my main hobbies is tracing the roots of my family history. Well, this hobby really started with my grandfather Billy, or Poppy as I called him. When I was little, I spent hours rooting through my grandfather’s basement for treasures like old Jewish books and other family relics. In college, I furthered my interest by writing a paper about my grandfather’s old neighborhood, and we videotaped his life story, driving past all of his old stomping grounds. I didn’t know it at the time, but this gave me the bread crumbs needed to piece together my family’s history going back 6 generations after Poppy passed away. Our sweet Dalia: you now represent the next generation, or branch, of this family tree. We could not be more excited to see where you take the Rief / Hornstein journey next.

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Jon: Dalia has two other meanings of note. The first is slender. We couldn’t have predicted how well this name would suit our peanut, who weighed in at 6 lb even at birth and is swimming in her newborn attire.

 

The second meaning is gentle. My maternal grandfather, Joseph Bernstein or “Grand-pop”, was a gentle spirit. He seldom got upset or lost his cool, and was known as the peacemaker of the family. Joe was known to be a man of few words, but when he spoke up, everyone listened.  When anyone in the family had a problem or wanted to vent, he was there with calm demeanor and sound advice. He also was apparently very gentle with babies. I’ve heard story upon story of how my grandfather and grandmother would take care of me as a child, babysitting me up to three days a week. I know my grandfather would have been so overjoyed to see Dalia enter this world, and it gives me great pride that my Mom, Larraine, Joe’s daughter and my dad Ken, will be able to carry on the tradition of her parents by watching Dalia on a weekly basis. I know that she’ll be thinking of my Grand Pop with every swaddle, nap, and yes diaper change (I’ve heard there were a few messy ones).

 

My grandfather was also true gentleman, a lost art in a way. He wore crisply ironed outfits, always arrived on time. In Orthodox Jewish tradition, 10 men are required to conduct a prayer service, and my grandpop was as dependable of a minyanaire, or member of those 10, as they come. But while my grandfather was very observant, he also kept an open mind to learning new ways of evolving his practice over time. Dalia – this spirit is our wish for you. A love for tradition mixed with an adaptive mindset and progressive values.

 

As a fun fact, my grandfather, a civil engineer by trade, was the Mr. Fix-it in our family. This may be why being with Erika’s father Marshall, our Mr. Fix-it, gives me so much comfort. Marshall’s father, Billy, owned a hardware store, and I’m almost positive that he and Joe, my grandpop, would have been great friends had they gotten to meet.

 

Erika: My grandfather Billy also was this type of gentleman, in particular through his unwavering lifelong devotion to my grandmother Norma, which began from the moment he spotted her in his duties as a middle school crossing guard at age 14. His insistence on caring for my grandmother at home in the many later years inspires my professional work, aimed at empowering all older adults to age as they desire.

 

Jon: Shir, which means song, could not be a more perfect name to embody my grandfather’s spirit. He served as the cantor at Randallstown Synagogue for an annual salary of just $1 – quite the bargain. One of my fondest memories was having him teach me my Bar Mitzvah portion. Nothing gave me more satisfaction when, on the day of my Bar Mitzvah, he told I made no mistakes and was perfect. Ironically, Dalia’s pediatrician told her that she was perfect just this Friday. We look forward to the rave reviews at Dalia’s bat mitzvah – save the date for 2034!

 

Erika: I too was a prolific torah reader growing up, and was in fact a B’nai Mitzvah tutor myself. Poppy would always come listen to me when I read on the high holidays in various services at Beth El. I can still picture him beaming in the crowd with pride.

 

But Dalia, this isn’t the only type of Shir that gives me pride. Many of you know of Jon’s personalized rap songs that he’s done on many occasions but especially for our close friends’ weddings. He was always good, but if I do say so myself, he’s gotten better since I entered the picture. Dalia, while your Dad is a strong lyricist, I have added strong production skills, with signs, printed song sheets, and organized practice sessions. Our wish for you is not just that you celebrate your own gifts, but those of others, and work as a great team player with those around you.

 

Jon: When asked at my Bar Mitzvah who I most admired, I said Moses and my grandfather. When I wear his gold watch, I often think of what he would do in tough situations. I was always inspired by Grand-pop’s humility, good judgement, commitment to family and Jewish values, and yes, his beautiful songs. Dalia, you don’t have to say me as who you most admire at your Bat Mitzvah. But I do hope I can be a strong role model for you the way Grand-pop was for me.

 

Erika: Poppy’s birthday was April 19th, 11 days after mine, so we often shared a Passover cake and a Happy Birthday shir at the seder table. The picture on the screen shown earlier was actually at Passover, and the cake (cropped out) was right in front of us. Dalia Shir, now this will be our little tradition with our birthdays just two days apart.

 

Poppy inspired my devotion to Judaism, my hobby in family history, and my career promoting Aging in Place. I hope I am able to inspire your interests, passions, and desires, Dalia, just as Poppy did for me. And hopefully you’ll inherit just a little bit of Poppy’s famous stubbornness – just what the doctor ordered for a 21st century gal who we expect will shatter every glass ceiling she hits.

 

Closing:

Erika: Dalia Shir – though you are just 5 days old, you have filled us with love, joy, and perspective about what is most important in life. We cannot wait for each and every precious day with you.

We have a few people we’d like to thank for making this day possible.

 

Jon: Rabbi Mintz- you helped me orchestrate my proposal to Erika, married us, and now have helped us name our first-born daughter. Thank you for being our spiritual guiding light and such a dear friend to us.

 

Erika: This pandemic has been filled with sacrifices and silver linings. Dalia Shir, of course, has been the biggest silver lining of all, and we are thrilled that my grandparents, Frannie and Poppie, could be here in-person for this occasion. We know Dalia Shir will cherish time with her great grandparents, or “The Greats” as they now go by.

 

Jon: It’s also such a blessing to have many of you join from far coasts and continents who would not have been able to hear this special occasion otherwise. Yet we do realize the sacrifice for many of you of having just 10 people join in person. In particular, we know our great and grand aunts and uncles are ready to spoil this girl to pieces, and have already fallen in love with her via pics.

 

Erika: Today could not have been possible without our tech crew dream team, Dodi Zenilman- operating the baby cam, Jon’s brother Jeff and fiancé Alli, our official remote photographers, and our lead producers Talia Schwartz and my brother Austin Rief who have operated the back-end of the event soup to nuts. Dalia Shir cannot wait to hang out with her hip Uncles and Aunts who have already showered our peanut with fun gadgets, outfits, and a whole lot of love. Lastly, we want to thank our all-star parents, Joanne and Marshall, Ken and Larraine, for all of your help and preparation throughout the last 9 months and/ for this day, and for the endless love you have already shown your first granddaughter. She will know only later how lucky she is to have you all so close by.

 

Jon: As a final closing thought, one of the Passover songs that inspired Dalia Shir’s name is called “L’Shana Hab’a’ah BeYerushalayim”. This is a Hornstein family favorite and literally means next year in Jerusalem. During the pandemic, many have adapted this phrase to mean “next year in-person, and not on zoom”. Our wish for all of you is that this song, which inspired the name of our daughter, may shepherd in a new era of abundant vaccines, gorgeous spring and summer weather, and yes, to more happy occasions, together, with all of you. L’Shana Haba’ah BeYerushalayim. Next time, together in person. Thanks again for joining.