[Avodah] City named after AZ

[Zev Sero]

kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:

> I suspect the answer is in his last line there: It just doesn't feel right. Nowadays, no one relates "Tamuz" to avodah zara, but queasiness over "Christchurch" doesn't surprise me a bit. "El Salvador" probably depends on one's familiarity with the Spanish language.
> 
> Could it be that we're dealing with a social issue, and not a halachic one?

There are two issues.  One is the din of "lo tazkiru", which is a halacha
and therefore has strict parameters.  It doesn't apply to any name used in
Tanach, such as Tammuz.  It also doesn't apply to AZ that are no longer
worshipped, again such as Tammuz.  It does apply to the AZ for which Bombay
was renamed (whether or not it applies to the city as well).

Then there is Jewish sensitivity, "yisre'elim kedoshim nizharim"; which
covers all sorts of harchakot from AZ, that are not necessarily required
by halacha.  For instance, not kneeling; I'm not aware of any halachic
restriction, but it's something that Jews just don't do.  One of those
things is a discomfort with the names associated with Xianity, even
words like "cross", for which we substitute "tzeilem" or "shesi ve'erev",
etc.  The reluctance to pronounce the full name of Ch'ch is part of that,
not of the actual din.  


-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas