Louis Stern

Luke Stern 

 

A story from Neilan:

Louis Stern was born on June 15, 1907. 

Many years ago, due to the high rate of infant mortality, the rabbis decided to wait several days to see if the child was viable before the parents would name it.  This would help prevent the resulting sorrow of naming a child and then shortly afterward, losing it.

Since it was Halacha (Jewish Law), that the Brit Milah (Bris), of a boy should occur on the eighth day (only if the child was healthy - otherwise they waited until it was), it was decided that the naming would occur on that occasion.

For a girl, they generally waited for the following Shabbat, when she would be named in the synagogue.  Both occasions were reasons for celebration - Simchas.

Here is a copy of Luke's birth certificate.  Oddly enough, it says his parents were from Germany rather than Austria.