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| Hagar and Alinadav Hyman |
A Jewish couple was devastated after authorities refused to approve the name they chose for their newborn. “Jerusalem is not a name approved for people in our country,” the Jewish couple, who are originally from Israel, was told.
Hagar and Alinadav Hyman of Brussels, Belgium, wanted to name their firstborn Alma Jerusalem.
However, city officials refused to register the name, because Jerusalem is not included on a list of approved names for babies born in Belgium.
The couple, who have lived and worked in Brussels for the past three years, said they were surprised by the decision.
Mr. Hyman said: "The clerk asked for the baby's name, so I said: ‘Alma Jerusalem’. After looking at the computer, the clerk said Alma was fine, but Jerusalem did not appear in the list of approved named, so it could not be used to name the baby.”
The couple said they wanted to name their daughter after the capital of their country, as they grew up in Jerusalem, and both miss the city.
However, the employee at the municipal offices in Brussels offered a compromise.
He said if I got a letter from the Israeli embassy confirming that Jerusalem is a valid name, then he could issue a birth certificate with the name.
Hyman said that this has not helped and he is trapped.
"We cannot take the baby to Israel because he has no passport, and no Israeli consular will write such a letter, the Belgians are not going to register the birth," he said.
Mrs. Hyman works as a security officer with El Al Israel Airlines, while her husband works in the European Parliament.