Velvel ( yi, װעלװעל) or Velvl ( yi, װעלװל) is a
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
masculine
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
meaning "wolf" in Yiddish.
Velvel is often associated with the
tribe of Benjamin
According to the Torah, the Tribe of Benjamin () was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The tribe was descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob (later given the name Israel) and his wife Rachel. In the Samaritan Pentateuc ...
, who is described in the Bible as a wolf, i.e. a mighty and fearless warrior (Genesis 49:27). Velvel is often used as a Yiddish form of
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
or
Vladimir.
Given name
*
Velvl Greene
Velvl Greene (July 5, 1928 – November 21, 2011) was a Canadian–American–Israeli scientist and academic. Specializing in public health and bacteriology, he was a professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Minnesota from ...
(1928–2011), Canadian–American–Israeli scientist and academic
*
Velvel Kahan
William "Velvel" Morton Kahan (born June 5, 1933) is a Canadian mathematician and computer scientist, who received the Turing Award in 1989 for "''his fundamental contributions to numerical analysis''",
was named an ACM Fellow in 1994, and induct ...
(William Morton Kahan), mathematician and computer scientist
*
Velvel Pasternak, one of the world's foremost experts on Jewish music
*
Velvel Putzer
Velvel ( yi, װעלװעל) or Velvl ( yi, װעלװל) is a Yiddish masculine given name meaning "wolf" in Yiddish.
Velvel is often associated with the tribe of Benjamin, who is described in the Bible as a wolf, i.e. a mighty and fearless warrior ...
, prominent Russian politician
*
Velvel Soloveitchik
Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ'יק), also known as Velvel Soloveitchik ("Zev" means "wolf" in Hebrew, and "Velvel" is the diminutive of "wolf" in Yiddish) or the Brisker Rov ("rabbi of/from B ...
, son of
Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of
Brisk
*
Velvel Zbarjer
Velvel Zbarjer (1824, Zbarazh – 1884), birth name Benjamin Wolf Ehrenkrantz (a.k.a. Velvl Zbarjer, Zbarjur, Zbarzher, etc.), a Galician Jew, was a Brody singer. Following in the footsteps of Berl Broder, his "mini-melodramas in song" were ...
, a Brody singer (1824–1884)
*Verne ("Velvel") Chelin (1927-2013), Canadian pharmacist and businessman who was a global private label innovator
References
The origin and meaning of common Jewish names at ''Aish.com''Velvel at ''BehindTheName.com''
Given names
Masculine given names
Jewish given names
Yiddish words and phrases
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