Bris?!

Ari's bris was held two weeks ago Wednesday ( for those of you counting, Ari was born on January 15th- just like his hero Martin Luther King, Jr.- ok, he doesn't have a lot of opinions yet, but I'm guessing he'll be cool with MLK).

Ari was a champ, didn't cry once through the whole thing, and loved meeting (and snuggling) lots of new friends. Our friend (Rabbi Ilana Mills) was able to come in from Phoenix to do the naming (below are the pieces we wrote on his name and our family covenant). In general, we were overwhelmed by all the love from friends and family, it was a really wonderful day.

Ari is named after three very special people: my grandfather Alexander

Hoffman, and Debbie’s grandparents Evelyn and Lou Tucker.

My grandpa Al and grandma Connie, who is here today, met during 

World War II and were married for over 60 years. When I think of my 

grandpa, I think of someone with the strength of a soldier and the 

heart of a family man. I’ll always remember how he encouraged me to 

learn to drive (which I did) and to embrace his passion for golf (which I 

never quite got the hang of – though it didn’t stop him from once 

entering me in a golf tournament without my knowledge when I came 

to visit in Florida). Most importantly, I remember his sense of humor – 

which often had a hint of deviousness in it – and the way in which he 

radiated love. Ari, may you be blessed with Grandpa Al’s wit, his 

charm, his strength, and his handsome good looks.

My grandfather, Lou was a kind man, whose unconditional love for his 

family was always felt. Growing up, he radiated a calm, happiness that 

made me feel like there could be no safer place in the world, than a 

nap on his belly. Ari, may you be blessed with his strength, demeanor 

and the ability to serve as the anchor in a family of your own one day.

I was blessed with having a lot of time with my grandmother in her 

final years, when she came to live in Santa Cruz to be near family and I

was fortunate to really come to know her, from her we hope you are 

blessed with her honesty, her verve and her love of Scrabble, crosswords and the San Francisco 

Giants.

It is fitting that Ari carry a name that honors both of my mother’s 

parents, Evelyn and Lou Tucker, because while they were wonderful 

people individually, they were an incredible team for more than half a 

century. Those who knew them knew in particular that my 

grandparents primarily had one hobby, people. They had standing 

games (poker, canasta, mahjjong and many more) but mostly, they 

loved connecting with people, everyone from our family members to 

the cashier at the grocery store. Ari, may you be blessed with an 

enjoyment of your world and the unique people in it that they took joy 

in every day. 

Ari’s Hebrew name is Ariyeh Tzion. Ariyeh, like Ari, means lion in 

Hebrew. His middle name, Tzion, is in memory of someone who we 

know would have been a lifelong friend of his, Tzofiyah Allenberg, 

daughter of our good friends Adam and Lauren Allenberg. Tzofiyah was

a beautiful baby girl whose sweetness, inquisitive spirit and joy were 

taken too soon, we hope some of Tzofiyah’s soul lives on in Ari.

Ari, we promise to love you, and to work every day to be deserving of 

your love. We promise to build a home that teaches you to be kind, 

caring, just, inquisitive and determined. We promise to give you the 

building blocks to help you become the person you want to be, and to 

accept you for who you are. We promise to pass on to you our love of 

our Jewish heritage and culture (and to send you to Jewish summer 

camp). Ari, we promise to listen to you and to learn from you as we 

begin this journey together. And until it becomes a massive 

embarrassment, we promise to shower you with kisses and snuggles 

every chance we get.