Why Did Jill Duggar Name Her Son Israel?
By Anne Cohen April 7, 2015
Jill Duggar with baby Israel // Facebook
Let’s get something out of the way. There is nothing Jewish about the Duggars.
And yet, Jill Duggar, the 23-year-old daughter, and fourth child in the family who brought you TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” has chosen to name her newborn son Israel David.
Israel may seem like a strange choice — but given that the Duggars are devout Independent Baptists (they have filtered Internet service and consider that to show one’s thigh is akin to “nakedness and shame”), maybe it’s not so surprising. But why, WHY, is Derick Dillard wearing an Israel Defense Forces t-shirt in the announcement photo?
BREAKING: Duggar Family Legacy Continues: Daughter Jill Duggar Gives Birth to Baby Israel http://t.co/HCkcBmGa1o pic.twitter.com/2QEG6Nah03
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) April 7, 2015
Come on, guys. As Leah Finnegan over at Gawker writes: “You don’t see Jews going around naming their babies YMCA Bible Camp.”
Religious connotations aside, the name is an interesting choice in a family known for naming all their kids with J-names. No really, all 19 of them: Josh, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedediah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie.
Duggar, who married Derick Dillard on June 21, 2014 in front of 1,000 of their nearest and dearest, is a midwife in training. She told People Magazine that she had planned two due dates, March 24 and April 5. (Close, but no cigar!)
The elder Duggars, now proud grandparents Jim Bob and Michelle, had planned for a home birth, but People reports that little Israel was born in a hospital, at 9 lbs., 10 oz. Still, they’re not complaining.
“We are so thankful for a healthy Mom and baby!” they wrote on their official Facebook page. “Love this sweet baby Israel! We are happy grandparents and we promise more pictures soon!”
Craving more details? Don’t worry. You’ll be able to watch baby Israel’s birth on TLC come May 5. Next month in the Holy Land, Duggars!
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
