Gaydamak vs. Himself

Jerusalem voters wanting to vote for Russian-born billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak instead may have to vote for Aryeh Bar Lev, his name as it appears on his identification card.

Gaydamak is embroiled in a legal battle to put his name on the ballot in the race for the mayor's spot in the city of Jerusalem--but the question is over which name.

The Elections Committee has stated that the name on the ballot must match the name listed on the candidate's te'udat zehut (Israeli identity card). The problem is that although the world-famous business mogul is widely known as Arcadi Gaydamak, his legal name in Israel is listed as Aryeh Bar Lev, and the committee is unwilling to make an exception.

Gaydmak's legal advisors have submitted an executive petition in the Jerusalem District Court to force the Elections Committee to add his name, as Gaydamak, to the Jerusalem mayoral ballot.

Some Olim (immigrants to Israel) fill out a form as part of their process of immigration (aliyah) to use their Jewish name in Israel. Although some foreign names have recognizable equivalents in Hebrew, not all of them directly correspond.

"Abraham" is an Anglicized rendition of the Biblical Hebrew name pronounced "Avraham." If those were Gaydamak's pair of first names, there would be no problem. "Arcadi" and "Aryeh" are a problem, but that is not even half of the dilemma. What about the name "Gaydamak?" 

"Gaydamak" is nowhere similar and has no Hebrew equivalent, and "Bar Lev" is Aramaic for "the son of Lev."

The Elections Committee recommended that instead of its listing Gaydamak on the ballot, Bar Lev should change his name. Bar Lev must apply to the Interior Ministry in order to transform himself into Gaydamak, the name by which the public knows him.