AN INTERESTING THING occurred to me today.
In some circles, a rabbi's wife is given the honorific of "rebbitzin."
So what do you call
- A doctor's wife? Doctorette?
- A lawyer's wife? Lawyerette?
- A realtor's wife? Realette?
Yes, I KNOW "realtor" is supposed to be initial cap - Realtor - but then why not every other occupation?
WHAT IF THE WIFE IS the doctor, lawyer, realtor? What do you call the male spouse of a lawyer? Lawboy?
Is there a name for a preacher's spouse? I can't recall ever hearing anything unique.
Now, with non-traditional Jewish organizations, a woman can be a rabbi and her husband - or, I suppose same sex "significant other" - is called ?
It seems to me the most sensible thing is to drop the whole "rebbitzin" and just call the spouse by the surname preceded by Mister or Misses.
As a matter of propriety, a woman married to Yankel Cohen should be addressed as "Mrs. Yankel Cohen" not as "Mrs. Sadie Cohen"; the latter indicates the lady is a widow. ("Ms." is an option, of course.)
For my money, let's stop trying to even suggest the spouse has the same credentials as the rabbi, doctor, lawyer, preacher, or whatever.
My spouse is an educator and was a realtor. I most assuredly am NOT an educator nor was I ever a realtor. Should someone refer to me as "Ed" or "Real?"
Just because a man or woman is married to a doctor, does that mean the spouse automatically has medical knowledge (assuming the spouse is not also a doctor):
Same with a lawyer; anyone wish to be defended before the bar by a non-lawyer spouse of a lawyer?
If I have a question revolving around why Rabbi Yehudah is credited with "Happy is the person whose work is the Torah" rather than Rabbi Yohanon - who is credited in the tractate Blessings - I'll ask a rabbi or a talmud hakham. True, there are a few rabbis' wives (and children as well) who might be able to provide an answer, but they hardly would be in a majority.
I am a geezer and I have been known to express displeasure when someone with whom I have no acquaintenance, and sans invitation, calls me by my given name. Admittedly I am a curmudgeon - and proud of it. I grew up in slightly "more civilized" times (if you can consider post-WW II era "civilized" at all.
