Eighteen months before the Six Day War in June 1967, my parents Ludwig and Barbara named me Aviel. I was born in Kibbutz Einat, then only four kilometers west of the Jordanian border and the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. The Hebrew names often come from the Bible and have a deep meaning. The name Aviel (אביאל) is mentioned only once in the Bible. Aviel was the grandfather of King Saul. It is made up of two words: Avi and El. Avi comes from the word Abba and means "my father.” El is the abbreviation of Elohim and means "God,” and together Avi-El means "My Father is God.” My parents chose this name. I wasn’t asked at the time whether or not I liked it. They chose it for me out of inner and spiritual conviction, as they did with the names of my four siblings.

Jacob's first wife Leah chose the name Reuben (ראובן) for her firstborn son, which also consists of two words:...

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