What's in a name?

Elias Bajalia on his wedding day with
Nijmeh Bajalia (wife) and his mother

The Bajalia name is big part of my story. I spoke of my grandmother in an earlier post but now you need to know that the Bajalia name comes from Elias Bajalia, my maternal grandfather. 

The name Bajalia comes from the city where he was born in Palestine that is right near Ramallah. The city is "Beit Jala".  "Beit" in arabic means house and "Jala" means glory. It is believed that this city located in close proximity to shepherds field in Bethlehem, was one of the first cities that "saw the glory" of the angels announcing the coming of Christ that Christmas night as told in Luke Chapter 2. 

But the real reason I named my company Bajalia is because of my grandfathers love for women.  I was raised in a very strict and sometimes backward culture that placed a very high value on male sons, like most of the places I work in today. My grandfather had 5 daughters, and the only son he had died at only a few days old. I watched and heard many of the arab men laugh and joke at his "misfortune". How sad he was that he did not have a son to carry on his name they would jeer. But my grandfather held his head up proudly and would always comment - " I would not trade one of my daughters for a thousand of your sons".  This comment came to my memory one day while I was in India and I heard a blessing to a woman "May you be the mother of 100 sons".  One of the greatest blessings a woman could be given and I must admit it made me sick.

As I traveled the world with all of the missing women, aborted girls, trafficked girls and violence to women,  I remember my grandfather's proud love and acceptance of us women.  I also watched as my grandfather was one of the few who did not force any of his daughters to marry against their will which was also rare for that time, he wasn't perfect but his love for us was a great comfort when so many other arab men in my life thought women were second class. 

Somewhere deep in my heart that love and compassion took root when so many others, treated me as mere chattel, or even worse, nameless and voiceless. 

So now I think of my grandfather often as our company grows and the legacy he now has to his name, as people announce the name Bajalia proudly. It stands for so much, but to me it is a legacy to a man who loved women well and deserves to have his name carried forth in a radical and honoring way. It is interesting that each culture I go to has a similar word or thinks this word is their own. In Hindi I was told this sounds much like a word that means "I am rescued" so our company seems to have a name that resonates with so many. 

As we near our full court press launch and HSN launch, my grandfather is no longer with us on this earth but I think of how many people will be hearing that name and wonder about it so I want the story to be told, a man who respected and loved his daughters and granddaughters when so many did not is worthy of this kind of legacy to his name. Wonder who will be laughing at him now, and who knows what a son may have done to his name?