Name Story: Yes, my name is “Shayna Maidel”

My parents unknowingly named me after the popular Yiddishism, “shayna maidel.”

My name is Shana Medel, pronounced Shah-nah Muh-dell. Over the years, it has been butchered by one too many people to count — teachers performing roll call, congregant members at my bat mitzvah, the announcer at my college graduation and even my first boyfriend. Read More