Offensive Name Provokes Ire From Jewish Community
by NM Leland Fuerstman
The following comments emanated from my recent letter to the Executive Director of the USCF, Jean Hoffman, referring to their policy of "not" sharing E-mails with organizers, but readily providing mailing labels for a small fee?! (See Letter)
Listed below are some recent
comments from Facebook
Mischa Fuerstman: You had me until you said "pretty girl at a chess tournament." Everyone knows that's complete nonsense. LOL
NM Leland Fuerstman: Apparently, you are not familiar with IM Nazi Paikidze whose degree of beauty is only overshadowed by her offensive moniker. The word "Nazi" is extremely offensive and despised by every Jewish person in the world. Upon reading the article in Chess Life, her explanation only describes her naivete, selfishness and ignorance of history. The Editor of Chess Life, Daniel Lucas' decision to publish her name on the front cover demonstrates a certain degree of insensitivity and disrespect to thousands of Jewish members. -- I wonder if a player from Botswana with a first name using the "N" word would be O.K. to publish? In my humble opinion, neither should be.
LM Frankie Newton: I'm not familiar with that person, and I've never heard of anyone having a horrible name like that, it's insane that someone would name their child something like that. Maybe they could give her a nickname, and refer to her using that nickname? Clearly they shouldn't use her actual name when it's something so terrible, honestly she should legally change it to something sane and solve the problem once and for all.
LM Chris Mabe: It means something different in her native language and it's silly for you all to raise a ruckus over it. It's her name. It's not even pronounced the same way. Shes a very nice girl.
Apparently, LM Mabe has a long standing relationship with IM Paikidze. It is not the pronunciation of her name which is offensive, it is the SPELLING. According to Wikipedia, the 23 year old achieved the International Master Title in 2012. After reached a peak of 2455 in January 2011, her subsequent results have caused her rating to slip until her recent win at the U.S. Women's Championship. Accordingly, her current FIDE Rating of 2366 falls short of being listed with the FIDE Top 100 Women in the World. However, her current USCF Rating of 2442 makes her the 9th highest rated woman in the country. Regardless, I, and everyone else, should admire her success as a professional chess player and teacher. "I will do everything I can to help more girls get into chess." IMNP
LM Frankie Newton: It's nice to give her the benefit of the doubt, and no doubt it's true that the word could have a different meaning in her native language, but it's not like America is unique in finding this whole 'nazi' thing distasteful, while folks in the rest of the world just wonder what we're talking about. Everybody, all over the world, knows that the nazis are evil, they know what the word means in literally every country on earth, and they know it's really bad, they know that because World War II was kind of a big deal . So while maybe 100 years ago the word had an innocent connotation, it most definitely doesn't anymore, not anywhere on earth. It's like having the last name 'hitler', sure 150 years ago no problem, nowadays you'd be insane to want a last name like that, no matter how great your great-great-great-great grandparents who happened to have that same last name might've been.
Ervon Nichols: How something appears is always a matter of perspective.
LM Chris Mabe: Here is her on her name. I think it's sad she has to put up with this stuff. --- "Nazi is a Georgian name and word that translates to 'delicate or tender.' it is beautiful and a name seen often in Georgia. My parents only speak Georgian and Russian; they had no idea what the spelling of my name meant in some other languages. It is pronounced as 'nah-zee' --- the spelling could be changed to Nazie or Nazy. I have considered legally changing my name (especially after moving to the USA), but it requires a lot of documentation changes and is not a simple task. I am still a Russian citizen and would have to go back to Russia to request the name change. After all, my name is pronounced differently than the word 'Nazi' and I was named after my beloved grandmother. I would like to keep my name, but due to persistent unpleasant comments, I may decide to change it one day." IMNP
I realize that her parents spoke and wrote in either Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri or Mkhedruli where the script for each is unique, so it is possible that they had
never seen the
word "Nazi" spelled out in the Germanic
variation. However, it is difficult for me
to believe that her grandparents and other
relatives were not adversely affected by the
persecution of the Nazi's during WWII.
According to her statement, she is a guest
in our country. Therefore, "when in Rome,
do as the Romans do." Her excuse that
there is too much red tape for her to change
her name sounds like political double talk.
Her advisers would have served her better by
suggesting that while in the U.S, or
any other civilized western nation, she
simply alter the spelling of her
name, until which time she returns to her
beloved homeland. It is hardly necessary to
go back to Russia to do that..? The last line of
her statement reads, "I
would like to keep
my name, but due
to persistent
unpleasant
comments, I may
decide to change
it one day." Why
wait? "Nahzee"
would be a logical
variation, and far less
offensive. I remain,
NM Leland Fuerstman