Do Jewish families select "god parents" or "guardians" for their children?

Dear tmacewen-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question.

Someone else apparently shares your curiosity about Jewish tradition
and asked the same question on this site:

“Entering the Covenant: Does Judaism have a tradition of Godparents?”
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/21-01-14.html

Basically, as you will soon see, the appointment of Godparents is not
looked upon in Judaism in the same way that it is intended in more
traditional Christian societies, though it is sometimes practiced. A
Jewish family may appoint godparents, but the position is merely an
honorary title. There are no real rules, responsibilities or religious
obligations for godparents and a Jewish family may, in fact, appoint
as many Godparents as they wish. Those chosen need not be clerics or
religious leaders of any kind, but they are expected to be religiously
observant, possess the necessary skills, and be fluent in Jewish laws
and customs.

I would gladly have provided the text of the answer for you here but,
as it turns out, there is very little I can say that would actually
enhance what has been clearly explained in this brief history of
Godparents in Jewish society. It is well written and explains the
issue quite thoroughly on its own.

I hope you find that that my research exceeds your expectations. If
you have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for using Google Answers.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga


INFORMATION SOURCES

“Entering the Covenant: Does Judaism have a tradition of Godparents?”
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/21-01-14.html

“Explanation and Order of the Brit Milah Ceremony”
http://www.emoil.com/explanation.htm

“Origins of the Bris”
http://www.beritmila.com/origins.html



SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

Jewish Godparents

Judaism Godparents

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Request for Answer Clarification by tmacewen-ga on 16 Dec 2002 17:15 PST

Thanks to both of you!  Tutuzdada & Rebeccam.  Much appreciated
information.  Are you both Jewish or just you Rebeccam?  I may have
further questions pertaining to Jewish Tradition I would like to ask
in the future.  Like where & who is the nearest Mohel to PEI, Canada? 
Halifax ?

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 16 Dec 2002 18:49 PST

Dear tmacewen-ga:

Thank you for your generous rating. I am happy to be of service to you
if you need further assistance. Please forgive me, but unlike the
non-researching commenters (of which there are many), the actual
pre-screened Google Answers Researchers (of which I am one) are at
somewhat of a disadvantage as we are not permitted, as a matter of
policy, to divulge personal information about ourselves or I would
gladly address your religious affiliation question on a more personal
level.

Rest assured that I can present credible (and verifiable) research on
virtually any world religion, in almost any area of the world,
including Judaism in Canada. If you want to direct a future question
to me personally you may do so by mentioning my name ("for
Tutuzdad-ga") in your question's subject line. Otherwise, the question
will be worked by the first Researcher who feels that he/she can be of
service.

Again, thank you for using Google Answers.

Happy Holidays
Tutuzdad-ga

Great content!

I was all set to post an answer, but got there a second too late! :) 
Well, here's what I was going to post...

Hi tmacewen-ga!

That's a very interesting question... and happily, one with a clear
answer!

To quote from About.com's Ask the Rabbi, "In Judaism, the one who
holds the baby boy during his circumcision, is often referred to as
"godfather." But this is not similar to the "Godfather" relationship
in Christianity.

In Judaism, it is the parents and grandparents who are responsible for
the child's ethical development. Later on, when the child grows older
it is the rabbi and teacher, who are also involved in the moral
teaching of the child."

(You can view the full question and answer @
http://judaism.about.com/library/asktherabbi/bl_simmons_godparents.htm
)


I found support for that answer at WELCOME TO THE BRIT MILAH CEREMONY:
A brief explanation of the ceremony, Prepared by Cantor Philip L.
Sherman, Mohel (A Brit Milah ceremony is where a circumcision takes
place, and the Mohel is the person who performs the ceremony.)

"The appointing of godparents is not a Jewish tradition. If a Jewish
family wishes to appoint godparents, they may do so-it is simply an
honorary title. There are no rules, responsibilities or religious
obligations for godparents and you may appoint as few or as many as
you wish."

http://www.emoil.com/explanation.htm



I hope this answers your question!  Please feel free to post a Request
for Clarification if I can be of any further help!

Best,
Rebeccam-ga



I searched for:

jewish "godparents" (://www.google.com/search?q=jewish+%22godparents%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&start=10&sa=N
)

(I also used my own knowledge of Judaism and it’s practice.)