Meet Jojo, the newly named goat at Urban Adamah in Berkeley and the subject of a naming contest that concluded last week with a joyous naming ceremony at the Jewish farm and education center.
Jojo and his twin brother, Shlomo, were born July 2 to momma goat Fiona. Shortly thereafter Shlomo was named by local architect and Urban Adamah benefactor David Trachtenberg, but farm staff decided to have a contest to name the other kid.
Among the more than 100 suggestions that poured in were Billy the Kid (submitted by two people), Shrek, Totes McGoats, Jon Stewart and Vincent van Goat.
After weeding out some of the stranger entries, Urban Adamah staff whittled down the list of 112 entries to a group of semifinalists. The naming became the subject of considerable excitement and discussion among children attending Urban Adamah’s summer day camp.
“They were very into it. There was some good debate. People were having fun with it,” said Zach Friedman, public programs manager and assistant camp director. “We had a big sheet in our main tent where camp is, and everyone put a sticker next to the name they liked best. At the end of the week, the three with the most tallies made it to the finals.”
Then, in a naming ceremony on Aug. 14, the goat was allowed to choose its name from among three finalists: Tevye, Waffles and Jojo. The pre-Shabbat event drew a large crowd of campers, their families, and Urban Adamah staffers and fellows.
Three bowls of oats were lined up in front of the goat, one labeled Tevye, one Waffles — and, on the right, one fateful bowl labeled Jojo. “We said the first bowl the goat eats from was the name,” Friedman said.
The final moments before the decision were fraught with tension, as the goat seemed to weigh its options, carefully considering the name it would bear for the rest of its life, usually eight to 12 years, according to a U.C. Davis report.
“It was very suspenseful,” Friedman said. “The goat walked up and sniffed each bowl and faked us out a couple times.”
Eventually the goat settled on a name. Jojo had spoken — or eaten, as the case may be. Everyone cheered.
“It was quite a moment. It was really special. Everyone was really happy,” Friedman said. “One of the highlights of the summer.”