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the name Sabra is the one chosen by the native israeli born to show strength and perseverence in the most difficult of circumstances...I never liked my name but it is unique in that ive never met another "Sabra" in my neck of the woods...it is the name for the cactus because its prickly and tough on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside like the israelis themselves...it was also popularized in the Edna Ferber book "Cimmaron" (Sabra was the heroine in the movie) and was a popular name in the 1700 and 1800's in the south and midwest...

Thanks, but I find it hard to belive that a baby girl born in C18th rural England would have been named after the Arabic for "prickly pear" :-))

Sabra is also used for an Israeli who was actually born there - not an immigrant. And used to be an excellent orange liqueur too - haven't seen it in the shops for decades, to my regret!