Shoshanna Shapiro, the character on HBO Girls, spells out her name to a snarky NYU Junior working the graduation desk at the Kimmel Center in the closing episode of Season 3. Shosh, as played by actress Zosia Mamet, pronounces her name as Sha Pi Ro, with a long “i”, and not the more NYC-style of Sha Pier Ro. She is more pie dessert than shipping pier.

But a Shapiro by any pronunciation still sounds and smells sweet. (Oh, a shoshanna-rose joke, I see what you did there)

What is up with Sha Pi’ Ro? A Camp Ramah affectation? The late Pennsylvania Governor, Milton Shapp, was born Shapiro and shortened it to Shapp; it helped him to to win elections. But Sha Pi’ Ro? National Public Radio’s Ari Shapiro is a Sha peer ro, as are PBS’s Neal Shapiro and the late Rear Admiral Sumner Shapiro. Baseball manager Mark Shapiro is a Sha pi’ro, however. Is the character Shoshanna from Boston? I don’t think so.

No worries. I wish the character, her friends, and @campsucks well in Season 4.

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larry

3 Comments

  • I once saw this rendering in French: Chapireaux

    I still laugh to this day.

    Lena Dunham’s character is so not going to Iowa…

  • I think she IS going to Iowa, and that Season 4 will pick up a year or two later… or will deal with grad student life. I dont think she wants to act anymore. If I were writing Season 4, I would write her out of most episodes and focus on the other characters

  • I love the Chapireaux.
    I want a French Jewish restaurant and chalet to be named that
    Or a line of Kosher pate

    Shapiro’s primarily came from Shpeyer in the German Rhineland of what is now Southwest Germany. I think my cousin got a personalized engraved invite from Bishop Rudiger Huzmann in 1084 CE invited her to rent a room in Altspeyer