Rabbi with six daughters gets a son

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BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A Florida rabbi said he was overjoyed by the birth of his son after previously having six daughters with his wife.

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of Boca Raton Synagogue said he and his wife Yocheved had a stillborn son 11 years ago and had since had only daughters until the recent birth of Shmuel Yisroel Nosson Goldberg, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The rabbi said congregants shared his family's joy so much that more than 500 people attended the newborn's circumcision Monday. Goldberg said he learned several of the congregation members had been taking wagers on the baby's gender.

"I lost $50 because you had a boy," one congregant texted him after the birth.

Congregants said the birth of the boy was a source of joy for the entire community.

"This is a community baby," Linda Levy said. "It's a sign of hope for the world. Every day, the news is bad, with the elections, Israel, Iran. This was a source of light."