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Coming from being in Fiddler on the Roof...
I would say that it is a pet form of Chava, the Hebrew form of Eve. However, it seems a bit more likely that it is a pet form of Isabella, judging by your background.

The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of the aftermathFrom the houses of the holy, we can watch the white doves go
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Hmmm, that's an interesting theory. I don't speak Yiddish, but I think Chavele could be a nick for Chava. Although I think Tevye calls his daughter Chavana (?)
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Tevye sings a song about Chava...And it's main line is "Little bird, little Chavala". So, it was evidently her pet name. It is a beautiful little song, and our Tevye did a fabulous job. : ) Sorry, that was OT.It seems that adding the ending would make it a term of endearment sort of nn.
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Yeah, that's it! It's Chavala. I saw the musical several years ago, so my memory isn't that good. :)
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