We recently started working on our wedding plans with Ginger’s Rabbi growing up, and I’ve been really enjoying learning more about Jewish wedding traditions. Anita Diamant writes about modern Jewish weddings in a way that is accessible no matter where you are in learning about Judaism. I love that she writes to the couple, not to the bride. She speaks to interfaith couples and Jews-by-choice, and advocates for making Jewish making choices that speak to you. She also dedicates a section to “Gays and Lesbians under the Huppah.” She includes the Brit Ahuvim ceremony and ketubah text in the appendix. This ceremony, which was written by scholar Rachel Adler, focuses on creating a egalitarian, loving partnership. I love that it has deep roots in Jewish tradition, and also offers an alternative to the traditional of “acquiring of the bride.”
Anita Diamant discusses a great way to recognize the gay rights struggle ahead while celebrating the joy of getting married. I love this way of ending the seven blessings!
“Before drinking from this cup of joy, we acknowledge that our cup is not quite full. We spill out drops of wine in hope that someday this union will be fully recognized as a marriage by the civil authorities with all of the rights and benefits of marriage, and none of the discrimination that faces these brave souls today. As we raise the cup, we affirm the joy that it does contain, the gifts of this union, the blessings of this love, and the delight of everyone here to celebrate this simcha (joy).”
This book is definitely something you can share with your partner and use to explore which Jewish wedding traditions really speak to you, together.
I am so thrilled to find my book listed here, and so generously recommended.
with love, anita diamant
This was a great resource for my wife and I when we were deciding what Jewish traditions we wanted to incorperate into our wedding. I am the Jewish child of an interfaith marriage, and I am now in an interfaith marriage myself, so it was important to me to find a non-judgemental guide to Jewish weddings that was straightforward and practical. This was it!