Skip to main content

Weddings

We have been to four weddings in the past two weeks.   Each wedding was special and unique.   The grooms seemed to be shocked and excited to see their brides dressed up to the nines and looking like angels.   Last night, the brides maternal grandparents were in attendance.  Both had been in Auschwitz-Birkena.   Thank God, they are in their 90's and doing great!  Seeing them at the wedding was particularly meaningful to me.  Here were two people who survived an attempt to wipe out their families, communities and religion.  What could be a more fitting statement than a family wedding to re-affirm their life.  To prove that Nazi Germany failed.

The grandfather grew up in the same town as my paternal grandmother.  They spoke Yiddish and Russian.  Hebrew was not yet a conversational language.  The survivors were productive citizens of their countries.  In the 1920's and 30's, many Jews tried to be exemplars of the best that Europe and Germany had to offer.  They forsook their own traditions and learning to better integrate with the local culture.  Even though (or perhaps because) they were better Germans than the Germans, the Nazis were dedicated to wiping them out.

How special then to be at these weddings, where everyone spoke our own language (Hebrew).  Where the bridge and groom were married according to our traditions.  Where we danced and sung songs that had nothing to do with Europe and everything to do with Israel and the Jewish people.  The survivors were blessed to see their personal redemption with their own eyes.  We were blessed to see the Hand of God and to participate in this re-affirmation of our religion, culture and community.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A change of pace (Kidney Failure)

I have been trying to keep this blog focused on hospitality and food.  God though has other plans for his creations and I find now that I will have to expand the scope to cover new topics.  I'll try to continue blogging about my menus and our guests, but expect more posts that have little or nothing to do with food. In February of this year, My second oldest son, Asaf was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. Simply put, both his kidneys are damaged and scarred from some infection or defect that happened years ago.  They will likely cease to function sometime within the next six months. The good news is that there is no immediate danger to his life.  Kidney Dialysis is a viable option and can maintain his health for up to ten or more years if necessary.  Unfortunately, the process is not easy and there are potential side effects. Given Asaf's generally excellent health and age, Kidney Dialysis is considered only a stop-gap measure and not a long term solution. The best solutio...
13 comments
Read more

Pesach 5768 (2008) Overview

Pesach is just around the corner and preparations are already underway.  Our current guest list includes 7 gentlemen from a post-high school yeshiva program and two young ladies.  Our total count stands at 17 for all five meals. My wife and family are already working on cleaning the house.    Some of the dry goods purchases have been completed, and now we are looking at the protein purchase (butchers bill) and the fresh produce.  To get the process started off on the right foot, we are making menus.  In the general way of things, I expect these menus to change over the next 10 days.  Yet, I want to keep them online and get your input.  Do you think they are too light, too heavy, or just plain not enough for our hungry guests?  Let us know! There are five major meals that we need to prepare. Friday Night Dinner Early Shabbat Lunch (which must be eaten before 9:30am and that needs to include bread) Shabbat Lunch (around 1:30pm, that cannot include bread or matzoh) Seder Dinner First Day ...
3 comments
Read more

B"DE Clark Evenchick

B"DE = Baruch Dayan Emet, Blessed is the truthful judge. This is the traditional jewish response to hearing that someone has passed away. My friend Clark Evenchick passed away last night. He suffered for a number of years from ALS. His passing is both a loss and a blessing. We will miss his wit and his powerful presence. On the other hand, ALS is a terrible disease for both the patient and their family. As the body becomes less responsive, the family and caregivers need to spend more and more time providing physical and mental support. Clark's passing frees both himself and his family from this disease. Clark built our house. At one time, he ran a construction company. Clark was not only an honest contractor, but also a joy to work with. At a time when most houses took up to two years from ground breaking to residence, Clark built our house in 7 months. Whenever there was a problem, we were more than comfortable telling him to find his own solution. I believe that...
4 comments
Read more