Weddings | The Blogs

Apply for a Blog

Mikie Goldstein

Jul 20, 2018, 12:21 AM

The day the Jewish state became Orthodox

The legs of a bride and groom are seen as they break two glasses concluding their Reform Jewish wedding ceremony held in front of the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, on March 18, 2013, in protest of the Orthodox Rabbinate's monopoly on marriage licensing and the lack of civil marriages in Israel. (Flash 90)

It only took a few hours: first, the nation-state bill was signed; then, a Conservative rabbi was detained by police

Joseph C. Kaplan

Jul 6, 2018, 11:17 PM

Ani Ledodi V’dodi Li

Since my retirement (It’s Not an Ugly Word, Ernest, 1/5/18), the two most frequent questions I’ve been asked are (a) are you enjoying it and (b) what are you doing with yourself? While the answer to the first is...

Jul 3, 2018, 1:46 AM

What Dating Should NOT Be… If You’re Looking for Something Real.

I’ve learned a lot about dating over the years --and not just from my own. Through coaching single men and women in the dating process, and surviving a fairly lengthy one myself, it’s clear: There are some very good...

Sharona Margolin Halickman

Jun 27, 2018, 10:31 PM

Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God

In the Haftara for Parshat Balak (Micha 5:6-6:8), we read the prophecy of Micha which recalls some of the ways in which God protected B’nai Yisrael during the forty years that they spent in the wilderness. One of the...

Jun 26, 2018, 12:01 AM

The day a 'hand vagina' made this bride blush

Illustrative wedding photo. (JTA)

Or how an Orthodox rebbetzin made this secular Israeli bride blush

Allen S. Maller

Jun 23, 2018, 12:06 AM

Ultra-orthodox rabbis who distrust Jews

Everyone who works in the Israeli Rabbinate bureaucracy should be required to study the Talmud's sad story of Timna. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 99b) condemns those who push potential converts away by relating that Isaac and Jacob pushed away Timna...

Leonard Grunstein

Jun 15, 2018, 8:35 AM

A Tale of Two Households

It was a time of wisdom; it was a time of folly. It was a study in contrasts, as two individuals emerged and had a profound influence, one positive and the other negative, on the fate of others. One awesome...

May 29, 2018, 11:24 AM

The Art of Giving

Gift giving is a pretty universal concept, but Israelis do things a little differently. For expats, knowing when and how to give gifts to friends and loved ones is important. It won't change the world, but it will help...

Peter Buchsbaum

May 24, 2018, 9:05 AM

Marriage is a basic right, 'til the rabbis pull rank

The entrance to the offices of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Jerusalem. (Flash90)

A new bill aims to extend the reach of Israel's Rabbinate, the very body creating the problems the law is supposed to fix

May 20, 2018, 7:55 AM

Dayenu. The Wedding is Over

Hurrah. The royal wedding is over. The glitter of tiaras and precious gems no longer blind one’s eyes. Now Mr. and Mrs. Harry Windsor, the Duke of Sussex, must settle down to the tepid life of a future heir...

Load more