Considerations In Holding A Jewish And Interfaith Wedding

By Dennis Barnes


In this growing melting pot of cultures, its little wonder how heterogeneous mixes are becoming even more common. It used to be that all the trope was all on mixed races and some such. However, even that undoubtedly doesnt hold a candle to the challenges of different religions among couples. Thats certainly a thing to keep in mind before one ventures into jewish and interfaith wedding Orange County.

The world we are subsisting in today is undoubtedly hyper globalized. We are, each of us, living in a melting pot of traditions and cultures. And it isnt at all wondrous that one is likely to find a handful of denizens of different races, religions, affiliations, and cultures in the selfsame radius within a kilometer.

As said, religion and its associated culture make up so much of the Selfhood or sense of identity of a person. For others, it is perhaps something that will be hard to divorce from their own life, past, present, and future. It is something that they greatly identify with, and all through their lives it has been continually reinforced by their own family, peers, education, and experiences.

Now, however, here comes adulthood in all its complications. These aforementioned complications include choosing a life partner. Unless youve been living in an underground cave or something, it would do to realize that we are now in the modern, hyper globalized world of the twenty first century, and overt traditionalism, fascism, and other isms are not so much the fads anymore.

That said, family dynamics can be an uber challenging consideration. Families have histories and traditions and it may be hard to get around them. This is why its imperative to plan your wedding with the presence and, preferably, participation of relevant and key family members. This will predictably drain all your ingenuity and energy, but the end result will be worth all the grind.

Jewish wedding are particularly versatile in the choice of venues. It may be held in a synagogue, a non denominational chapel, a park, or even in someones home. Although traditional rabbinical codes were particularly outspoken against intermarriage, modern rabbis are actually quite partial to officiating weddings between Jews and non Jews. They would even deign to co officiate with some non Jewish pastor.

However, the traditional ostracism has ensured that not many laws and traditions were laid out for the actuality of intermarriage. For example, although some practices are not outlawed per se, theres all the conventionalism to consider. That is, one would know that co officiating can be quite an awkward business. Also, take care to smoothly collate, and therefore respect the traditions of both parties. In Judaism, for example, weddings do not at all take place on the Sabbath or Shabbat, that is, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.

Also, youre factoring in all your relationships, not least of all that with your family. Interfaith relationships may be in the mainstream nowadays, but thats not to say that one is necessarily rooting for it to happen. That is, for parents, if their child happens to find a partner among the church or sect, then everyone ends up jolly. Complications are something that one can choose to do without, if given the choice. The impending event is still something for family members to reconcile themselves to.

There are many challenges to contend with in this enterprise. Theres religious and cultural assimilation, and perhaps disaffiliation, which can be hard on anyone. Not the least considerations are deciding what holidays to celebrate and traditions to honor. That might make your nuclear family different and unique from others, but its up to the resolution and tenacity of the couple whether to consider this a weakness or a strength.




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