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Children in rabbinic roles
at the Birmingham Temple assist as their mothers
wed for a second time.
N
'
Gad
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Adam Chaim officiates at the wedding of his mother, Susan Chalom, and Chuck \(\
Rose.
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
Special to The Jewish News
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8/7
1998
14
Detroit Jewish News
n the age of divorce, it's not
unusual for children to partici-
pate in a parent's second mar-
riage. But it's not nearly as com-
mon for children,to perform their par-
ents' weddinc, ceremonies.
That happened twice this summer
at the Birmingham Temple. Assistant
Rabbi Tamara Kolton and Rabbinic
Intern Adam Chalom helped their
mothers say "I do" under the chup-
pah, and all involved say it added a
dimension of familiarity usually not
found in weddings.
"My children are my pride and
joy," said Susan Chalom, who married
Chuck Rose Aug. 1, "and to have my
son in front of me doing the marriage
and my daughter beside me being my
bridesmaid — they're the two human
beings I've spent the majority of my
life with. It's wonderful."
Anita Green felt the same way. Her
daughter, Kolton, performed her May
16 marriage to Bernie Green. Kolton
involved her siblings and step-siblings
in signing the marriage license, "so it
was really a union of families," Green
said.
"It was extremely emotional — she
has had a knowing of our relationship
from the very beginning because she
was living with me at the time, she
participated in my dating, and when
she met him, she said to me, 'Invest in
this one.' She picked him out," Green
recalled.
Kolton and Adam Chalom say
these family ceremonies will be more
common in the future, as parents
divorce and remarry with more ease
than generations past.
Performing his mother's marriage is
not something they train you for,
said Adam. "It's also something that
will happen more in the future as peo-
ple live longer, looking for happiness."
"Feminist Judaism came out of
women wanting to be present at
important times in their parents'
lives," said Kolton. "I see this as
another step towards women feeling
included and fully participating in
Jewish life. I'm glad that I could, as a
woman, marry my mother, who is
another strong woman. For me, it was
really part of my identity as a Jewish
feminist, and I think that's one of the
reasons why my mom was so excited
by it, too. It was an experience of
women."
Kolton has performed weddings for
five years, a plus when it came to per-
"
"