ity
Mazel Toy!
Joe and Kimberly Feldman
brought many cultures to
their nuptials.
Kimberly, left, and Joe, far right, join the Scottish dancers at their wedding. reception.
toms, mixed with Irish, Scottish and
Italian culture, representing Kimberly's
family heritage.
"We wanted a traditional Jewish •
t a resent wedding at
wedding,"
says Kimberly, a
Congregation B'nai Moshe,
Farmington
Hills.resident who was
strains of "Erev Shel
already converting to Judaism before
Shoshanim" were heard as
she met Joe, "but I didn't want to
members of the wedding party entered
ignore my family's_ heritage."
the sanctuary.
The 25-year-old began researching
The bride, dressed in a traditional
cultural traditions months before the
white lace and satin gown, walked
wedding, and found ways to integrate
down the aisle to "Pachelbel's Canon
Jewish
traditions with other customs.
in D." She followed her groom, who
She
worked
closely with Alan Linker
was dressed in a tuxedo accented with
of
Sperber's
Kosher Catering to create
a 'MacGregor-family red plaid vest and
the special menu.
bow tie. He entered to the sounds of
The ceremony included a myriad of
"Magh Seola," a Celtic song inspired
traditions. While it is a Jewish custom
by a mythic battle in the western Irish
to break the wine glass at the end of the
province of Connacht.
marriage ceremony as a reminder of the
After the sheva brachot were recited,
-
destruction
of the Temple, Kimberly
the glass stomped and the mazel toys
learned
that
it is also an Italian custom.
shouted, the bridal parry departed to a
Italians
believe
each piece of the broken
bagpiper playing "Scotland the Brave."
glass symbolizes the number of years the
The reception began with the tradi-
couple will be married.
tional HaMotzi blessing over the
Judaism teaches that the wedding
bread, after which guests feasted on
must include the exchange of some-
bruschetta, shepherd's pie, Italian
thing of value, usually a ring that
meatballs and chicken marsala.
should
be a solid band of metal free of
It was the unique wedding of Joe
stones.
The
rings exchanged by Joe
and Kimberly Feldman. The wedding
and
Kimberly
were adorned with
encompassed traditional Jewish cus-
LISA BARS ON
Special to the Jewish News
A
Celtic knots, the symbol of love,
friendship and loyalty.
The inscription on the inside of the
bands reads, Ani ldodi v'dodi li ("I am
my beloved's and my beloved is
mine"), from the Song of Songs.
Joe and Kimberly wanted to be sure
that the Jewish elements of the wed-
ding were not compromised for the
sake of other traditions, only
enhanced. During the reception, a
time when it is a mitzvah to entertain
the bride and groom, traditional Irish
and Scottish instructors taught guests
Highland and Scottish country
dances. These were interspersed with
the Nora. The couple followed a tradi-
tional Italian custom, the dollar dance,
where guests pay a dollar to have the
opportunity to dance with the bride
and groom. But instead of keeping the
money as a wedding gift, as is the
Italian custom, Joe and Kimberly
donated the money to Care House, an
Oakland County organization that
helps abused children, observing the
mitzvah of charity.
Joe, a 28-year-old Southfield native,
was enthusiastic about the wedding
plans. "I wanted a traditional Jewish
wedding, and we were able to com-
bine it with other elements important
to Kimberly," says Joe. "My friends
and family still comment on how
much they enjoyed the reception."
It turned out that one of the hired
Scottish dancers was Jewish, and it
was the bagpiper's third Jewish wed-
ding in a year.
The couple quietly planned the
wedding themselves and kept their
cross-cultural plans secret from their
families. Kimberly's Scottish grandfa-
ther was the most surprised, as he
expected the wedding to be solely
Jewish. "My family has always known
about our heritage, but have never
done anything to observe it," says
Kimberly. "Joe and I want to start our
home together observing traditions
that are important to us both."
That includes keeping a kosher
home and observing Shabbat. "I'll
leave the Irish dance lessons to
Kimberly," Joe said.
The couple decided to forego a
honeymoon immediately after their
wedding, and instead plan to visit
Israel some time this year. This will be
Joe's second time in Israel, and
Kimberly's first. The trips to Ireland
and Scotland will come later!
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2000