CELEBRATE!
Generosity Yields
Beautiful Brides
PEARL SALKIN
Special to the Jewish News
y wedding gown hangs
on the rod in the corner
of my closet. Although
it's sealed in cellophane,
the once winter-white dress has lost its
luster. After multiple moves and 28
years in cramped quarters, its previ-
ously pristine layers of bright lace have
turned dingy and dim.
I lovingly looked at that size 6 dress
on each of my first few wedding
anniversaries and relived a little of one
of life's happiest moments. I remi-
nisced about one of the greatest joys of
Judaism — standing under the chup-
pah and saying, "I am my beloved's."
But now that so many years have
passed, seeing that gown makes me sigh
— I can't believe I was ever that thin.
A recent trip to the mall, which
included trying on bathing suits, was
enough to convince me that my girlish
figure is gone forever. As a public serv-
ice, I will never again wear a bikini on
the beach.
_
It's likely that some of today's
scrawny brides will eventually face that
same situation that strikes many of us
in middle age. But if you or the
brides-to-be in your life want to avoid
a future confrontation in the closet
with a wispy wedding gown, do a
mitzvah and donate it to charity.
The practice of providing assistance
to needy brides has its roots in the
Torah. Traditionally, Jewish women in
the bride's extended family and in the
community have offered support for
all aspects of wedding preparation, cel-
ebration and the establishment of a
new Jewish home.
But before the food for the festivities
can be prepared and a place for the
newlyweds to live can be located, find-
ing a wedding dress for the bride is a
top priority.
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I
is a freelance writer in
East- Brunswick, N.J.
Pearl Salkin
Bridal Charities
Beth Israel Congregation, an
Orthodox synagogue in Miami Beach,
is one of a growing group of organiza-
tions that recycles wedding gowns.
Three years ago, three congregants
Helaine Kurlansky, Helene . Berkowitz
and Gita Galbut — started a gemach, a
charitable assemblage that performs
acts of kindness.
In this case, the gemach they estab-
lished is a dress-lending service that has
already helped dozens of disadvantaged
Jewish brides in south Florida. From
humble beginnings, this mitzvah proj-
ect has blossomed to the point where
its current collection is causing the
facility to practically burst at the seams.
Word-of-mouth advertising
throughout area synagogues and social
service agencies has been so successful
that the gemach must move the hun-
dreds of donated outfits in its invento-
ry to a larger location, evidence of the
need to continue helping less finan-
cially fortunate families find a way to
dress with dignity on their big day.
"We want to make sure that every
kallah (bride) looks beautiful at her
wedding," . says Rabbi Neal Turk, Beth
Israel's spiritual leader.
Besides providing gowns, Beth Israel
stocks a large selection of modestly
styled formal attire for the other
women and girls in the wedding party
— everything from pretty pinks for
flower girls to baby blues for bubbes.
And there are bridal veils, headpieces,
hats and other accessories to comple-
ment and complete the look.
It's Fifth Avenue fashion that won't
break the bank.
There are countless women's groups
across this country and in Israel that
are offering similar services to needy
brides. Some seek publicity, and some
do things quietly and on a smaller
scale.
In Boro Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ten
Yad has many fund-raising events and
programs that benefit brides and new-
lyweds in the Orthodox community.