'thatity Rata paa AN EVENING WITH SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN AND PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN Tuesday, June 8th 7:30 pm Sanctuary Temple Beth El 7400 Telegraph at 14 Mile Road • Decorated WWII Bomber Pilot • Professor of History and Political Science • First Director of The Food For Peace Program • United States Senator • Presidential Candidate Senator McGovern will discuss his latest book Abraham Lincoln and answer questions before a book signing. Sponsored by The Theodore & Mina Bargman Foundation and Helen Rowin in Memory of Gerald Rowin and Milton Alexander Susan and Barry Lepler, Chairs THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS EVENT, BUT TICKETS ARE NECESSARY FOR ADMISSION II 52 T B E E F I P May 20 - 2010 LE E F 2 41 o 8 . i8c6 k5et o s , 6 1 7e ap s r e e s c a s 11 ASK HE EXPERT Wedding Timing Q : My rabbi said there are some times when you're not allowed to have Jewish weddings. What are these times and why not? A: I always recommend that anyone planning a Jewish wedding get a hold of The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant (the author of The Red Tent and Day After Night). Since Anita is my go-to source for Jewish wedding information, I e-mailed her about your question. Here's what she had to say: "There are certain dates and days when weddings are not, tradition- ally, scheduled. Most important of all: Shabbat is off limits, not only because of the inevitable work and travel that would violate the prescribed rest of the day, but also because of the notion that every simchah — every joy — should be celebrated individually. "Weddings are not held on major holidays, though Chanukah and Purim are OK. There are also two extended periods of public mourning that tra- ditional Jews avoid: the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (summer months), a time that commemorates the destruction of the Temple; and the weeks of 'count- ing the Omer' between Passover and Shavuot (springtime) except for Lag b'Omer (the 33rd day in the counting of the Omer), which is a very popular date for weddings." "There are actually diverse customs - Laurel, San Antonio regarding weddings during the Omer. Some people observe the mourning only beginning after Rosh Chodesh Iyar. Some people stop the mourning practices after Lag b'Omer. Others will not get married during the Omer unless it is Rosh Chodesh or Lag b'Omer. These customs vary by com- munity so if you do not have an estab- lished family tradition, it's best to ask your officiating rabbi. "The restriction of wedding dates is not upheld by the Reform movement. Some Reform rabbis officiate at wed- dings on days that more traditional communities might avoid. However, the manual for Reform rabbis says that marriages should not be per- formed on Tisha b'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple, "out of historical consciousness and respect" for the Jewish community. "The frustrating part of all this is that a good-sized chunk of high wed- ding season is off limits because of the Jewish calendar. But the silver lining is that getting married in the off-peak season is way cheaper. Mazel toy!" E. For more information about Judaism and Jewish life, visit MyJewishLearning.com . Adat Shalom Hosts Elections ulie Teicher will become president of Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills follow- ing a SYNergy Shabbat instal- lation dinner on Friday, June 4. Adat Shalom's Executive Committee and Board of Julie Teicher Trustees as well as incoming Memorial Park offi- cers and board members also will be installed that evening. Teicher is a shareholder in the law firm Erman, Teicher, Miller, Zucker & Freedman PC and was named in the 2010 j "The Best Lawyers in America" in the specialty of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit/Mercy School of Law. Also elected at Adat Shalom's annual meeting were: first vice president, David Sherbin; vice president, Lori Issner; recording secretary, Norma Dorman; trea- surer, Stuart Logan. Executive Committee members-at-large are Joyce B. Weingarten, Carol Weintraub Fogel and David Goodman. Newly elected members of the board of trustees are Diane Howitt, Michael Gellis, Joel Kahn and Michael Levin.