26 | APRIL 30 • 2020 

Renea and the boys.
After 30 years of friendship, the 
couple wed on Sept. 1 in a small 
ceremony at Temple Shir Shalom 
in West Bloomfield, officiated by 
Rabbis Michael Moskowitz and 
Daniel Schwartz and Cantor Penny 
Steyer.
“Every person who was there were 
people who are very important to 
us,
” Michael says. “Every single guest 
was seated on the bimah — we didn’
t 
utilize the pews at all. One friend 
did the cake; another friend took the 
photos.
” 
Adds Renea, “When we started 
talking about the people who meant 
the most to us, it was really hard to 
cut down the guest list, but we want-
ed it to be intimate.
”
Most importantly, the wedding 
was a marriage of families — and 
the couple wanted each family mem-
ber to know that. “Even the ring I 
selected is silver braided with gold,
” 
Michael says. “We are intertwining 
two families together and I wanted 
that symbolized in my ring.
“My daughter, Abigail, and her 
son, Caiden, walked down the aisle 
with me,
” he says. “Renea’
s boys 
walked her down the aisle. Caiden 
carried the temple’
s Kolin Ring — a 
ring from the former Czechoslovakia 
that survived the Holocaust — which 
he handed to Max, who handed it 
to Ari, and so on. We had all under 
the bimah with us, with each of our 
mother’
s seated there as well. It was 
about being inclusive.
” 
The ceremony 
was followed by a small reception in 
the synagogue foyer.
When it came to Renea’
s name, 
the couple discussed it with the boys. 
“They wanted me to have Michael’
s 
last name, Pearl, and they were OK 
with having a different last name 
than me, their given last name,
” 
Renea says. “Michael even spoke to 
the boys before he proposed, asking 
for their permission and blessing.
” 
Which they gave wholeheartedly. 
“It was not just our wedding,
” 
Michael says. “It was a blending of 
the whole family.
” ✽

CLOCKWISE TOP: “My dad always liked Michael,” Renea says. “When my 
dad was in rehab, right before he passed — he was in and out of it all 
day. Michael said to him, ‘I want you to know that you don’t have to worry 
about Renea and the boys.’ And my dad said, clear as a bell, ‘I know you 
will.’ It’s so special that it ended up this way.” The couple were wrapped 
in Renea’s father’s tallis during the ceremony. “When we were wrapped 
in his tallis, we had him with us,” Michael says. The ceremony took place 
under Michael’s tallis, which covered the chuppah. “I found my dress on 
the clearance section at David’s Bridal!” Renea says. “It cost more to alter 
it. It’s actually a skirt and top — it says ‘I’m the bride’ without screaming 
it.” The whole fam. From left: Ari, Max, Renea, Michael, Caiden and Abigail. 
The couple circle each other during the Seven Brachot. 
RIGHT: The couple’s rings — including Michael’s silver and 
gold braided design, symbolizing their blended family.

Celebrate!
continued from page 25