20 | JULY 20 • 2023 

T

here are several things I ponder 
when I’m about to arrive at a 
Jewish wedding, like will there 
be little cocktail weenies during hors 
d’
oeuvres, and will I be 
able to navigate the hora 
without embarrassing 
myself? 
However, since Valerie 
Ross of Birmingham 
shared her family’s wed-
ding stories with me, I’ll 
be paying closer atten-
tion to more meaningful 
details the next time I attend a Jewish 
wedding. 
Often, treasured family heirlooms 
like Kiddush cups and candlesticks 
are incorporated into the planning 
of such simchahs. But arguably the 
most popular personal items utilized 
during the ceremony are the tallitot 

draped over the chuppah once worn by 
relatives of blessed memory. It’s a common 
“thread,
” if you will, to remind the bride 
and groom of their loved one 
as well as the sacred relation-
ship we as Jews have with 
God and Torah.
Valerie’s siblings, broth-
er Bryan Kraft and sisters 
Helayne Kaplan and Risa 
Brickman, are all too familiar 
with the tallit tradition. Each of their mar-
ried children has stood under a chuppah 
graced by their grandfather Aaron Kraft’s 
tallit, the same one worn at many of their 
bar and bat mitzvahs. It has been a very 
busy tallit of late.

IN THE BEGINNING
Grandpa Aaron’s tallit put on a lot of miles 
well before it was used in his memory. It 
dates back to when he was 11 or 12 years 

OUR COMMUNITY

COURTESY OF VALERIE ROSS

Grandpa Aaron’s 
tallit has place 
of honor at 
grandchildren’s 
weddings.

Aaron Kraft

 The 
Traveling

Sam Brickman and Becky 
Tranchell with Grandpa 
Aaron’s tallit on their 
chuppah. BELOW: Sam 
Brickman and Becky 
Tranchell’s ketubah 
designed by Sam’s 
Aunt Valerie Ross. 

Alan 
Muskovitz
Contributing 
Writer

