♪ "Love and Marriage, go together like a Horse and Carriage" ♪. V, OO Fix... BlueX

Hello everyone, 

   My parents and brother Rami, arrived from Israel for our wedding two weeks before, The weather was "Freezing Cold"! My Israeli friend Zeav, invited them, as well as Eli and Yedida, to stay in his spacious apartment in N.Y, while he moved to the hospital, were he worked as a doctor...The first thing the five of them did, was to buy warmer coats, gloves and scarves, before embarking on several"Sight Seeing tours" visiting the famous places, they all heard about: The Empire State Building, Radio City, China Town and other Tourists destinations... Lewis, Al's older brother offered to take my father, Rami and Elli, to rent tuxedos; which in Israel one could only see only in the movies... 

 

   When I was a child, the weddings in Israel were rather simple... People would be standing outside        the synagogue, or the wedding place; holding candles and waiting for the bride and groom to show up Four men (usually family members) were holding the poles of the 'Chupa' ( Marriage Canopy) as the Rabbi, was performing the ceremony... After the final blessings the Groom would crush an empty wine glass with his shoe: " In order to remember the Destruction of the old Temple in Jerusalem". The guests would yell: "Mazel Tov!" (Good Luck) and shove each other, in order to lift up the 'Newly weds', who were sitting on two chairs and begin dancing with them...    1 Photo below. X

.  XPhotos below.

   Dinner was waiting on two long tables, across the wall: It was Self Served... There was a variety of   food and bottles of orange and grapefruit juice, soda water, sweet black beer, regular beer and the mild Israeli wine... Men, with 'Open shirts' (no ties) were loudly greeting friends and relatives, they haven't seen for awhile. Women would be exchanging 'Loud News', with those who sat on the opposite side of   the room and mothers, were frantically,looking for their shirking children; who were chasing each other were  running all over the room or hide under the tables... Eventually the music started  and every one ran to the dance floor for the traditional Israeli dance; The 'Hora'... 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

 small "band"anof a drum ,an accordion, would  play 'Tango','Cha,cha,cha' Pasedoble' and Waltz;('Valls') as the Israelis pronounce it...) Couples would rush to the dance floor, followed by the kids,who joined in the Merriment... They were sliding on the floor, between the dancing couples, stepping on each other's toes, shirking in pain and joy and being reprimanded by their moms, until the evening Dinner which was self served, from a long tables at the end of the room, where children were pushing each other.. 

 

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Al signs the
marriage contract

Shira approves

   Our wedding took place at the exclusive Alpine Country Club, in New Jersey and was 'quiet different' from those I remember during my childhood in Israel....The gold engraved invitations   The invitation asked asked for 'Black Tie' (which was not known in Israel)... Al's brothers, Lewis and Steve, took my father and brother to rent tuxedos (which Israelis have seen only in movies) A day before the big event the Deitsch and Cohen families, arrived for "Rehearsals" in order to be more familiar, with the protocol of the wedding on the following day. We were told that Al and I would meet with the rabbi, in order to sign documents and later on get together, with the photographer, in order to take formal photos of the bride, groom and their family members.. According to tradition, the two mothers would 'help' cover the bride's face with a veil and lead her to the flower decorated Marriage Canopy...

	Shira's family	The Bride	The mothers and the bride	Bride and Groom	Al's family

  The family members had to learn, how to walk with measured steps, in tune with the music, towards the wedding canopy, which was situated at the middle of the room... My brother Rami with my mother on his arm, would be the first to walk... Next, would be Al's parents, followed by his brothers Lewis and Steven My father and I, would be the last to walk towards Al, who would be waiting at the end of the Isle and lead me to the "Chupa"; where the wedding ceremony would take place...

	On the way to the Chupa	Under the Chupa	Mr. and Mrs. Deitsch...

   For my parents, Rami and myself, all of this was new...We were careful not to make an eye contact during rehearsal; fearing we may start to laugh out of control, as we often did after listening to a great Joke, a funny story or found an unfamiliar or 'formal situations (like this one) 'Somewhat Ridiculous'...

Cutting the cake

Tasting...

   I can not remember too many details from the wedding, besides my  worry that my family (including myself) forget to count the steps to    the "Chupa" and stumble; ruining the solemnity of the moment...I was trying to suppress my laughter, when my dad "handed me over" to Al and said to him with a comical sigh of relief: "Thank you Al and Good Luck!" I recall the photographer, instructing us to feed each other a slice of the Huge 'Wedding Cake' and was snapping photos... He also asked us, to stand behind the tables, of our guests and family members and was taking more photos of us and some of the gusts, who were happily clapping hands, singing and dancing at the center of the room....

 

Dancing the Hora

First dance

   It seemed that whenever I was turning my head, this 'Annoying Photographer' was there with his camera...After our first formal     dance as a married couple, I found myself dancing with some of my new 'family members: Brothers-in-law Aunts,uncles Cousins and Uncles, as well as with our friends an other 'strangers'.Al and I were swept by my enthusiastic Israeli friends, to dance and was  congratulated me for my choice of a husband; saying: "Al is realy a great guy, just like a Regular Israeli"... When I was finally able to see my mom alone for a moment, she was looking at her watch saying: "I wish this evening  will never  come to an end!" My father and brother complained that their Neckties were choking them; asking if they could take it off... As the evening was coming to an end, Yedida came over and asked me what do I wish now, that I was a married woman..."All I want now Yedida, is to go to sleep..." I told her, I am so tired...

 

The exhausted
couple

A trip through
Central Park

  Al and I spent our 'Wedding Night', at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan The next morning, we took a 'Romantic Ride' through Central Park in one of the decorated carriages, hitched to a well-groomed horses... Two days later we flew back to Puerto Rico... Eli and Yedida insisted that my parents and brother stay at their home, rather then be by themselves in Al's Condo and were showing them the 'High Lights' of Puerto Rico while Al and I would be going on a One Week Honeymoon, on a cruise ship, around the Caribbean Islands...

 

Wife

Husband

    Three months later, when I went to see a new doctor for a routine check up, I was answering several questions in the questioner... One of them was:"Your closest relative"...  My hand which was holding the pen, froze in mid air... "Oh my God!" I was thinking, "I can't believe it... Al is my Closest Relative now!" So it seemed that the 'Real experience of Bonding' with my husband, which should have taken place as we stood under the wedding canopy; hit me for the first time in San Juan, Puerto Rico; in the small waiting room, of a doctor I have never seen before... I couldn't wait to come home and tell my new husband: "Guess what Albie! You are now my Closest Relative! What do you think about it?"                                      

 

With Love and Light,

Shira