Israeli wedding

Last night Shira and I went to Shoshana Peerless' wedding. The Peerless are my parents closest friends from Dayton and later Ramot. Mrs. Peerless (who now insists that I call her Jo Ann but I can never get used to that) used to joke that I was really her son. They also have four daughters just like my parents but they don't have any sons. My parents both have darker hair and Mrs. and Rabbi Peerless have the same color hair as me so the joke was that there was a mix-up and I was really their long lost son (the fact that I was born before they got married didn't phase them). Shoshana is their oldest daughter and is best friends with my younger sister. We moved away from Dayton when they were in first grade but they've managed to remain friends through the years. Aliza flew in from Los Angeles without her 5 daughters and husband just for the wedding.

The wedding was in Mitzpe Yericho and we drove there with my parents, Amy and Erick and Aliza. Then we all sat at one table together with Eric and Ethel. I was trying to put my finger on the difference between American weddings and Israeli weddings and I think I figured it out. I think that when people go to weddings in the US they're going to a fancy affair like a banquet. In Israel it's not like that. People don't get so dressed up for weddings and I think the primary goal of the attendees is just to have lots of fun. I'm not saying that people in the US don't have fun at weddings but it just doesn't seem to be the number one purpose of the wedding. I think it's even evident at the chuppa. In America, it's a long drawn out process with people walking down the aisle, slow music and everyone very quiet. In Israel, lots of people stand, nobody walks down the aisle and people are very, very close to the chuppa.

We definitely had fun last night and tonight we're making sheva brachos at my parents house and I'm sure we'll enjoy that immensely too.