Israel Day 2 (1/6/15) -- The Wedding

Kate and I dressed in our Chico finery, ready to head off to the wedding. Although it was windy, there was no precipitation. Just to explain the family connections: Parents of the bride are Ahuva Passow-Whitman and Jon Whitman, the bride is Nomi. (Ahuva is my husband's second cousin.) Also at the wedding was Eli Passow (Ahuva's brother) and his wife Chaya, Eli's son Nati and his wife Rachel and their son Zamir, and Eli's son Dani. Also Eli's first cousin Mimi.

Ahuva & Jon's friends and nearby neighbors drove us to the wedding which was at a fancy wedding hall in the city of Modi'in (45 minutes with traffic, 35 without, almost to Tel Aviv). It started with a reception (aka cocktail hour) with some yummy food. As we entered the hall there were two ladies by the door with iPads who looked up your name and table number and gave you a card with the number. Next to their desk was a large metal lock box with a slot where you could deposit your card/gift and a bin for any actual gifts.

As expected, the ceremony did not start at 8:15 pm but closer to 9 pm. People were quite casual about the ceremony -- not everyone left the reception area to go to it. First the groom, Zagiv, came down the aisle escorted by his father and grandmother. Next Nomi was escorted about 2/3's of the way down the aisle by Ahuva & Jon. They left her and Zagiv went to her, put the veil over her face, and escorted her the rest of the way to under the chupah. The service, entirely in Hebrew of course, was relatively short, with relatives from both families participating in saying the seven blessings. At the end, many in the crowd rushed to the chupah to congratulate the newlyweds.

Meanwhile, the glass panels in the wall to our left were slid out of the way and the black curtain was raised to reveal the dining area. We sat with Ahuva & Jon, Eli & Chaya, Nati & Rachel & Zamir, Dani, and Ruthi (my SIL). First there was the "salad" course which included many typical middle eastern appetizers. Next came what we thought was the main course as there was a choice of fish, a lamb dish (done like baklava), and a chicken dish but it was only the first course. At that point there was a break for dancing. Initially it was a lot of modernized middle eastern music, though eventually I'm told there was American pop music. Nomi & Zagiv came in for their first dance. This was followed by much dancing and merrymaking -- Nomi was lifted on a chair, Zagiv on someone's shoulders. Then it was time for the main course -- a trio of shish kebab, chicken, and beef. As we were finishing, our ride came to say they were ready to head home. I was disappointed as we were going to miss dessert (which Kate translated from the menu as including chocolate but it turned out there were plates with little squares of chocolate and coffee out in the reception area. We were actually back at the hotel by about 11:30 pm.

Wedding pictures