Tips On Choosing An Interfaith Wedding Rabbi For Jewish Weddings

By Anthony Barnes


The Jewish weddings are being known for the traditional chuppah or wedding canopy, ketubah or marriage contract, and the groom will be breaking a wine glass that will symbolize fragility of relationship. Even if one is not included in a synagogue, a rabbi can still help you to be married. Having one can surely make your wedding become a beautiful ceremony, regardless if it is a traditional or modern Jewish wedding.

To search early is important. Most of the rabbis have their busy schedules for weddings or other services, and thus, your schedule must be booked directly after deciding. Through this, an interfaith wedding rabbi will be given an enough time to plan out and if ever he or she would hesitate, you still have the time look for another one.

Decide if a rabbi is really needed for the event. Jewish weddings are not really that necessary when it comes to the tradition of having the persons as members of a clergy. However, those who are going to conduct this kind of ceremony are required to obtain a license in the state where the event will be held. Aside from these rabbis, contacting cantors may be done as well for this ceremony.

Make sure that you are working comfortably with the rabbi that you have chosen. If possible, look for one who is approachable. Sometimes, you may want some of your ideas to be used or incorporated with the ceremony, so an approachable one can be advantageous. The best example would be using a language that is sensitive to gender, referring to God or writing your own text content of ketubah.

Know about the fees upfront. If you have chosen who is not a family friend, you will most likely be paying for a deposit for reserving his or her service. The fee will cover the time which is being spent in officiating your wedding, the meeting with you and your spouse, telephone conversations, and advices on the customs of Jewish people. Travel arrangements may also be included if the ceremony is help in other places.

One option is searching for rabbis who are leading services in synagogues that you have previously attended. Approach as well those other family friends. You may recall as well the previous weddings you attended. If you were able to observe their services and you think the clients are satisfied, contact them.

Ask for some recommendations from your friends, families, or other people that you may know. Searching online may also be done. There are a lot of rabbis who do not have any congregational responsibilities and most of them are advertising their availability via online.

In some websites, you will be asked to fill out the request forms. After submitting the filled out forms, you will receive a message via an email. The message would contain all the available cantors and rabbis in the local area. If no one is available, clergy may be provided who is willing to travel for you to be accommodated.

For those who do not have an internet connection, they may search from a list found on the yellow pages and telephone books. Another option is to visit some synagogues or other activities related to Jewish acts. If you already find one, do not hesitate to approach him or her and ask about conducting weddings.




About the Author: