“Max was dressed in a white cotton kittel (robe), as a symbol of purity. Escorted by his father, my father, and the rabbis, he walked down the aisle first and stood under the canopy. Then I came, accompanied by my stepmother, Auntie Etta, and Max's mother, Lena. Etta and Lena carried lit candles and I led them in a procession around the chupah, circling the groom 13 times. Then I joined Max under the chupah--standing on his right side.

“I have a very long ketuba (marriage contract) handwritten in Hebrew by a soifer` (scribe). It guaranteed that Max would support and take care of me and that I wouldn't be in want. It also guaranteed that I would be a good wife and provide Max with children. During the wedding ceremony after the wine was blessed and Max gave me a ring, the ketuba was read out loud in Hebrew. Nobody except the rabbis and the yeshive bokhers (Yeshiva students) understood it. Near the conclusion of the ceremony the Sheva Berachot (Seven Blessings) were recited. These blessings place the bride and groom within the context of Jewish history, beginning with creation of the world and the Garden of Eden when life was perfect, and ending with the prophecy of the end of days when life will be perfect again. The honor of bestowing the blessings was divided among the many rabbis attending so each could play a role in the nuptials. The entire ceremony from beginning to end was a very long and drawn out affair. Max and I were famished--following custom we had both fasted all day.
 

“At the end of the wedding ceremony, Max broke a glass. I always thought this custom was sexual in nature, to symbolize the breaking of the hymen, but it also has a more spiritual meaning. The broken glass serves as a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. In moments of great personal joy we must not forget the harsh realities of life.

“After the ceremony, the fiddler began to play again. Max and I were led to a small room to spend 15 minutes alone together. This custom, called yichud (togetherness), dates back to antiquity when the bride and groom consummated their marriage in a tent immediately after the ceremony. In modern times, the yichud is used to break the fast of the bride and groom and to give the newlyweds a breather. We were provided with a small snack. Our wedding pictures were photographed in a bathroom because there was no room any place else.

 
“The simcha (celebration) consisted of a meal--the seudat mitzvah--and dancing. It was held in the Morton Street Hall, an enormous ballroom. My father's klezmer band provided the music. Since men and women are not permitted to touch, the men danced together in separate groups, in circles. The rabbis took turns dancing with me. They never held my hand--they grasped onto one end of a handkerchief and I held onto the other. Max and I danced this way, too.
 

“In Jewish tradition, the bride and groom are considered to be married the first night. The couple is put in a room alone together to consummate the marriage. Because there is bleeding, the woman is then considered unclean so she and her husband must remain separate for seven days. But Max and I didn't want to stay with anybody, so each night we went to Sharon, Massachusetts, which at that time was a summer resort.”
 

“Every morning we returned to my father's house in Dorchester for prayers and a breakfast. There were long tables and chairs set up in my father's shul. The men and women sat separately. Max sat up front with the rabbis. I stayed with the other women. Each day there was a catered lunch and dinner, too. At the end of the morning and evening meals the Seven Blessings were recited again and special guests were honored by being asked to give one of the blessings. The rabbis summoned me and I sat across the table from my husband until the blessings were over. At night speeches, storytelling, and singing came after the blessings. There was music and drinking, and following Jewish custom, the men danced together but not with the women. This went on for seven days.”
 

A sampling of the congratulatory telegrams and letters that Max, Adele, and their fathers received from well-wishers  (click to enlarge)

     
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