New Jewish Wedding, Revised [Paperback]

Anita Diamant (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 6, 2001

The Definitive, Completely Up-to-Date Guide to Planning a Jewish Wedding

Since its original publication in 1986, The New Jewish Wedding has become required reading, assigned to engaged couples by Conservative, Reform, and Reconstruc-tionist rabbis alike. In this new revision, Anita Diamant, one of the most respected writers of guides to Jewish life, continues to offer step-by-step guidance to planning the ceremony and the party that follows -- from hiring a rabbi and wording the invitation to organizing a processional and hiring a caterer. She also includes:

• A new chapter focusing on converts, non-Jews, and same-sex couples
• Essential Web sites
• All new art, with examples of ketubot, invitations, and other wedding paraphernalia
• New poems and new translations of the seven wedding blessings

Complete, authoritative, and indispensable, The New Jewish Wedding is a must-have resource for anyone who wants a wedding that combines spiritual meaning and joyous celebration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson Dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Diamant is a treasure. She has become teacher and sage to thousands. The New Jewish Wedding was great before -- now it is essential.

Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman Professor of Liturgy, Hebrew Union College and cofounder of Synagogue 2000 An extraordinary revision of an extraordinary book -- the first and still best guide to what every couple should think about in planning a Jewish wedding.

From the Publisher

"Diamant is a treasure. She has become teacher and sage to thousands. The New Jewish Wedding was great before--now it is essential."--Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

"An extraordinary revision of an extraordinary book--the first and still best guide to what every couple should think about in planning a Jewish wedding."--Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, Professor of Liturgy, Hebrew Union College and cofounder of Synagogue 2000

"In a thoughtful and sensitive reworking of her wonderful guide to Jewish marriage, Anita Diamant shows us, once again, that her finger is firmly on the pulse of American Judaism in all its aspects. Inclusive, accessible, and enjoyable to read, Diamant's work now offers an expanded, updated treatment of the questions all Jews ask when they marry: from the rabbi to the reception to the reality of life afterwards. If you are a couple with wedding plans, the parent of a bride or groom, or simply a person interested in delving into the subtle beauty of our tradition, it is hard to imagine a better book than this to accompany you on your journey."--Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Dean, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York

"I am very impressed by this book--by the air of openness and spirituality that pervades its pages. It's a 'how-to' book of the highest quality, for in essence it teaches us how to prepare for and experience the loveliness and sanctity of one of life's most glorious moments: the wedding."--Chaim Potok

"This is a special book, the product of excellent research, spiritual sensitivity, and the author's genuine empathy for the reader. It is complete, informative, and thoroughly enlightening. Instead of giving directions, it gently provides options. It makes me envy anyone who is planning a wedding. I wish it had existed when my wife and I were planning ours."--William Novak, coauthor of Iacocca

"This book glows with love of Judaism."--Susannah Heschel, editor of On Being a Jewish Feminist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; Original edition (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743202554
• ISBN-13: 978-0743202558
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life
  • #5 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts > Ritual
  • #9 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Weddings > Planning

More About the Author

In my first novel, The Red Tent, I re-imagined the culture of biblical women as close, sustaining, and strong, but I am not the least bit nostalgic for that world without antibiotics, or birth control, or the printed page. Women were restricted and vulnerable in body, mind, and spirit, a condition that persists wherever women are not permitted to read.

When I was a child, the public library on Osborne Terrace in Newark, New Jersey, was one of the first places I was allowed to walk to all by myself. I went every week, and I can still draw a map of the children's room, up a flight of stairs,where the Louisa May Alcott books were arranged to the left as you entered.
Nonfiction, near the middle of the room, was loaded with biographies. I read several about Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, and Helen Keller, with whom I share a birthday.

But by the time I was 11, the children's library was starting to feel confining,so I snuck downstairs to the adult stacks for a copy of The Good Earth. (I had overheard a grown-up conversation about the book and it sounded interesting.)The librarian at the desk glanced at the title and said I wasn't old enough for the novel and furthermore my card only entitled me to take out children's books.

I defended my choice. I said my parents had given me permission, which was only half a fib since my mother and father had never denied me any book. Eventually,the librarian relented and I walked home, triumphant. I had access to the BIG LIBRARY. My world would never be the same.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE book to buy! January 17, 2000

By S. W. Matthes

Format:Paperback

I wrote a not quite positive review of another book in this category and received several responses wanting to know which book I DID recommend. Now that my wedding is over, the thank-yous are (nearly) done, and the scrapbooks are being put together, I can finally write the review I wanted to write for this book!

THIS IS THE BOOK! I have directed everyone who has asked to read it, cover to cover (if time permits) for its excellent guidance through the religious aspects of wedding planning.

When I recently relinquished my dog-eared and tabbed copy to another bride to be, I was amazed at how much of the information I found relevant/meaningful enough to "tab" for inclusion in our wedding disscussions/ceremony/program. The whole first section "Making the Tradition Your Own" really got me off on the right foot. My fiance converted about a year ago, and it was really important to both of us that the wedding speak not only to us, but to our non-Jewish family members and friends. This book really deals with these issues in a modern, egalitarian way.

A good deal of the text from our wedding program was culled from this book. It is clear and concise, without being preachy or didactic. It speaks to the beauty of the Jewish wedding traditions without making one or the other better.

In addition, this book does not discount the groom's role in crafting the wedding of HIS dreams! So many other wedding guides are filled with frilly verse and discussions of dresses and flowers. This one gives you the information you need so that you, your spouse, and your guests will remember the ceremony, not just the weather and the "franks in blanks!"

Whatever book you choose, and whatever you decide, I wish you ease of planning, and a day in which you are surrounded by the love of your family and friends! Mazel tov to all brides and grooms to be!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the Jewish wedding book you should purchase. January 2, 2000

By Shawn Weil

Format:Paperback

Since I am in the thick of helping to plan a Jewish wedding, I have looked at a number of the available guides to Jewish wedding planing. Bar none, this is the best. It treats weddings not only as the social events they invariably are, but also as the spiritual event we all want them to be. This is a tall order considering that the adjective "Jewish" applies to Hassidic Jews and egalitarian Reform Jews both. Anita Diamant is successful at pointing out the way one can make their wedding feel more "Jewish," no matter what the level of observance. She details the ceremony and the significance of all of its elements, but does not advocate one set of values or beliefs in lieu of another. Using real examples, she is able to illustrate that you can utilize the rich set of Jewish wedding traditions to make your wedding uniquely yours, and distinctly Jewish - as you define it for yourselves.

This book seems to have been written for Conservative and Reform Jews who may not be aware of all of the elements of a Jewish wedding. However, even if you are more traditional in your beliefs, you might appreciate this book as a resource for ideas.

Another, unrelated, point - Anita Diamant speaks not only to the bride, but also to the groom. She does not take us for granted, men. The only drawback of this book - and this is a minor point - is that it was written fifteen years ago, making some of the resources out of date. Do not let that stop you from purchasing the book - most of the information it contains is timeless.

Not only did my sister-in-law give us a copy when we announced our engagement, but our rabbi made it compulsory reading. My love and I are both grateful that they did. If you only buy one book, this should be the one. Mazel Tov.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for the Parents, too. December 10, 2000

By Michele Withnell

Format:Paperback

My daughter lives and will be married 600 miles away, so when she told me that the rabbi wanted her and her fiance to read this book, I bought it, too. It has been a great help in planning this wedding. We had already read a number of general wedding books. Even though we already knew the general basic traditions and laws of Jewish weddings, we needed a resource for all the options and creative ideas. We found it in this book. Almost every phone call (often several a week) has a discussion of some element of the wedding and what Anita Diamant says. I not only recommend this book to brides and grooms, but it should be required reading for their parents as well.

I was especially gratified with the inclusion of information related to including non-Jewish family, as my husband is a convert to Judaism. Other Jewish resources, I have read only deal with problems in an interfaith marriage. The book was also helpful in equalizing the differences in Jewish knowledge of my daughter and her fiance.