Wedding Licences Extended in Ontario
To assist the many couples who have had to postpone their plans and wedding ceremonies due to the Covid- 19 outbreak, the Ontario government has issued an extension for marriage licenses and made amendments to Ontario’s Marriage Act. If you obtained your licence any time after December 1, 2019, or while the State of Emergency […]
Ontario allows larger gatherings at wedding ceremonies
Wedding Dates- Wedding couples in Ontario and the GTA who have been holding tight on wedding plans for the last few months are feeling a new sense of optimism as all areas in the province have moved from grade 2 to 3 and we begin to re-open, gently, in this stressful time of Covid-19. Many […]
Baby Naming Ceremony
We took these lovely photographs recently at a baby naming ceremony conducted by the Rabbi and received a very nice testimonial from the parents. Thank you! “We would like to truly thank Rabbi Gellman for the wedding and baby naming services that he provided. As my husband and I are an interfaith couple, finding a […]
The Perfect California Wedding
Brett and Arthur— Brett and Arthur enjoyed a wonderful wedding ceremony in October when they were married in the lovely surroundings of Healdsburg, in California’s Sonoma region, by Rabbi David Gellman. “It was an interfaith wedding—Arthur is from England and it was important to have a ceremony that paid homage to both Christian and Jewish […]
Wedding Venues-GTA
Weddings 101! CHOOSING THE PERFECT WEDDING VENUE—HOTELS Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto It’s no secret that picking the perfect date for your wedding is only the start of what may turn out to be a very long list of To Do’s. You may be planning a cozy gathering and simple ceremony or a more lavish wedding. But choosing […]
A Wonderful Wedding on the Shore of Lake Ontario
Hollie and Rodney— Remembering the day of his daughter’s wedding, the father of the bride said that, even though it was September 6th, it was baking out and sunny—and so hot you could have walked into the lake. Niagara’s only lakefront winery (Konzelmann Estate Winery) was the spectacular setting for the wedding of Hollie and […]
Wedding Planning 101— #2
Wedding Photography and What You Need to Know Top of the list of questions when you’re planning your wedding is how do you want to capture this significant and wonderful event in your life? Couples often think they can economize on the photographer—since everyone carries a camera on their phone these days. This is not […]
York University /Bnai Brith—Anti-Israel Mob
B’nai Brith Canada reports from Toronto that “An attempt to shut down a pro-Israel event on a Toronto university campus has failed.” B’nai Brith Canada says that: “Members of Reservists on Duty, an organization that tours North American campuses “to speak with knowledge and confidence on behalf of Israel,” were hosted by Herut Canada at York University’s main […]
Never is Now—
ADL SUMMITS ON ANTI-SEMITISM— If you’re going to be in or near New York City on November 21st, please consider attending the annual summit of the Anti-Defamation League’s—Never is Now. ADL’s signature annual event, the Never is Now Summit is, at its core, a one day conference focused on understanding contemporary drivers and dynamics of […]
Recognizing the World’s Oldest Nun
“Life is wonderful… however, too short.” A number of media sites from The Vatican News to the European Jewish Congress added the details to an intriguing story in the UK’s Independent recently, which reported on the passing of the woman believed to have been world’s “oldest nun.” Sister Cecylia Roszak passed away in the Polish […]
Wedding Planning 101-Before Your Day
What you need to know: Before the Wedding # 1— If you’re planning a wedding, the best advice is to first choose the officiant and the location—so you have the date, time, and place of this great event in your lives secured. Then you’ll likely be thinking of your wedding gown, and where to hold […]
Jewish Interfaith Weddings-Beyond the Numbers
A recent article in The Jerusalem Post reports that the Jewish population in America is actually increasing and a big contributor is interfaith Jewish marriages. This may seem, at first glance, surprising. But in a period of five years, the US population of Jewish adults and children rose from 7 to 7.5 million—this is from […]
Making Your Final Wishes Known—
From Alex Gellman— Pre-planning is a difficult thing to do. Few of us like to dwell on the inevitable, and we delay even thinking about it, let alone doing it, for as long as we possibly can. But it is important to reflect on how much pre-planning your final arrangements may bring ease and reduce […]
A Wonderful Wedding in the Vineyard
Christine, the mother of the bride, says that her daughter Sadie Marie’s wedding to Cody was everything they dreamed of. Sadie Marie and Cody had known each other for about nine years and had been engaged for three—but waited to tie the knot until they were about done with their post-secondary studies. “This was important […]
Families and Weddings
You may feel you have the date, you’ve booked the Rabbi, and you’re ready… However, as almost any wedding planner will tell you, that may be when things start to go awry. Your wedding ceremony will stay in your memory as one of the most important days of your life (and probably the most astonishing […]
Choosing a Ketubah for Your Jewish Interfaith Wedding
Ketubahs can be fine art or modern art—they can be papercut, gold leaf, letterpress, canvas—there are many different options to choose from re the design inspiration or approach, often by leading artists and very distinctive and unique. Choose budget-friendly or select a custom-design for this important element of your wedding. This decision will be totally […]
Choosing a Chuppah for Your Wedding
Chuppahs are an important element of the Jewish wedding ceremony and are often an integral feature of interfaith weddings. Chuppahs are almost always used in outdoor Jewish weddings and are also a focal point for indoor ceremonies of all faiths. The chuppah is significant for what it symbolizes—the unification of the bride and groom and the […]
Weddings and More Weddings—
“It was important to get married when and where we did and to have all our kids there, but it was also very important to be married by David,” says Luc Baril, who is one-half of one of the first couples married by Rabbi David Gellman. And, says Luc, it was such a special and […]
Our Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Horses, a Dog, and a Strong Hint of Winter!
“From the moment we met with Rabbi David, we knew we had found the one to lead our Interfaith ceremony. He made us feel comfortable and any worry we had about the ceremony was put aside when he walked us through the process with confidence and experience. “Rabbi David went above and beyond to make […]
