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NOT FOR RESALE. 32 DIY Weddings 4 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Jewish Exponent Ad_Layout 1 10/17/17 1:55 PM Page 1 HOTEL DU PONT Bar & Bat Mitzvahs | Weddings | Special Occasions 42 West 11th Street | Wilmington, DE 19801 | 302-594-3122 | www.hoteldupont.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 5 Surviving Cancer in Style 2100 ARCH STREET | PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103 MAIN PHONE NUMBER: 215-832-0700 PUBLISHER’S REPRESENTATIVE/ GENERAL MANAGER STEVEN ROSENBERG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOSHUA RUNYAN MANAGING EDITOR ANDY GOTLIEB SENIOR STAFF WRITERS JON MARKS LIZ SPIKOL STAFF WRITERS RACHEL KURLAND MARISSA STERN PRODUCTION DIRECTOR JENI MANN Jude Plum with Kristin D., shown wearing her wig ART/PRODUCTION COORDINATOR JOE MACLEOD GRAPHIC DESIGNER STEVE BURKE DIRECTOR OF SALES SHARON SCHMUCKLER Natural European hair wigs and hairpieces for men, women, and children with all types of hair loss “The anxiety surrounding losing my hair was put to rest when I saw what a natural look and feel the wigs at Jude Plum have. The staff helped me feel extremely reassured and comfortable during this difficult period. I would recommend Jude Plum to anyone in need of an understanding, experienced, and compassionate environment!” 610.527.1770 821 W. Lancaster Avenue • Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 19010 6 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS SENIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVE BRUCE WARTELL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES SUSAN BARON WILLIAM JOHNSON TAYLOR ORLIN CLASSIFIED SALES NICOLE MCNALLY JILL RAFF DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS CHERYL LUTTS FINANCE ASSISTANT MARIE MALVOSO SUBSCRIPTIONS JUNE HAMILTON JEWISHEXPONENT.COM fashion FORWARD IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU Where mothers, daughters, sisters, & girlfriends get dressed up. Check out our upcoming 2017-2018 trunk shows. Gabrielle CELEBRATING WOMEN & GIRLS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM WHO LOVE TO DRESS UP 610.668.2801 gabriellebala.com 200 Monument Rd Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 SIMCHAS Tues- Sat10am-5pm Sun12pm-4pm OCTOBER 26, 2017 7 Couple of 25 Years Made Love Connection over Feline Infatuation in Exponent Purr-sonal Ad RACHEL KURLAND | JE STAFF I t was love at fi rst — meow? For anyone else, a person- al ad depicting himself as a he stood a chance; he thought cat rather than a human being Anne was too sophisticated would probably be a turnoff , for him. but it was meant to be for “His hair was longer Mike and Anne Ginsberg. than mine at the time,” she Mike placed a personal laughed, “wearing more ear- dating ad in the Jewish Ex- rings than I was.” ponent’s classifi eds section in With nothing to lose in 1990 — from the perspective of Mike’s mind, all the anxiety his cat, Otis. of dating went out the window. He was seeing someone at the Th ey held hands on the walk from a Mike and Anne time — who was not Jewish — but knew bar to the Ritz, and when Mike later met Ginsberg it was going nowhere, so he thought, “Well, I Anne’s cat, grinning down at it, Anne checked can put it in the Exponent and she’ll never see it.” out his “cute” smile. Th e $87 ad led with “SNC: Single Neutered Cat.” “I was shocked that we were connecting,” Mike said. A In the past, he dated someone who did not like animals, a couple weeks later, he threw away a box of roughly 115 letter big dealbreaker for Mike. responses to the ad (unknown to Anne until 25 years later). “She was afraid of my parents’ min- But their connection shouldn’t come as too much of a sur- iature poodle,” he recalled. So when it prise, since the two had actually met three years prior at came between choosing her or Otis, it a Halloween party. was an easy decision. A few beers in waiting Th e ad was a hit. for his friends to show up, “I just thought it was a creative Mike chatted with Anne, way to stand out,” he said. cloaked in a witch’s hat, but Anne’s ex hated her cat, too, so just didn’t seem to “click.” Mike seemed like a claw-some catch. When his co-worker “I thought, ‘OK, I have to meet asked Mike where he want- the guy that wrote this,’” she said. ed to sit at the party, he said, She responded to the ad on theme: “As far away from that witch “I’m a single female cat and I’m as possible.” It didn’t help that sick of having my person come she happened to also have a home aft er yet another blind date cackling laugh. from hell and tell me that there are Fast forward to their sec- no nice Jewish guys out there, so ond date at a Grateful Dead prove her wrong!” cover band concert. Mike felt indiff erent about “She doesn’t have to love The Ginsbergs kept an original most of the inquiries he received, copy of the classifi eds ad that them, but she can’t hate them,” but decided to give it one last Mike posted in 1990. said Mike, a huge Dead fan. Th e couple had a good time, and PHOTOS PROVIDED shot. On the fi nal day he could have since seen the real band 12 times and danced to “If I Had check his voicemail responses, the World to Give” at their wedding. there was a message left only 10 minutes prior. It was Anne. Th ey fi t into each other’s lives seamlessly, meshing with each Th eir fi rst date was the following day, Dec. 29, where he took other’s friends and families like they’ve been there all along. Anne to see a movie at the Ritz on Walnut Street. Th ey got engaged on the anniversary of that fi rst date, and In his signature mullet and two earrings — the look has since married Sept. 6, 1992 at Congregation Kesher Israel. Mike’s father faded, fortunately — Mike drove up with his fl esh-toned Ford See LOVE CONNECTION, page 10 Escort, decorated with Grateful Dead stickers. He didn’t think 8 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM ELMWOOD PARK ZOO BRINGS YOU A NEW BREED OF EXPERIENCE With over 100 wild and exotic animals, and nearly a dozen beautiful outdoor and indoor spaces spread throughout 16 acres, the Elmwood Park Zoo is the most unique destination for your next event. EVENTSATEPZ.COM • 610.277.3825 x 242 • EVENTS@ELMWOODPARKZOO.ORG JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 9 Love Connection CONTINUED blew up that Exponent ad where it all began as the cover for their wedding guest book. Th ey resided in Queen Village until 2011 with daughter Maddie, who is now settled in Nashville. Th ey’ve been together through every- thing: new jobs, synagogue life, travel, a lot of moves, the loss of parents, the birth of their daughter (also announced in the Exponent). “It takes a close relationship,” Mike said of the loss of both his parents within a short time. “You’re dealing with some- thing that you don’t want to deal with, but it’s a part of life. I can’t imagine having that and not having your best friend, who happens to be your wife, get through that [with you].” “You need to know that you can lean on each other,” Anne added. Aft er 25 years of marriage, the jubilant and ever-laughing couple said a lot of love, tolerance and humor has kept them going. It also helps that they’re not joined at the hip (though it may sound like they are). Th ey enjoy separate activities with friends, but come back and share it with each other. “We don’t have to be with each other 24/7,” Mike said, which adds to a healthy relationship. “I’ve known some couples that say, ‘Oh, we never fi ght. We do everything to- gether. We like all the same things.’ And I think to myself, ‘How boring is that!’” Anne exclaimed. Th e family continued to grow with each new pet, too, with subtle persuasion by Mike and Maddie. Th ey wore down Anne with Oliver the pug, one of six in a litter. “Th e only thing cuter than one pug 10 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM puppy is six pug puppies,” she said adoringly, so they adopted the one to join their three cats. Expanding their musicality beyond the Dead, the pair later dis- covered a mutual love of opera aft er a random splurge subscrip- tion to Th e Met. Th ey’ve met tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo, as well as soprano Denyce Graves of Carmen notoriety, who Maddie — full name Madeline Denyce Garcia (aft er Anne’s old roommate, not the Dead’s Jerry) Ginsberg — is named aft er. Th ey don’t always agree on music, however. (AC/DC without earplugs didn’t sit well with Anne.) But when Metallica came to the Mann Center one season, Anne told Mike “the only way I’m going to go with you” is if he also bought tickets to the ballet. “I thought, he’ll never agree to this,” she laughed. But Mike showed up to her workplace with an envelope with four tickets: two www.declarationofinvitations.com declarit@gmail.com The family continued to grow with each new pet, too, with subtle persuasion by Mike and Maddie. They wore down Anne with Oliver the pug, one of six in a litter. for the ballet, two for Metallica. “Well, I guess I gotta go now!” Th ough he got rid of his rocker demeanor, Mike has since added a handful of tat- toos to his look aft er his 40th birthday, something he never thought he’d do. Maddie, now a 17-year-old Mike and Anne Ginsberg high school senior, plans to get with daughter Maddie. a matching one with her father — most likely an infi nity sym- bol with three hearts — once she turns 18. All of their diff erent interests keep the family grounded. “My dad used to say to me, ‘How can anyone get high on life?’” Mike said. It may be a corny connotation, but he believes in the statement. “Watching [Anne and Maddie] together, even if they’re just sitting on the sofa hanging out, that’s the most important thing in the world.” Although they’ve grown together the past 25 years, Mike said he doesn’t feel any older — and grateful they met each other when they did rather than put up with the anxiety-producing dating app era of today. “We’ve been married fi ve years and we have 20 years of experi- ence on top of it,” he joked. “Sometimes I look at him and it’s like we just got married, and sometimes I look at him and think it’s been 250 years,” Anne laughed. “[But] when it’s the right person, you will know.” Sometimes, that right person is a cat. ● HOT FOOT SHOES Making Women Look and Feel Beautiful From of Israel Justa Farm Shopping Center 1966 County Line Rd, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 In-Store Boutique 215-969-9626 HOT-FOOT-BOUTIQUE.SHOPTIQUES.COM rkurland@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 11 Something Borrowed — RACHEL KURLAND | JE STAFF I MAGINE A REAL-LIFE Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants scenario — except you don’t know who will wear your pants next, or where. Enter the world of gemachs. Within Orthodox communities, gemachs are a go-to mode of shopping for just about everything: books, nurs- ing supplies, furniture, party decor and entertainment, and clothes for all occasions. Specifi cally, one might say the most important occasion of all: your wedding day. Gemach is an abbreviation of gemilut chasadim, meaning “acts of kindness.” Of course, it’s a mitzvah to give without re- ceiving anything in return, so many within these communities set up shop for gemach bridal dresses (as well as bridesmaid dresses and accessories like headpieces, veils, tiaras or shoes). Some are free, others are rented. But the small amount spent on a gemach gown — compared to high-end wedding dress prices — usually goes toward charity or the cost of running the gemach storefront itself. Th ose running these unoffi cial stores — which are common mostly in New York, New Jersey and Israel — are unpaid. Of 13,000 brides and grooms surveyed in the U.S. for Th e Knot’s 2016 Real Weddings Study, the national average cost of a wedding is $35,329 (pre-honeymoon). Th e average cost of the dress is $1,564. Of course, outliers like big Manhattan spenders can’t really be compared to a DIY wedding in someone’s rural backyard, but these digits can easily break the bank. (Aft er all, we can’t all be brides at Say Yes to the Dress’ Klein- feld, though we can dream.) With the cost of the dress itself, accessories, alterations and the time it takes to put it all together without the fl ick of Fairy Godmother’s magic wand, it’s easy to go over budget on the sin- gle look — and then you have to plan the rest of the wedding. Mrs. Tuchinsky, who preferred not to use her fi rst name, had a tight wedding budget — let alone for a wedding dress — and a trip to David’s Bridal put her promptly on the gemach path. She searched Allure Bridals, too, and asked a David’s Bridal seamstress how much it would cost to build upon an existing dress to make it modest. While that method can provide many fashionable options, it was out of her budget. While some dresses from secular companies may come with sheer long sleeves or higher necklines, that doesn’t mean it’s exactly what the bride wants. “Once I realized that was many times the Mrs. Tuchinsky PHOTOS PROVIDED 12 OCTOBER 26, 2017 Shayna Edney amount I could spend, I immediately started contacting ge- machs,” added Tuchinsky, who got married last March in Lake- wood, N.J. She really didn’t see the point in buying an extraordinarily expensive gown that would hide in her closet never to be seen or worn again. “Obviously, if you own it you can rent it or lend it to other brides, but I couldn’t aff ord to purchase a gown to begin with,” she noted. Aft er a few peeks in several gemach stores, she ended up at Zichron Yehudis Miriam Bridal Gemach in Brooklyn. “It’s an amazing gemach with dedicated volunteers who truly only care about you fi nding a gown you love,” she explained. “Th ey spend as much time with you as you need. For $250, you can rent a dress, a petticoat, shoes, a veil and a headpiece.” She opted for all of the above, minus the shoes. “Th ey really do a huge chesed.” And aft er trying on about 10 gowns, she found the one. “Th ey let me add a rhinestone belt that I really loved,” she re- called, “and I also loved that the lace from the bodice extended past the waistline onto the tulle of the skirt.” Every once in awhile, she thinks back on her dress from her big day. “I’m glad other brides can wear the dress I wore and enjoy it as much as I did,” she said. “I hope I’ll see my dress again, SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Literally because it really would make me happy to know someone else was wearing it. I just hope she has an amazing wedding day!” Most Orthodox engagements are short, too, meaning Shayna Edney only had less than three months to find her wedding dress. “Especially when your engagement period is only a few months, there is not a lot of time to save for a wedding,” she noted. While some seamstresses thrive within this time frame, it doesn’t necessarily outweigh the cost. After another failed attempt at David’s Bridal, and nothing stood out at other gemach stores, Edney found her gown at a ge- mach in Passaic, N.J., just 20 days before the August 2016 ceremo- ny in Baltimore. The gemach she visited was run out of a woman’s converted basement; hundreds of white tulle variations lined each wall and closet, organized by size. Edney had the room to herself as the only client that day, so she took her time — several hours, in fact — to find a match. She chose a poofy tulle ballroom gown, bedazzled with mod- est jewels on the bodice, which she rented for $250 ($200 went to charity, the other for cleaning and repairs). Fortunately, the dress was a perfect fit in style and size; no alter- ations required. Post-nuptials, the dress was mailed back. “A person getting a [modest] dress from a gemach is not so dif- ferent than a person getting a regular dress from a store,” Edney “ACTS OF KINDNESS AND GIVING ARE NOT JUST FOR THE ORTHODOX — IT IS A MITZVAH AND A QUALITY THAT BINDS THE ENTIRE JEWISH NATION.” explained. “The only difference is that the gemach dresses have been worn before — but you would never be able to tell.” The ones rented are in pristine condition, and consistent re- pairs or alterations keep them looking fresh. “When a person buys a dress from a regular store, it’s not like you’re getting a one-of-a-kind — there’s hundreds of dresses out there just like the one you bought,” she added. Edney emphasized that gemachs aren’t just for Orthodox Jew- ish weddings, nor should they be. “Acts of kindness and giving are not just for the Orthodox — it is a mitzvah and a quality that binds the entire Jewish nation,” she said. “Dress gemachs should be for everyone of every religion and every social status. There is no reason for every single bride to spend $1,000-plus on a wedding dress when they can borrow from a gemach, and then alter it as they please. “I wish that more people would donate their wedding dresses to gemachs,” she continued, “instead of leaving them in a box for 30 years until maybe their future daughter gets married and maybe will wear their dress.” l rkurland@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737 We’re Unique! Come Out And See Why!    Unique, Historic Venue West Laurel Hill Available for Weddings, Parties, Fundraisers, Corporate Events and More 610.668.9900 Indoor/Outdoor Ceremony & Reception Areas  Picturesque Landscape  On-site Event Consultant  Magnificent Photo Backdrops JEWISHEXPONENT.COM www.westlaurelhill.com 225 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd William A. Sickel, F.D., Supervisor, West Laurel Hill Funeral Home, Inc. SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 13 Bar and Bat Mitzvah Projects Teach Giving Back, Even After the Ceremony MARISSA STERN | JE STAFF T HE COUNTLESS HOURS spent learning and prac- ticing your Torah portion. The late-night anxieties parents experience as they double check they’ve called the caterer and decorators for last-minute changes. The payoff of becoming a Bar or Bat Mitz- vah in front of your closest friends and fam- ily — before they chuck candy at you. Preparing for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah isn’t easy, but once you’re off the bi- mah and riding the sugar high of dozens of Shirley Temples, it all comes together. But there is one other ele- ment of the important event that shouldn’t be overlooked: a Bar or Bat Mitzvah project. These teens found unique ways to complete their projects by working with organizations that were meaningful to them and, importantly, let them play with some puppies. Justin Oser has always loved animals, so volunteering with Dog Town Rescue in Montgomery County was a natural fit for his Bar Mitzvah project. Justin became a Bar Mitzvah in June 2017 and was able to present the organization with a $500 check after he — in addi- tion to playing with the puppies — sold lip balm to family and friends. He created a website for the product and volunteered his time to the animals. “I always loved working with animals, so I wanted to help them,” the Pennbrook Middle School seventh-grader said. “I walked them, fed them, played with them — kind of whatever they needed.” His mother, Debbie Oser, volunteered with him, as he was under 12 years old at the time. “I saw that he was just very loving and caring toward [the animals]. He knows dogs at rescues or at certain pet stores, that they’re waiting to be adopted and are always kept back behind closed doors, or in a cage or behind the glass, etc., and he’s al- ways had sensitive feelings toward that,” she said. “So I would see him just be happy hugging the dogs and playing with the dogs, just being fulfilled that he was able to give them some playtime and love.” 14 OCTOBER 26, 2017 PHOTO BY PAVLINA2510/THINKSTOCK He also previously convinced his family to give some love to their own dog. After plenty of pleading, the Osers relented and brought home Chester, a shih tzu who will be 3 next month. “It’s because of Justin,” Debbie Oser laughed. “He would kind of hock us and bother us — he really, really wanted a dog.” Volunteering with the organization and completing his mitz- vah project taught Justin “to give back and help others.” “Just knowing I was helping the animals,” he said of the most rewarding part, “and they could get out of the cage and I could help them and play.” “It was a wonderful experience for him,” Debbie Oser added. “I was very happy that he was able to help Dog Town Rescue be- cause they go out of their way to try to help as many animals as they can and they’re just great people, so for Justin to be able to help them as well as fill his heart helping the animals and getting to give them a little bit of love, I thought it was a great experience.” For Noah Goldstein, his Bar Mitzvah project came about by accident — though his mother, Debra Goldstein, notes she doesn’t believe in coincidences, especially with this project. When going to pick out invitations for his June 2017 Bar Mitzvah, they found one company, Checkerboard Ltd., whose design is made especially for the Jewish Foundation for the SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Righteous (JFR). The organization provides financial support “to aged and needy non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust and preserves their legacy through a national education program.” “The sample invitation for what we were looking at had the blurb about the JFR and my mother and I read it and we instantly knew that was kind of what we wanted to do for my project,” re- called Noah, a Garnet Valley Middle School student. Through JFR’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah program, participants are “twinned” with a righteous gentile who hid and thereby saved Jews during the Holocaust. Noah was twinned in October 2016 with Wladyslawa Dudziak, whose family hid and saved Rozia “Rose” Bieman in Poland. He developed a relationship with JFR Executive Vice President Stanlee J. Stahl who, in November 2016, invited Noah to the JFR’s annual gala in New York to recite the Motzi. “It felt very special to be able to be part of Justin Oser with one of the puppies at the twinning program with the JFR and it felt Dog Town Rescue. extra special to be one of the chosen people to PHOTO PROVIDED sing the Motzi at the dinner that kind of cele- brates the great deeds that the righteous people made during the “It made it more memorable due to my Bar Mitzvah project, and Holocaust,” Noah said. having the woman who was saved by the righteous to come and He began fundraising for the organization, launching a GoFundMe witness my Bar Mitzvah really felt good,” Noah said. effort with the goal of raising $18,000 in honor of chai, and correspond- For Debra Goldstein, there were no coincidences with this project. ing with Rose Bieman and her family, including husband Micha Golan Prior to leaving for Israel, Noah’s school had an assembly in and four children. The story about Noah’s project and link to his Go- which a Holocaust survivor who was saved by a righteous gentile, FundMe can also be found on the JFR’s homepage. Ruth Kapp Hartz, spoke about Stacy Cretzmeyer’s book about her, They belong to Congregation Beth Emeth in Wilmington, Del., Your Name is Renée. but his Bar Mitzvah took place at Robinson’s Arch in front of the The luncheon after Noah’s Bar Mitzvah was held at Confedera- Western Wall in Israel. That’s a significant place for his Bar Mitzvah tion House in Jerusalem, which they later learned was founded by as Debra Goldstein’s late father, Herschel Israel Frankel, is buried Kalman Sultanik, who survived several concentration camps and on Har HaZeitim — and he was joined by some special guests. was a former vice president of the World Jewish Congress. In addition to his family, Noah became a Bar Mitzvah before See PROJECTS, page 16 Rose and her family. Design Your Perfect Event BUSINESS MEETINGS, SOCIAL NETWORKING RECEPTIONS, WEDDINGS, BAT/BAR MIZVAHS, AND OTHER PRIVATE EVENTS w w w. philadelp hia cfa .or g /fa cilit y - rent a l JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 15 Projects continued “We were meant to see that invitation, to find the JFR,” Deb- ra Goldstein said. “Noah being lectured at his public school by someone who was hid and saved by a righteous — that was meant to be. And we had no idea that when we went to the restaurant, when we booked the restaurant for the luncheon, the Confederation House, that had some connection to the Ho- locaust, and it just really felt meant to be.” For Noah and his family, continuing the work with JFR is important, even post-Bar Mitzvah. Noah Goldstein with Rose Bieman at his Bar Mitzvah. PHOTO PROVIDED For Noah and his family, continuing the work with JFR is important, even post-Bar Mitzvah. The GoFundMe page remains active at gofundme.com/No- ahHelpsJFR, and will remain so until he reaches his $18,000 goal. As of publication, he’s hit more than 50 percent with $9,254 raised. They continue to exchange emails and photos with Rose and her family and cultivate their relationship. “Our whole family was incredibly moved from start to fin- ish,” Debra Goldstein said. “It’s meant a lot to me,” Noah added. “I’ve put a lot of time and work into my Bar Mitzvah project and the fact that I feel good about the decision that I made to pick the JFR really makes me think I made the right decision in making the JFR my Bar Mitzvah project. “It really took me by surprise because when I stepped into the invitation store, I would never think that I would step out with the start of a path that would leave me with a relationship that I will never forget.” l mstern@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740 From Generation to Generation BAT AND BAR MITZVAH TUTORING.COM A Family Tradition For All Occasions WE PREP FOR SUCCESS Formerly of Fleets T AILORED C LOTHING S PORTSWEAR A CCESSORIES F OOTWEAR F ORMAL A TTIRE ... 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SAT. 10-5 • WED. 10-8 • SUN. 12- 4 RED LION RD. & HUNTINGDON PIKE HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA 215-914-2060 WWW.THEMENSANDBOYSSTORE.COM 16 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary JEWISHEXPONENT.COM T HE PRIME MINISTER of Israel won’t be in at- tendance when Chelten- ham High holds its 50th class reunion Nov. 4 at the Dou- bleTree Hotel in Plymouth Meeting, but at least 100 of Benjamin (then known as Ben) Netanyahu’s fellow classmates should be. Th ey’ll listen to the mu- sic of their generation, reminisce about the good old days, proudly show off pictures of their children and, in many cases, grand- children, and travel back in time. Th at’s what reunions are all about. As much as we cringe looking at those pictures back when we had full heads of hair and were fi lled with hope, there’s a certain fascination looking at ourselves and others and seeing how our lives turned out. S N O I N U Ben Netanyahu Ce e t a r leb RE W O N D F N A N O — N MARKS | JE STAF E H T J Cheltenham High School's Class of 1967 20th reunion at the Reading Terminal Market See REUNIONS, page 18 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 17 NS REUNIO C ED ONTINU Scenes from the Norristown JCC Tiferet Israel 2016 reunion 18 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Dan Seltzer just wished then he knew what he was signing up for when he was CHS class president. “Th ey did not tell me it was a lifetime job,” laughed Seltzer, who orchestrated this reunion and all its predecessors. “But it’s been fun working on it, though some of the meetings were 75 percent social- izing and 25 percent work. When you throw a party, you want it to be good. I’m hoping I’ll be extremely happy to have seen a bunch of “We probably had our fi rst meeting about a year ago, then had a meeting once a month at somebody’s house or a restau- rant. If you make it too large, then it’s hard to make decisions because everyone wants a say. I assigned jobs: centerpieces and signs, decorations, badges, etc. My fi rst thought was we should just tape our names on our foreheads and look for each other.” Bala was also the site for Overbrook High School’s Class of ’57 “My fi rst thought was we should just tape our names on our foreheads and look for each other.” — Mark Simon people I haven’t seen in years and maybe reestablish some friendships that have drift ed. And when it’s over, I guess I’ll feel a little relieved.” For most of the people who show up at a reunion, the work is already done. Th ey’re just there to mingle and have a good time. Th ey have no clue what went into making it possible. “We’ve had one every fi ve years, but this year no one else stepped up to the plate to do it,” said Mark Simon, the brains behind George Washington High School’s 50th reunion, which occurred Oct. 7 at Bala Golf Club. “Th ere were about eight to 10 people who helped out. We had about 85 coming from a class of 587, but it was absolutely fantastic. 60th reunion on Oct. 22. Th at one came about when Irene Kohn was having lunch last year with a couple of her classmates. “Th ey put me in charge,” said Kohn, a retired teacher. “I was working with a spreadsheet from out 50th [reunion] and was able to locate about 200 people and send out invitations. Th e problem is I’m a procrastinator, so I didn’t get them out as early as I should have.” Th e other problem was having little familiarity with social me- dia networks like Facebook and Twitter, which can relay a message more quickly and effi ciently. See REUNIONS, page 20 Invitation and Card r rd Shoppes • Weddings • Bar & Bat Mitzvah • Birth Announcements • Parties • Personalized Stationery • Calligraphy • Printing System on Premises The Gift Shoppe • All Occasion Gift Baskets • Hostess Gifts • Jewelry • Party Essentials • Boutique Candy • Baby Boutique 352 Righters Mill Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035 Phone 610-649-1100 610-649-4850 www.gladwynepharmacy.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS Fax So much to see... more to come... OCTOBER 26, 2017 19 NS REUNIO C ED ONTINU George Washington High School 50th reunion from left: Doug Verb, Mark Simon and Jerry Shinfeld Th at’s what Steve Schwartz real- ized last year when he staged a re- union for those who had belonged to the Norristown Jewish Commu- nity Center before it merged with Tiferet Israel in Lansdale and Bet Israel to become Tiferet Bet Israel in Blue Bell. Once he started posting about the reunion on Facebook, it made a world of diff erence — so much so that the 60-year-old Schwartz plans to do it again in a year or so. “It was a smashing success,” Schwartz said. “Joining Face- book generated a lot of activity. We picked the right day to have it, just before Shabbat. We had cooked dinner Th ursday night and charged each family $18 for dinner. Aft er dinner, we reserved an hour for people to reminisce. Th en we went around and hand- ed out parts for services because the rabbi and cantor were away that week. Woodcrest Country Club Weddings | Bar & Bat Mitzvahs | Events 300 East Evesham Rd. | Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Events@WoodcrestCountryClub.com WoodcrestWeddings.com 856.219.4099 Candid Moments Photography 20 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM "It had been 20 years since they merged. People told me aft erward, ‘I thought it was a crazy idea, because who would want to relive their Hebrew school days? I can’t believe you pulled it off .’" No one knows whether there will be a next one for the Chel- tenham Class of ’67, with members in their late 60s. A sobering “It was a new school,” Simon said. “We were the second class to come in as eighth graders. “Mike Kaplan, who won awards as a costume designer in Hollywood for Star Trek, was in the class, and there were plenty of doctors and lawyers. I’d say we contacted about half the class. We had people coming from the West Coast and “We just want to celebrate the fact that we’re here and that this is a special moment — a once-in-a-lifetime event.” reality they’ll note is that 45 classmates are now dead. “We’re doing a plaque for them,” said Carol Alsberg Siegel, who selected the DoubleTree because it was a place for class- mates from outside the area to stay, while suiting other reunion needs. “For everyone else, we’re having something informal on Friday where people can stop by and have a drink and socialize. “Saturday night is the reunion, then Sunday there’s a brunch, which is included for hotel guests and open for anyone else from the class. I’ve been on the committee for every reunion we’ve had, and it’s been fun.” Th ey also came from far and wide for GW, which was in its infancy when the Class of ’67 graduated. Hawaii. When you analyze it, people who had a lot of friends in high school, people who’ve been successful in life, they show up.” Th at is, aft er all, the whole point of reunions. “We just want to celebrate the fact that we’re here and that this is a special moment — a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Seltzer said. “And we’ll still have our website up for three years or so aft erward so people can post pictures and send emails. But I still fi nd it hard to wrap my mind around that we’ve been out of high school 50 years.” ● jmarks@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729 Legendary. I n t r i g u i n g . Connected. Id e a l l y l o c a t e d i n P h i l a d e l p h i a ’ s Ri t t e n h o u s e S q u a r e , t h e Wa r w i c k o f f e r s a n a t m o s p h e r e t h a t combines a sense of history with culture and i n n o v a t i o n . Fr o m c a t e r i n g s e r v i c e s t o e v e n t p l a n n i n g , l e t t h e Wa r w i c k h a n d l e e v e r y a s p e c t o f y o u r s p e c i a l d a y. Ce l e b r a t e w h e r e l e g e n d s have stayed and history’s been made. Contact Lauren Belsh, Catering Sales Manager lauren.belsh@warwickrittenhouse.com 2 2 0 S o u t h 1 7 t h S t r e e t \ \ P h i l a d e l p h i a , PA 1 9 1 0 3 2 1 5 . 7 3 5 . 6 0 0 0 \ \ WA RW I C K R I T T E N H O U S E .CO M JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 21 THE BIG ZERO: Planning a Milestone Celebration JON MARKS | JE STAFF 50th birthday party done up to look like the Breakers in Palm Beach. PHOTOS PROVIDED V ALORI ZASLOW likes planning parties with a big zero. “Th e bigger the zero, the more fun people want to have with the event,” said Zaslow, who’s run ReEvent for 20 years. “Peo- ple oft en come to me looking for something unique and creative.” For a party planner, those are the magic words. While a wedding or a Bar Mitzvah may be more signifi cant, celebrating a milestone — like a big birthday or an anniversary — takes on a diff erent charm. Th at’s because it’s focused spe- cifi cally on the man, woman or couple they’re celebrating. “Th e thing about birthdays is you can really enhance and en- joy the uniqueness of that indi- vidual,” said Sandra Steinfeld of Philadelphia Party Planners, a relative novice with three years in the business aft er 20 years as an attorney. “When you’re do- ing birthdays, it’s about someone who’s already established them- selves. It’s about what makes that person who they are. I really like that.” And the stress level is nowhere near as high as when you have to deal not only with the bride and groom, but their parents and who knows what else. “Th ere’s much less anxiety doing a birthday party for someone of multiple years,” agreed Lynne Brownstein of Arrangements Un- limited in King of Prussia. “But I’m probably not a good person to ask, because almost every event I do becomes so personal. I’ve been in business so long, there’s hardly a person in the community who hasn’t done something with us. Every- body’s looking for something to celebrate.” Th ey just all do it a little bit diff erently. One anniversary couple might love to dance, so the party will have a dancing theme. Someone else might’ve been into art and culture, so the party will refl ect that. Maybe they were into comedy or mysteries, so that will be the focus. Whatever the customer wants, the par- ty planner will try to make it happen. “We can do a murder mystery or a char- acter impersonator,” said Sharon Lee Dan- iels of Mae & Co., who’s played her Marilyn Monroe character so well that an older man once thought she was the real Marilyn. “Whatever they need from us. “We can either do the whole production or just pieces. We’re doing a party soon for someone who’s turning 60 and having a ’50s theme. We’re making it seem like it’s in a diner and having the person’s name put on a record. Th is family loves to dance, so we’re also bringing in a Michael Jackson lookalike to do Th riller, “THE BIGGER THE ZERO, THE MORE FUN PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE WITH THE EVENT.” 22 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Goldstein’s Men’s & Boy’s Apparel Your Mitzvah suit for that special day DKNY Above: Mary Beth and Mark Russo. Left: Sharon Lee Daniels as Lady Gaga PHOTOS PROVIDED even though he wasn’t even born in the ’50s. We take dramatic license.” The clients don’t seem to mind as long as they’re entertained. Sometimes, the star of the night has no idea what’s coming. “Doing surprise parties are a fun en- deavor,” Zaslow said, “because you’re often creating another whole event to detain the person being surprised. The person being honored thinks they’re go- ing somewhere else, so we’ll usually have Family owned and operated for 115 years Since 1902 Visit us in our new location Now carrying shoes Major Credit Cards 2537 S Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19148 215-468-0564 M, T, Th, F, Sa 10-5:30; W 10-7:30 • ALTERATIONS AVAILABLE www.goldsteinsclothing.com See ZERO, page 24 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 23 ZERO continued a group working to coordinate and keep them away.” No one has more fun in that case than the party planner. “I’m not the one who has to keep the surprise,” Brownstein said. “That makes it more fun for me watching.” But as men and women get up there in years the tone for the party may change. “We did a 90th birthday once and it was lovely,” Zaslow said. “There was a big board with stars and everyone wished upon a star and put up a star for her. She had a small group of maybe 10 friends. It’s nice to be able to celebrate at that age. But I’ve never done one for some- one who’s 100. A lot of families take it upon themselves then. “It depends on the person’s state of mind and ability to get around.” However, Brownstein, who’s been in the business 41 years, Top: Billy's "fortunate 50" birthday at a Chinese restaurant. Right: A golf-themed cake. PHOTOS PROVIDED has experienced that. “I did a couple of 100-year-old birthdays and both were in retirement homes,” Brownstein said. “Besides the fam- ily, we invited all the people in the home and had Dixie cups and lollipops that made it easy for them. It was very emotional to see all those people together and see how im- portant it was.” But you don’t have to be turning the century mark for a birthday to be emotional. And you don’t have to rent out an expensive venue and spend a fortune, either. “It’s up to each individual,” Zaslow said. “If it’s a special birthday and peo- ple really want to celebrate and have the means, then the sky’s the limit. But most come with a budget in mind and try to stick to that. I’ve done some very nice at-home par- ties — an intimate dinner for 15 to 20 couples, where they brought in a caterer and music. I’ve done Let us create the completely worry-free and fabulous wedding you’ve dreamed of — from complete wedding planning or just day of coordination services. Sandra Steinfield, Owner 215.285.7892 F philadelphiapartyplanners.com 24 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM a lot of retro parties, where we had retro candy bars. “People want to be creative, so we usually start planning four to six months in advance.” Preparation and the ability to adapt on the fl y is key, ac- cording to Steinfeld, which is where her legal expertise comes in handy. “It’s all about planning,” she said. “Don’t wing it be- cause it never comes out all right. So have contingen- cy plans. If anybody believes they can pull off an event without one glitch happening they’re dreaming. Being a lawyer I’m trained in an- alytical thinking. “I map out what could go wrong. I re- view all the vendor contracts. I need to know what is this person get- ting and what are they paying for? Th en I put a whole schedule together.” While party planners may put together weddings and Bar and Bat Mitz- vahs by the score, and even throw together an occasional divorce party, those mile- Mary Beth Bogan stone birthdays hit home Russo's 50th the most. birthday party “I lost my mother PHOTOS PROVIDED when I was very young and I miss her,” Zaslow said. “It really gives me a very warm feeling to see people who are alive and still able to celebrate.” ● “IF ANYBODY BELIEVES THEY CAN PULL OFF AN EVENT WITHOUT ONE GLITCH HAP- PENING THEY’RE DREAMING.” jmarks@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729 DON’T MISS ANY OF JAN’S TRUNK SHOWS Exclusive offers for trunk show dress purchases go to JansCatalog.com to receive your trunk show offers! MARISSA BARTELLI 10/26-10/29 MONTAGE/IVONNE D CAMERON BLAKE 10/26-10/29 WAYNE CLARK FRASCARA 11/9-11/14 TARIK EDIZ 11/25-11/26 SARA MIQUE 10/26-10/29 RENE RUIZ 11/2-11/5 FERIANI 11/16-11/19 RINA DI MONTELLA 11/25-12/3 save up to $500 on your Dress and Alterations at Jan’s! up to by law all PA dress retailers must charge you 8% sales tax on your Dress and Alterations! Pay nothing extra at Jan’s! JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 25 Phil adelphia Nati ve Off ers Desti nąti on Weddings In a Uniqu e Locale KEVIN WALKER | JE FEATURE Lara Goldman PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS ZAPATA PHOTOGRAPHY M 26 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SIMCHAS OST PEOPLE associate weddings with love and commitment, and rightly so. Aft er all, it’s a ceremony to unite two people to- gether, building a life they will share. Th at’s the part they write songs about. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM But a wedding also comes with another constant: questions. So many questions. Who to invite, for example. Who to hire to take photos, for another. Floral arrangements. Cake designs. Bridesmaid dress- es. Donut wall or no donut wall? It’s a virtual minefi eld of decision-making. And topping the list, towering high above all others, is the ultimate question: where to have the wedding? In Philadelphia, choices abound. Country clubs and major hotels host weddings. So does the National Museum of Amer- ican Jewish History, the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center and the Franklin Institute. Local wedding planners can give you glamorous art deco weddings, country barn weddings or traditional weddings like your grandparents enjoyed. But there’s another choice. It’s not for everyone. But for those who want a unique wedding outside of Philadelphia, it’s a really great option: Th e Central American country of Belize. Some people might be aware Belize rates high as a stun- ningly beautiful wedding location. What they may not know is its other advantage, a woman named Lara Goldman. The Philadelphia native lives in Belize and runs a com- pany that specializes in coordinating destination weddings. She knows Philadelphia. She also knows everyone and every- thing about Belize. She’s the person to talk with if you want to, say, swim with sharks or zip line your way to a ceremony in a hut in the jungle. Or, as Goldman puts it, “The answer is yes, what’s the question?” JEWISHEXPONENT.COM PHILLY-ZEAN AT YOUR SERVICE Before everyone starts Googling “Where is Belize?”: Th e country runs for about 200 miles along the eastern Central American coast. Belize sits east of Guatemala, north of Hon- duras and just south of Yucatan and Quintana Roo (which you likely did not know existed until you read this sentence). Th rillist named Belize one of the best countries to visit where locals love Americans, calling it an “even chiller extension of southern California.” Travel and Leisure magazine readers ranked Belize as one of the best destinations for travelers. Goldman, who grew up and lived in the Philadelphia area until 2006, runs a business — Romantic Travel Belize — through which she coordinates destination weddings for couples. Th at includes everything from fi nding a venue, arranging hotels for guests and the wedding party, setting up transportation, and hiring all the people needed to get things just right. “Planning a destination wedding is not the same as plan- ning one locally, and it’s certainly not the same as planning a vacation,” said Goldman, who lives in Ambergris Caye, Belize. “Th ere is a lot more to consider, especially when you have guests traveling all this way.” Goldman handles all that. Articulate and blessed with a great sense of humor, Goldman summed up her job this way: “I tell brides, ‘My job is to protect your wedding from every- one — including you.'” Goldman said in her 11 years as a Belizean — or a “Philly- zean,” as she calls it — she has come to know everyone in the area that has anything to do with planning and producing a SIMCHAS See DESTINATION, page 28 OCTOBER 26, 2017 27 Destinątion continued Beach wedding PHOTO BY MONICA GALLARDO PHOTOGRAPHY wedding. That includes musicians, photographers, tour compa- nies, boat captains, hotel managers and caterers. “I know everyone,” she said. She laughed, adding, “I know who gets drunk by 5 p.m. and doesn’t return phone calls.” Goldman has planned more than 100 weddings. In December, she will coordinate a Jewish wedding for Danielle Rayzberg and Nathan Brandys. Goldman is bringing in a rabbi for the ceremony. The event will include a full chuppah and ketubah on the beach for 91 guests, who are coming from as far away as Sweden, Poland, Israel and Canada. Goldman has some people coming in herself. The rabbi is from Mexico. The wedding photographer is well-known, respected Philadelphia photographer Rebecca Barger. For Goldman, who once was a vice president at a Philadelphia company, there are similarities between her old job and new one. “I still herd cats,” she said. ISRAEL STARTING A NEW LIFE BAR-BAT MITZVAH FAMILY TOURS Logo designed by ©studio Kalderon Small Groups - Personal Attention Fine Hotels - Unique Itineraries TOVA GILEAD, INC. www.tovagilead.com 1-800-242-TOVA It’s not just an airline. It’s Israel. 28 OCTOBER 26, 2017 In just 46 years, Goldman has experienced a meteoric corpo- rate career, small business success, personal tragedy and a new phase as an expatriate entrepreneur. Goldman was born in Northeast Philadelphia in 1971. Her family moved to Bucks County in 1980 as part of what she calls the “great Jewish migration.” She graduated from Council Rock High School in 1989 and earned a bachelor’s degree from what is now Arcadia University in 1993. By 29, she had risen to the position of vice president of employee relations at large, public company. Her job got phased out in 2003 when the company was sold and a new executive team moved in. “I decided the next idiot I was going to work for was going to be me,” she said. Goldman opened an antiques shop, La Tela, in Berwyn. Her husband, Tom Lennon, pitched in to help. He had been laid off as an airline pilot following 9/11, and was flying cargo planes. He helped her make deliveries and supported her around the shop. The couple had renovated a 1920s Tudor house in Drexel Hill. Things were going well. Then, on a Friday in 2004, the phone rang. The MU-2 plane Tom was flying had gone down. He managed to crash land without hurting anyone on the ground, but he died. Goldman spent the next 18 months grieving, then trying to fig- ure out what to do with her life. After a long period, she began to jokingly ask friends about the cost of moving away to a tropical island. Finally, her sparring partner at the gym — she had taken up boxing — took her seriously and talked to her about the low cost of living in Central American countries such as Costa Rica and Belize. SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Belize intrigued her, although she wasn’t exactly sure where it was. She listed her Philadelphia house for rent. She wrote in her journal that if a person wanted to rent her furnished home for a year, she’d take it as a sign to go. Literally the next day, a couple contacted her and asked to rent the home. For an entire year, fully furnished. “The universe made it very clear to me that I needed to go,” Goldman said. At that point, she realized the only thing holding her back from making a move was fear. She concluded that “fear is not a reason.” She got on the plane and cried during the flight. “Not because I was leaving home, but because I felt like I was going home.” Two weeks after hearing about Belize, she had moved there. BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Goldman said Belize in 2017 reminds her of growing up in Northeast Philadelphia. There’s a neighborhood quality in Belize where everyone knows everyone else. She loves that aspect of liv- ing there. Goldman first went into business in Belize with Lemon Crush Belize, a lifestyle brand that started with bikinis adorned with vin- tage costume jewelry. She began to market to brides, and quickly learned that brides needed help with much beyond just bikinis. They wanted help with all aspects of the wedding. Romantic Travel Belize was born. It is now a full-service desti- nation management and event design company. After more than 100 weddings, Goldman will hold her first Jewish wedding Dec. 8. The couple are first-generation Americans. Their parents immigrated to the U.S. as adults. “I have a rabbi who will be doing a small Sabbath. The couple are hosting a catamaran trip for their guests to snorkel the world’s second-largest barrier reef, then with some sharks and stingrays, then to a neighboring island, Caye Caulker,” Goldman said. That all sound fabulous. But it’s the norm for Belize weddings. Exotic settings are part of the attraction. Get married in Be- lize, and you can swim with sharks, get married underwater, take a zip line ride in your wedding dress or get married on the beautiful beach. Goldman said a recent wedding took place on a sandbar in the ocean, with the chef cooking while standing in the water. Craftspeople in Belize are willing to make anything people need for their weddings. “Things are handmade and handcrafted by people who actually care,” Goldman said. She noted that there are no mega-resorts and multiple weddings each day. Couples get the complete focus of the people working there, who take great pride in putting on a beauti- ful wedding. Goldman is busy enough that she typically asks for people to contact her six months in advance for weddings in the high season (November through April) and three months during other times of the year. Goldman said she now focuses more on “design brides,” or cou- ples “who have a specific vision, service level desire, and taste level but who realize you need to trust someone who knows what they are doing.” As for Goldman, life did not go the way she anticipated when she was younger. But she truly enjoys coordinating weddings and working with couples to realize their vision. And she enjoys her newfound home, not just for the natural beauty, but the wonderful people. “I love that it is a true community, like old-time Philly,” she said. “At the end of the day, no matter where you live on planet Earth, it’s all about love and you don’t have love without people.” l GIVE GIFTS OF ISRAEL BONDS F O R A L L C E L EB R ATO RY O C C A S I O N S Mazel Tov BONDS STARTING AT $100 eMitzvah* BONDS STARTING AT $36 INVEST IN ISRAEL BONDS ISRAELBONDS.COM Development Corporation for Israel Harold F. Marcus, Executive Director Sharon Richman and Susan Schiffrin, Registered Representatives 1500 Walnut St., Suite 1302 • Philadelphia, PA 19102 philadelphia@israelbonds.com • 215.545.8380 • 800.752.5671 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM *Available only online. This is not an offering, which can be made only by prospectus. Read the prospectus carefully before investing to fully evaluate the risks associated with investing in Israel bonds. Issues subject to availability. Member FINRA. SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 29 ☜ SEARCHING FOR AN ☞ Adventure Aquarium PHOTOS PROVIDED Unusual BAR AND BAT MITZVAH PARTY VENUE? CONSIDER THESE CHOICES KEVIN WALKER | JE FEATURE B AR OR BAT MITZVAH ranks among the most traditional of all Jewish events — for good reason. Strip away all the fun party details and glitz, and a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is meant to mark the transi- tion of a boy or girl into the full responsibility of being a mem- ber of the Jewish community. It’s an event backed by centuries of tradition, but that doesn’t mean the celebration aft erward has to be that traditional. In recent years, many parents planning parties for their son or daughter have moved away from the traditional trappings, such as country club luncheons. Event planners in the Philadel- phia area have, of course, seen the trend and made the moves to accommodate it. “Th ey’re not so much off the beaten path,” Stacey Kesselman, owner of Exceptional Events, said of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah venue choices in modern times. “Th ey are just diff erent venues outside of a country club or hotel.” 30 OCTOBER 26, 2017 SPORTS AND CENTRIFUGES Kesselman, who also coordinates weddings through her busi- ness, has years of experience planning Jewish ceremonies and events. Th ose include Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations in un- usual places. In October, she planned a party for a soccer fan at Talen Ener- gy Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. Th e event included decorations with the colors of the team and other soccer-related items, such as place cards and water bottles. Th ey also had soccer jerseys as a giveaway gift for party guests. Kesselman said she has held parties at the Wells Fargo Cen- ter, home of the 76ers and the Flyers. But it was the 76ers that were the focus of one particular Bar Mitzvah, where everyone attended a 76ers game fi rst and then stayed aft er for the party. While the stadiums are fun, Kesselman said among the most unique places she has coordinated a Bar Mitzvah was at Th e Fuge. “Th e Fuge,” she said, “is very cool.” SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM “YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, THE PARTY GUESTS ARE MOSTLY CHILDREN, YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT CONVENIENCE FOR THEM AND THEIR PARENTS.” So what is it? Located in Warminster, The Fuge is a complete- ly round facility with 12,000 feet of space. It houses the world’s first and largest centrifuge, according to The Fuge website. Kesselman said in addition to the unique space, The Fuge offers two large movie screens that can show a live feed of the party or a montage of videos and photos. The facility also has a staff of chefs and caterers to handle all the food needs. former train station at the Atwater Kent Radio Factory. The building has more than 60,000 square feet of space for events, as well as plenty of art, antiques and architectural elements from around the globe on display. Food is prepared for each event using local, seasonable and sustainable ingredients by Baba Ol- ga’s Kitchen. It’s all overseen by Chef Aliza Green, a member of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Cu- linary Hall of Fame. UNIQUE VENUES The Philadelphia area boasts many such facilities for a dif- ferent kind of Bar or Bat Mitz- vah venue, including some of the following. Lincoln Financial Field. The home of the Eagles and a venue for big concerts also can Battleship NewJersey PHOTOS PROVIDED host a party. The stadium is able to host parties as small as a half dozen or as big as 5,000. The stadium uses Aramark Ca- tering for events. Fels Planetarium at the Franklin Institute. This is a cool place to visit at any time, but it especially shines for big events. The ceiling can display lights, stars, a full moon or any images you can think of. Much like The Fuge, this is a unique space. Battleship New Jersey. Got a kid with a thing for ships, the sea and history? The Battleship New Jersey is open for tours, and also rents out space for specials events such as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. For those who choose to hold their party on the main deck, the Philadelphia skyline and the Camden Wa- terfront provide a spectacular view. The ship has 11 different venues that can handle groups as small as 15 and as big as 3,000. The venues include the Officer’s Wardrobe, the Crew Mess, the Captain’s Cabin, the Admiral’s Cabin and the Main Deck. Adventure Aquarium. Located near the Camden Water- front, the aquarium houses more than 8,500 aquatic animals and holds more than 2 million gallons of water. How’s that for unique? Adventure Aquarium rents out space for corporate events, birthday parties and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. The aquari- um provides chefs to make food exclusive to the party, including entrees and desserts from Mexico, Italy, Asia and France. Material Culture. This art, antiques and hand crafts empo- rium is located near Fernhill Park north of downtown in the ANOTHER CHOICE Prices vary for any of the above venues and in different seasons. They also can change based on the size of the party. Still, some parents might not want to tackle the price or the level of planning needed to use a large event facility. Karen Pecora of Philadelphia Event Planners said she often will discuss with parents options for how to decorate for a par- ty that can turn more conven- tional spaces into a themed Bar or Bat Mitzvah. “You have to remember, the party guests are mostly chil- dren,” Pecora said. “You want to think about convenience for them and their parents.” Parents often feel more comfortable attending Bar or Bat Mitzvahs at more tradi- tional locations, such as coun- try clubs or hotels, she said. That said, “They are used to Lincoln Financial FIeld going to the same country club PHOTOS PROVIDED again and again,” Pecora said. A solution for those who want something different but don’t want to rent out a large venue is to invest in decorating the space uniquely for a specific theme. Pecora said for some Bar or Bat Mitzvahs she will “strip it down” within the venue and completely redecorate. “You can turn any space into anything you want [such as] a ski lodge, for example,” she said. She’s also turned traditional venues into mini-football fields or baseball fields for sports-loving fans. Whether renting a unique venue or decorating a traditional one with a different look, Pecora said one piece of advice applies to all: People almost always need more space than they think. Pecora said she nearly always recommends a larger space once parents give her their idea of what they need. “Bigger is always better,” Pecora said. She then added, laugh- ing, “You can quote me on that.” l JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS OCTOBER 26, 2017 31 WEDDINGS ALLOW MILLENNIALS TO CUSTOMIZE THEIR NUPTIALS AND SAVE MONEY Scenes from weddings and wedding showers PHOTOS PROVIDED L HILARY DANAILOVA | JE FEATURE IKE A LOT OF MODERN COUPLES, Stephanie and Daniel Braceland didn’t bother hiring a videogra- pher for their August wedding at Philadelphia’s Read- ing Terminal Market. Instead, Stephanie, a special education teacher, created her own Snapchat filter — #braceyourselves17 — and instructed friends to post their smartphone videos online. “I like it better, because it’s through my friends’ eyes and not the eyes of some- one I hired,” explained the bride, who, ironically, moonlights as a wedding photographer. The Bracelands’ approach to videography typifies the DIY (do-it-yourself) spirit of today’s Jewish brides and grooms, whose desire to personalize their nuptials is often as strong a motivation as saving money. Plenty of thrifty couples still make their own centerpieces or buy their own liquor to trim the budget, of course. But the impulse to put one’s own handcrafted touch on wed- 32 OCTOBER 26, 2017 ding elements comes naturally for millennials, a generation that knits for fun, cures pickles at home and curates their own social media brands. That was the case for Stephanie Braceland, who admitted that she took on numerous tasks out of a desire to have things just the way she liked them — and to express the uniqueness of the couple’s Philadelphia foodie relationship. “Every wedding I go to starts to look the same, so I wanted to step out of the box,” said Braceland, 35, who considered only unconventional venues for her interfaith ceremony (she is Jew- ish; Daniel, a 33-year-old software engineer, is Catholic). So she spray-painted tin cans for the floral centerpieces, put Tastykakes and Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews into Philly-themed goodie bags, and bought white umbrellas for guests to do the “Mummers’ Strut” in homage to her South Philly grandparents, who had done the dance at her Bat Mitzvah two decades earlier. “The millennials really want a story around what they’re SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM buying, to make a personal connection for their wedding,” observed Jennie Love, who hosts DIY flower arrangement workshops for brides-to-be at her Philadelphia urban flower farm and floral design company, Love 'n Fresh Flowers. “They don’t just want to go to Target and get a mass-produced item. They want a physical connection with these objects.” It’s the same impulse that has propelled the popularity of farmers markets, where an understanding of the provenance of organic rutabaga is now part of our culture. Love said her mil- lennial customers bring that same artisanal ethos to wedding planning: Hand-assembling centerpieces from locally sourced peonies takes on significance apart from the financial savings. “The seasonal and artisanal is really big,” affirmed Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, author of The Creative Jewish Wedding Book and an officiant with Journeys of the Heart, a Philadelphia agency that provides interfaith clergy. Like her colleagues, Kaplan-Mayer has observed a shift toward individualized and tradition-infused DIY elements. Among the most common: chuppahs crafted from a family tallis or tablecloth, a signature cocktail incorporating local fla- vors, iPod playlists in lieu of DJs, and guest books that “are rarely just a book anymore,” Kaplan-Mayer said, but might be any- thing from a snowglobe souvenir to a framed family portrait. One particularly ubiquitous trend is a photo display of de- parted loved ones, which couples craft into a decorative tree, arrange on a table or even incorporate into the chuppah. “It’s very meaningful,” said Kaplan-Mayer, noting that to- day’s older couples may not have grandparents, or even parents, alive to attend. “In a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, of course, you don’t say the kaddish. There really isn’t a moment where you acknowledge those people who have passed on.” Not all DIY elements are handcrafted. Music is one of the most common vehicles for personalization in Ortho- dox nuptials, said Rabbi Yonah Gross of Congregation Beth Hamedrosh in Wynnewood. “In the past it would be the cantor singing under the chup- pah,” Gross noted. “Now, often, it’s siblings or friends who’ll sing.” At Adath Israel, a Conservative temple in Merion Station, Rabbi Eric Yanoff has noticed that his tradition-minded cou- ples increasingly use music to express their own tastes as well. “It used to be that there were four Jewish songs that musi- cians chose from, but now I see people choosing a nice love song — maybe a Jewish love song, a modern Israeli love song, even a totally secular song,” he said. When Cantor Lauren Levy, the cantor at Beth David Re- form Congregation in Gladwyne, married Eric Goodman, a 32-year-old physician, in New Jersey last May, she chose a niggun as her processional. “We knew it would be a fairly Jewishly literate crowd, and they’d pick up and sing along,” explained Levy, 34. “The idea of being sung along to as we walked to the chuppah was very meaningful.” Levy also crafted a photo montage of family weddings, displaying them alongside a half-dozen multicolor wine bot- tles. In lieu of a guestbook, guests were encouraged to write blessings or advice and stuff them inside the bottles, which the couple plans to break open on significant anniversaries. “The idea was to show that, with all those years of anniversaries that my relatives had, may we continue to read the blessings for the next 50-plus years,” Levy said. Many couples limit DIY elements to such sentimental touches, since doing things oneself requires significant time commitment. 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Ridge Pike, Suite 2 • Conshohocken, PA • 610-834-0367 • Mon-Sat 10-5 See DIY, page 34 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Designer Outlet Design Studio & PROOF #14 SIMCHAS Henning’s Custom Catering Perfect For All Functions • From Private to Corporate • All Inclusive Meals • All Food Cooked on Premises by our In-house Chefs • Set Up & Service Available • Meeting & Party Room Up to 60 Guests Your Caterer For... Baby & Bridal Showers • Weddings • Confi rmations & Graduations Corporate & Retirement Parties • Cocktail & Dinner Parties Picnics & Holidays DOUBLE COUPONS EVERY DAY 290 Main Street • Harleysville, PA • 215-256-9533 OPEN EVERY DAY 7 AM-11 PM OCTOBER 26, 2017 33 DI Y continued Not every bride is as organized as Julia Katz, 30, who organized an assem- bly line to make bouquets, garland run- ners and centerpieces for her June 2016 wedding to Barry Katz, also 30. The morning before her outdoor ceremony at the Curtis Arboretum in Cheltenham, Katz picked up an army of pink, white and purple blooms, lined up clear glass vases, and gathered her family and bridal party on the patio of her future in- laws’ Cheltenham house. “It was stressful,” she allowed, recall- ing an emergency run to Lowe’s for extra flowers. “We had eight people working at 9 a.m. Friday morning, and we had to be done by 2. But it worked out.” Moreover, full-service flowers for her 150-person affair “would have been crazy expen- sive,” added Katz, who also saved money by hand-lettering her signs and used a veil handmade by her mother. For elements like photography, music and flowers, DIY savings can be substantial. Full-service floral design costs up- ward of $5,000 for a typical wedding, Love said, while her DIY brides — who buy bulk flowers and assemble most of the arrangements themselves — spend an average of $400 to $700. But whether they pre-order special- ly grown blooms for Love ’n Fresh to assemble or do it themselves, Love said Jewish couples are noticeably more in- vested in their flowers. “The Jewish faith encourages more appreciation for the natural world. At least that’s my theory,” she laughed. The Silverbergs of Media certainly 34 OCTOBER 26, 2017 bear out that theory. “Woodsy wildflower” is how Michele Silverberg, who owns a gift-basket busi- ness, describes the theme for the June 2018 Brandywine Manor wedding of her son, Jason Silverberg, and his fian- cée, Jordana Rychik, both 26. For the couple’s 2017 engagement party, Michele Silverberg hand-decorat- ed with dozens of peonies from Love ’n Fresh. She’d had practice: At her daugh- ter’s own “terrain”-themed shower a few years ear- lier, Silverberg made center- pieces of roses and succulents, and crafted ter- rariums as par- ty favors. “I’m a visu- al person, and I like things a certain way, Above: A and my daughter had ketubah. Left: a very specific vision Wedding favors. of having a rustic PHOTOS PROVIDED wedding that wasn’t a cookie-cutter ball- room,” explained Michele, who took a DIY approach to the 2016 Jewish nup- tials of her daughter, Jessica Konopka, a 29-year-old Philadelphia art teacher. For that affair at the Philadelphia Horticultural Center, Silverberg lined the aisle with hand-stained wooden crates that she filled with wildflowers. She also fashioned a chuppah from a tablecloth crocheted by her own moth- er, and hung vintage handkerchiefs on a decorative board for guests to take home. “I saw something like it on Pin- terest,” Silverberg explained. The social media sites Pinterest and Instagram, as well as the artisan online re- tail collective Etsy, are driving both today’s DIY wedding inspiration and the pressure to look unique in images that may go viral. “Now there’s this expectation that you’re not just going to have your first dance, but you’re going to have extrava- gant choreography,” Kaplan-Mayer not- ed. “You’re in the spotlight, and some people don’t want to be in the spotlight.” Some don’t — but others enjoy the experience of planning a DIY wedding so much that they look for ways to do it again. Braceland, who said she is still sorry her foodie nuptials are over, is now expanding her photography business to include full wedding planning. “I enjoy doing stuff like that,” she said. “I guess it’s the teacher in me. 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