Boroff got married when she was 21 years old in 1955, the same
year that Rosa Parks was arrested, Lady and the Tramp premiered and
the first McDonald’s opened. Twenty-eight years later, her daughter
Berkowitz got married at 25 years old in a large synagogue affair.

Then, 33 years after that, her grand-
daughter Fridberg married at 31 years
old at a Chester County venue.

Berkowitz opened the second
album, the one from her own wed-
ding 35 years ago. They did a photo
shoot in her parents’ bedroom, with
their green floral wallpaper behind
them. She wore a white dress with a
lace top and simple bottom.

When it comes to the dress Boroff
wore at her wedding 63 years ago, it’s
something she could see on a bride
today: A lace dress with little sleeves.

“[My wedding] was much less
sophisticated in the planning [than
my daughter’s and granddaugh-
ter’s],” Boroff said. “Nobody even
had planners.”
One difference between the wed-
dings of different generations is the price tag. Putting a wedding
together has become more expensive and, Boroff noted, more
complicated. She doesn’t remember the cost of her own, but
Berkowitz’s wedding cost about $35,000, or close to $90,000 in
today’s dollars. Fridberg’s wedding, meanwhile, cost $100,000 and
had about 100 fewer guests.

Boroff met her husband Alan, who died two years ago, when
she was a senior in high school and he was a sophomore at the
University of Pennsylvania. She met him through one of his frater-
nity brothers, whom she also dated.

“In those days, high school girls ... dated the college boys,”
Berkowitz said, “or so she tells us.”
They dated for several years.

Then, at Alan Boroff ’s graduation,
his father handed him his draft letter.

At the time, the Korean War was
coming to an end, so Alan Boroff
spent the next two years away, first at
various military bases, then in Japan.

The two wrote each other every day.

Boroff kept every letter, she said, and
after he died two years ago, she read
them all again.

“One of the special comments
was, ‘I love you very much, but I’m
leaving a page blank so I can just
think about you,’” Boroff said.

When he returned, the two got
married at Temple Sinai.

They moved to Cambridge, Mass.,
after getting married, so Alan Boroff
could attend Harvard Law School.

Then they moved back to the Philadelphia area, where they set-
tled down and grew their family. They were married for more
than 60 years.

“We really did a lot of growing up together,” Boroff said.

Years later, Boroff played matchmaker for her own daughter,
Berkowitz. During Rosh Hashanah one year, Berkowitz’s future
One difference between
the weddings of different
generations is the price tag.

Putting a wedding together
has become more expensive
and … more complicated.

See Weddings, Page 22
the ultimate selection for Bar/Bat
Mitzvah & Mother-of-the Bride!
Bat Mitzvahs / Pre-Teen / Prom / Pageant / 8th Grade Dances
Alteratons on Premises ~ Sportswear/Cruisewear/Daywear
10,000+ dresses in stock in sizes 000-32
*see appointment page or store for credit details
by LAW ALL PA dress retailers must charge you up to 8%
sales tax on your Dress and Alterations! InPAyouPay.com
Save up to $500 on your dress!
Appointments suggested • Walk-ins welcome
Appointments receive a $75 credit *
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS
OCTOBER 25, 2018
21