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Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – Jewish Wedding Dancing (The Hora)

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Jewish-wedding-dancing
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 8 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

So far in this Jewish Weddings Explained series, we’ve gone through the entire day from morning to evening, now the real fun begins. Let’s be honest, Jewish weddings are known for their dancing. If there’s one thing that most non-Jewish guests know about a Jewish wedding, it’s that someone is going to be lifted on a chair and there’s going to be some crazy dancing.

In fact, we recently photographed a stunning and intimate non-Jewish wedding in the rolling hills of Devon. A couple of months before that day, the Groom’s brother had married a Jewish girl in New York. The Groom enjoyed the dancing at his brother’s wedding so much that he insisted his guests hoist him and his new wife onto chairs, which they did, as other guests around them clapped and made vaguely Jewish-sounding noises like ‘oy, oy, oy’. Even at non-Jewish weddings, lifting the couple on chairs will always be awesome!

Firstly, what do we call it? Most people nowadays refer to this part of the wedding as the ‘Israeli Dancing’. For me, it’s not as though everybody in Israel dances down the street in a circular fashion on their way to the local shops, and when you go into a club in Tel Aviv, you don’t see everyone being lifted up on chairs… so I call it ‘Jewish dancing’.

Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.
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Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Romantic Getaway at the Glamorous Kimpton Fitzroy London

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Are you looking for a London Jewish wedding venue that’s stylish, luxe, and boasts ultra-personal service from a team that knows Jewish weddings inside and out? Kimpton Fitzroy London ticks ALL those boxes and then some.

Ivi and Ben’s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  | Photo by Fire & Ice

Since opening in 2018, Kimpton Fitzroy London has fast become a favourite venue for  STG couples – and it’s easy to see why, between its array of stunning event spaces, central Bloomsbury location, and luxe accommodations for the two of you as well as your out-of-town guests.

Ivi and Ben’s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  | Photo by Fire & Ice

Kimpton Fitzroy London offers the perfect blend of modern comfort and classic elegance, and it’s the absolute perfect place to spend a romantic night in high style.

Danielle and Rob‘s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  |  | Photo by Mike Garrard

That’s why I’m so excited that we’re teaming up with Kimpton Fitzroy London to offer one lucky couple (and you can be single with a plus one, engaged, or married to enter) a chance to experience the luxuries of the hotel.

The lucky winner will be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime stay including all of the following:

  • An overnight stay in a luxury suite
  • Champagne and sweet treats on arrival
  • Pre-dinner cocktails in Fitz’s Bar
  • 3-course dinner with a bottle of wine in the Galvin Bar & Grill
  • Breakfast the following morning
  • The total prize value is £1300 !

Read on to find out how to enter!

All about Kimpton Fitzroy London

Originally built in 1898, Kimpton Fitzroy London offers the perfect package of historical charm, opulent elegance, and bespoke service fit for the Jewish wedding day of your dreams. And we love the flexibility the property offers: it’s equally suited for an intimate micro wedding or a classic Jewish celebration with up to 200 guests, and everything in between.

Needless to say, Kimpton Fitzroy London also offers sumptuous on-site accommodation for your guests, with over 300 beautifully appointed guest rooms designed to provide maximum comfort. The hotel also boasts several luxurious suites that are perfect for bridal parties – there’s no place more elegant to get ready on the big day!

A Jewish Wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy

Did we mention that the wonderful weddings team at Kimpton Fitzroy London is incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Jewish weddings? We can’t say it any better than real Jewish bride Ivi, whose incredible wedding we featured on STG:

The Kimpton Fitzroy is an absolutely rare gem – its glamorous opulence yet intimate warmth sets it worlds apart from the conventional swanky hotels a stone’s throw away in Mayfair. What we treasured the most is the loving way Jen and all of the hotel’s staff made us feel like royalty on our big day. No requests were too big or too small, we were met with smiles and genuine well wishes all day, we truly felt the hotel’s joy and pride of hosting us on the most special day of our lives. We are still pinching ourselves that we managed to get married in such an exceptional and luxurious venue. The Kimpton Fitzroy London will eternally be special to us and we cannot wait to return to spend our first wedding anniversary there!

Ivi and Ben’s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  | Photo by Fire & Ice

Depending on your needs, you’ll have your pick of a range of delightful spaces – from the dramatic ballroom to eight-intimate rooms and four restaurants and bars, all flooded with natural light and historic details at every turn. With a capacity of up to 200 for a seated dinner and dance floor, or 350 standing, there’s plenty of space for the kind of big bash beloved by the Jewish community.

Ivi and Ben’s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  | Photo by Fire & Ice

The centre of the property is the ballroom, a grand event space perfect for a standout Jewish ceremony followed by a beautiful reception, boasting a private entrance on Bernard Street, original 19th-century architectural details, a full wall of windows, and a mezzanine gallery.

And the adjoining Palm Court is the most magical backdrop for reception drinks, with a soaring glass ceiling that floods the room with light, comfortable clusters of seating, an outdoor terrace, and lots of gorgeous greenery — the vibe is conservatory meets lounge meets members club, and it is exactly as fabulous as it sounds.

Kosher Catering

Whether you’re looking for fully certified kosher catering or a delectable kosher-style menu, Kimpton Fitzroy London has got you taken care of. They’re partnered with popular London kosher caterer Ben Tenenblat, serving up modern, innovative KLBD-certified meals, as well as Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Adam Nathan Catering, who provides bespoke kosher-style menus fit for the day of your dreams. 

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Everything You Need to Know about Jewish Genetic Carrier Screening {Instagram Live Recap with JScreen}

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A post shared by Jewish Wedding Inspiration + Advice | By Karen Cinnamon (@smashingtheglass)

I’m delighted to share with you my latest Instagram Live, all about an essential topic for anyone thinking of starting a family in the next few years: genetic carrier screening. While genetic screening certainly isn’t as much fun as, say, cake tasting, if you’re planning on having biological children it should absolutely be on your wedding planning to-do list. 

On this Live, I spoke with Emily Goldberg, a genetic counselor at JScreen, a US-based not-for-profit at-home education and carrier screening program for Jewish genetic diseases.

I’ve been fortunate to speak with  Emily and some of her JScreen colleagues several times over the past few years about what JScreen does, how genetic carrier screening works, and what it all means for Jewish and Jew-ish couples. And now that we’re deep into engagement season ’23, we wanted to make sure all the newly engaged couples are able to benefit from her knowledge.

What is genetic carrier screening?

Emily began by explaining what exactly genetic carrier screening is – and what it’s not. First, it’s not a diagnostic test. JScreen’s reproductive panel won’t tell you if you yourself are at high risk of developing various diseases. Rather, JScreen’s testing lets people know if they are healthy carriers of genetic diseases who have mutations that they could potentially pass on to their future children.

Who should get screened?

The short answer: everyone planning on having biological children! While genetic screening is sometimes thought of as being relevant only to Ashkenazi Jews, the truth is that anyone, regardless of background, can be a carrier of one or more genetic diseases (and even as far as Jewish genetic diseases go, plenty affect Sephardi and Mizrahi populations). JScreen‘s pan-ethnic panel tests for all kinds of genetic diseases, not just those common among Jews – so it’s absolutely smart to get screened even if one or both of you are not ethnically Jewish.

Your parents may have done testing themselves, but even if that’s the case it’s still important to do it yourself before starting a family. So many more diseases are testable today than even five years ago – even if you yourself were screened a number of years ago, it’s worth considering retesting with JScreen. You can always look at the list of all the diseases they currently screen for and compare it to what you’ve already been screened for.

What is the ideal time to get tested?

Any time before pregnancy is a great time to test – whether it’s as a single person, while dating, during your engagement, or after the wedding. While the Orthodox community tends to get screened before dating or before engagement, secular Jews are more likely to wait until after engagement or marriage – whatever works for you! Emily noted that if you haven’t already, it’s worth getting screened before a subsequent pregnancy even if you’ve already had a healthy baby.

Who does JScreen work with?

JScreen provides testing in the United States. If you’re in the UK, Jnetics is a great option for screening. For the rest of the world, check out findageneticcounselor.com.

How does JScreen’s testing process work?

JScreen strives to make screening as easy as possible. And they’ve done a great job making the process painless: you just need to go to jscreen.org, register (it only takes a few minutes), and request a saliva testing kit, which will be mailed to your home. Then, once it arrives, you spit into a tube, mail it back (with prepaid postage), and wait a few weeks to receive your results. Results are delivered by phone or video chat from a genetic counselor, who will make sure you understand what they mean, and, if you’re a carrier for something, what your options for next steps might be.

How much does it cost to get tested with JScreen?

Genetic screening can be expensive, JScreen is committed to ensuring that cost doesn’t have to be a barrier for any couple. Thanks to donors and philanthropists, JScreen is able to offer testing for an out-of-pocket cost of $149 (with financial aid options available), regardless of insurance coverage. This is a truly incredible price, given that testing through other channels can cost upward of $1000. Plus, as a Smashing The Glass reader you can use the code “Smashing23” to receive a $100 discount (so the test will cost $49 instead of $149).

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Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Yichud

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Yichud
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 7 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

So the couple have stood under their chuppah and the groom has smashed a glass. The family and friends have cried, laughed, clapped and shouted Mazal Tov! Now what for our newly married couple? The Yichud is another beautiful tradition in Jewish weddings. Yichud comes from the Hebrew word B’Yachad, which means ‘together’.

It is where the couple, who’ve been married only a few moments, make their way to a private room and spend the first few minutes of their married life just by themselves, without any distractions or other family members.

In religious circles, this is the first time ever that the couple will have had physical contact, so it really is a truly landmark moment in the lives of the couple. The room should be lockable, and the door is locked from the inside. In Orthodox law, couple remains secluded in the room for at least eight minutes.

For those who are less religious, even the Rabbi will know that the couple has had contact before, or that they live together already! However this is still such a precious moment, alone as a married couple — just the two of them. This is also a tradition that can be applied to any wedding, irrespective of which religion the couple follows. It truly symbolizes that even in the modern world with more demands on our time than ever, the couple should always find time just for one another — even with a crowd of friends and family all clamouring to give them a hug!

Yichud The Wedding of Danielle and joseph Wedding of Sarah and Dani
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Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – Breaking The Glass

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Breaking-the-glass-Jewish-wedding
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 6 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

This is it, the time has come. With so much preparation carried out for this very moment, the ring placed upon the finger, every guest in the room hurriedly preparing their iPhones to take a shot, and clearing their vocal chords to shout “Mazal Tov”, it’s time to break the glass!

Such is the synonymy between Jewish weddings and smashing a glass, that we hear the most uber-cool Jewish wedding blog has been named after this very tradition. This site wasn’t named ‘Dancing the Hora’ or ‘Eating the Canapes’, but Smashing The Glass, as this is THE moment of the Jewish wedding. We hear time and time again from members of our Brides Club community that smashing the glass is one of the most memorable traditions of the whole beautiful day.

The glass, usually wrapped up in a cloth or napkin, is placed on the floor in front of the groom. However before it is smashed, it’s traditional at most Jewish weddings for the Rabbi or Chazan (Cantor) to sing a Hebrew song called Im Eshkakech Yerushalayim, or in English… ‘If I forget you, Jerusalem’. This commemorates the falling of Jerusalem and destruction of the two Jewish temples that once stood there.

It’s said that whenever Jewish people experience immense joy, they should also remember the less joyous times in their ancestry. With celebration comes commemoration. So once the less beautiful times have been remembered, the time comes for the groom to break the glass. Why is this done? Great question.

There are many reasons that Jewish grooms break a glass at the end of their ceremony, sealing the marriage to their bride. The first being, in keeping with the song that had just been sung, to commemorate the destruction faced by Jewish people over the past two thousand years, a nod to the suffering that had come before. After all, if you can remember the dark times even on the brightest of days, you’ll never allow them to be forgotten.

Breaking The Glass Jewish Wedding
Breaking The Glass Jewish Wedding
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