More about our Ceremonial Background
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Types
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Barbara grew up in a Jewish, secular family. When she became engaged to a man from a Methodist family, finding someone to marry them wasn’t easy. They desired a humanistic service that embraced the cultural elements of Judaism. They wanted a ceremony that didn’t compromise their integrity. Fortunately, they found a ceremonial leader affiliated with a national organization, the Society for Humanistic Judaism. Together they created a service that was just what they wanted.
Time passed and soon they wanted a formal way of welcoming their daughters into their family and world. Yet they didn’t belong to any sort of congregation and, again, wanted a ceremony that was authentically their own. Barbara ended up creating the service herself and finding a rabbi willing to officiate in their home.
About this time, Barbara realized the importance of being part of a like-minded community. In 1999 she was the initial driving force in establishing an Ithaca-based affiliate of the Society for Humanistic Judaism: Kol Haverim: The Finger Lakes Community for Humanistic Judaism. She chaired the community for four years and helped plan a variety of celebrations blending traditional ritual with humanistic interpretation. It was in this capacity that she found herself in the delightful position of officiating at weddings for couples both in and out of the community.
Along the way, Barbara has also designed and carried out menarche celebrations and a secular, humanistic Bat Mitzvah.
Barbara has met many non-theistic individuals, couples and families who have sought honest and creative ways to bring meaning to their lives. And she has met couples who struggled to find someone to marry them. Either they were of mixed faith, the same gender, or not "religious" enough. It is for all of these reasons that Barbara is committed to helping people achieve their humanistic ceremonial needs, whatever they may be.
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