The bride wore white, the groom wore sneakers, and the couple could very well honeymoon at Toys ‘R’ Us. That’s because Z Hansen, 9, and Sophie Gabel-Scheinbaum, 8, are kids. Their mock wedding at Richmond’s Temple Beth Hillel was simply a happy hands-on Sunday school lesson in Jewish lifecycle events.
Standing under a homemade chuppah, children from Temple Beth Hillel educator Margie Marks’ combined third-, fourth- and fifth-grade Sunday school class played the various roles of the wedding party, from father of the bride (portrayed by Sarah Thomas) to best man (called “main man” by Z, short for Zachary). There wasn’t a dry eye in the sanctuary, but mostly because of the laughter.
“This was a way to experience a Jewish wedding in a fun way,” said Marks. “I want them to remember this and encourage them to stand under a chuppah someday.”
The event brought out a big crowd, including many parents, Rabbi Margery Jacobs and cantorial soloist Howard Cohen. Before the ceremony, everyone stood around doing what people always do before a wedding: shmooze.
Z stood in the courtyard, looking very cute in his rumpled suit. Was he nervous?
“Ehh, no,” he said. “We practiced twice.”
The mother of the bride, Amy Scheinbaum of El Cerrito, was happy for Sophie, but she recalls how her daughter felt when planning the ceremony’s biggest moment — the kiss. “They had choices,” says Scheinbaum. “They could kiss on the lips, kiss on the cheek, hug or shake hands.”
Apparently, there was a fifth option: no physical contact at all.
As the wedding party filed in, camera flashes went off like opening kickoff at the Superbowl. Z had a hangdog look as Sophie walked down the aisle and the two slowly circled each other. Jacobs and Cohen gathered the kids together under the chuppah (which continually lost altitude because the young chuppah-hoisters had trouble keeping it up). Three students then took turns explaining the symbols of the wedding ceremony, though the consecrated wine looked suspiciously like sparkling apple cider.
In lieu of a ketubah, the students came up with a list of their own most desirable traits in a partner. Among them, be good with animals, do things without fussing and clean up after yourself. After the rabbi recited the blessings and the cantor sang, Jacobs said, “This is the point at which I would say, ‘By the power vested in me …”
Thus Z and Sophie both remain single and in the market.
To great applause, the wedding party shuffled back up the carnation-strewn aisle over to the three-layer white cake topped with figurines of Marge and Homer Simpson.
Afterward, teacher Marks was beaming. “It was great,” she said. “The kids really enjoyed it.
Added Jacobs: “The community does feel a sense of connectedness here. People turn out, celebrate and feel that sense of joy.”
Off to one corner, Sophie was finishing up her piece of cake. “It was fun,” she said of her proto-wedding, “but it was hot under the veil. I don’t think I want to do this again.”