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Museum to celebrate variety of Jewish weddings

May 1st, 2012

The Jewish Museum Milwaukee will explore the mores, symbolic artifacts, and celebratory activities unique to the Jewish wedding experience in its new exhibit “Mazel Tov! A Celebration of Jewish Weddings.”

The exhibit will openon May 13 and will run through July 31. It was put together in-house by JMM staff, primarily using materials donated by members of Milwaukee’s Jewish community.

The central artifact of the exhibit is a chuppah, or wedding canopy. Other items on display include wedding invitations and dresses, Kiddush cups, examples of the ketubah (wedding contract), plus photographs, documents, and videos of wedding ceremonies and receptions from different eras.

In addition, the museum will offer the following programs in connection with this exhibit (all events held at Jewish Museum Milwaukee unless otherwise noted):

• Mother’s Day Exhibit Opening Event on Sunday, May 13, · noon–4 p.m. This will include light refreshments, family activities, and curator-led tours of the exhibit.

• “Love in the Zero Hour: Jewish War Brides in WWII,” Tuesday, May 22, 7 p.m., at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Golda Meir Library Conference Center, 2311 E. Hartford Ave.

Visiting historian Robin Judd will tell the story of Jewish women survivors in postwar Europe who married American military personnel, often the Jewish and gentile GIs who liberated them. This event is offered in collaboration with UWM’s Sam & Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies’ “Roots and Restlessness” series.

• “‘And the Bride Wore…’: Wedding Announcements and Jewish Marriages in Postwar American Society,” on Wednesday, May 23, 11 a.m.

Ohio State University Professor Robin Judd, an expert in gender and Jewish history, will use wedding announcements from postwar Jewish and non-Jewish newspapers to examine changes in engagement culture and wedding rituals in post-war America.  

• “Match & Marry”(2007), Thursday, July 5, 7 p.m.Suzannah Warlick’s documentary film looks into the tradition of Jewish matchmaking and explores courtship, the philosophy of marriage, and the roles of men and women in the Orthodox community. A talkback will follow the screening.

For information on these programs and events, call 414-390-5730 or visit www.jewishmuseummilwaukee.org.

The museum is open Mondays through Thursdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Fridays 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; and Sundays noon–4 p.m. Admission prices are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, free for children under age 6, and $15 for families. Members are admitted free.

The Jewish Museum Milwaukee is a department of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. It tells the story of the Jewish people in Milwaukee through interactive exhibits, films, photos, and videos.