israeli weddings

picture from here

Today I have to attend a wedding.
Weddings in Israel are a big deal and I mostly hate to go.
Don't get me wrong- I love to go to weddings of close friends or family members.
But weddings in Israel are usually huge. Today the son of my boss is getting married so of course my boss invited quite a lot of people from work. Basically I will only attend because of her. It would be rude not to go- and she is nice.

 
My husband and I got married in Switzerland (since I am not Jewish we could not get married in Israel- but that's another story.). Back in Israel we invited our best friends and the very close family for a dinner-party.
It was hard to keep my mother in law from inviting all their neighbours and
cousins and sons and daughters of cousins and their friends...
It's just crazy!

 
And the thing is- you usually bring money as a present. Now what annoys me- I have to attend, I need to somehow spend a bit time there with people I mostly don't know, I don't know either the groom or bride and I even need to pay. And with this money I could have bought sandals for the
girls for summer. Or a nice dress for myself for the wedding of my sister in September or food for a week...
I won't give as much money as others will. It simply does not feel fair towards my family. To be careful with spending money in our everyday life and then to pay for nothing a big ammount....
Maybe I am greedy? I don't know.
I just don't feel like attending weddings like this...

Comments

Unsere kleine Farm said…
Oje, Du Arme! Zwangsverpflichtet zu einer Hochzeit zu gehen ist wirklich kein Spaß! Dann schlag aber wenigstens beim Buffet ordentlich zu! Essen gibt es doch hoffentlich?? Ich für mich habe mittlerweile auch schon entschieden, nicht zu jeder Hochzeit zu gehen, zu der ich eingeladen bin - unhöflich hin, oder her. Aber in Österreich sind die Hochzeiten nicht soooo riesig ;-)
Alles Liebe & einen schönen Tag!
Eri
31 March 2011 at 11:28
vervlogen dagen said…
The Dutch aren't exactly famous for their hospitality nor their generosity. After reading your post I realise that every downside has its upside! I was shocked to hear you couldn't get married in Israel because you're not Jewish (with your name, you could have fooled everyone).
31 March 2011 at 22:38
rahel said…
The religious (the very religious- the "haredim")have a lot of power in Israel. Politicians always try to please them. So we are still stuck with some mideval law that you can't get marrid civil. So if you don't want to marry with a very religious Rabbi or you are a couple with mixed faith- you will just have to get married outside of Israel. The joke is: If you got married civil outside of Israel it is also valid inside Israel !

And by the way: The wedding was terrible. But at least the young couple seemd to have fun.
1 April 2011 at 08:49
Rahel said…
Das wär glaub ich auch gaar nichts für mich! Bei zuvieln Leuten hat man doch gar nichts voneinander, oder?
Gut, habt ihr in der Schweiz geheiratet! Tja, manche Dinge und Gesetze muss man manchmal eben nicht verstehen, oder? ;-)
LG Rahel
1 April 2011 at 22:59
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