When my husband and I got engaged everyone and their mother's uncle had advice for us on how to create a happy Jewish home. Some of their tips were helpful, some not so much, but now that I've gone through it I'm convinced that unsolicited advice is a rite of passage for every soon-to-be-married couple. Not only do you gain a few pearls of wisdom, but years later you can look back and laugh at how Aunt Esther told you to look out for double yolked chicken eggs (a sign that you'll have many healthy children, according to Jewish superstition).
Now that Ivanka Trump has converted to Judaism and is engaged to long-time love Jared Kushner, I say we continue the tradition.
The sparkling couple is a power-duo to be sure. Ivanka is the daughter of Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana, while Jared is the son of real estate developer Charles Kushner and his wife Seryl Beth. Ivanka works with her father and has her own line of jewelry, while Jared publishes the New York Observer. He proposed with a diamond ring from Ivanka's namesake jewelry line, but before the ring, came the conversion. Jared is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor and the Kushner family is Modern Orthodox. Ivanka converted under the guidance of Orthodox Rabbi Haskel Lookstein. She later announced their engagement with an ecstatic tweet on Twitter.
The wedding date hasn't been announced but that doesn't mean we can't share morsels of wisdom with the couple. Personally I think Ivanka should put learning to make challah high on her list of skills to acquire. After all, nothing makes a happy home like the smell of freshly baked bread on Friday evening. Or maybe that's the foodie in me talking.
What are your tips for building a happy Jewish home? Any advice to share with soon-to-be newlyweds?
Know, young lovers, that marriage is work. Just because it is a Jewish marriage, it doesn’t makje it less work. As a matter of fact, making and living a life of faith and morals is more work, as you have to think, and talk, and refuse to dismiss things that are tough to resolve.
That said, It is a wonderful work. To strive for open lines of communication, to force open your mind to new ideas but keep your list of ‘must haves’ strong. Compromise works as long as it isn’t your values. To think not only of yourself, but of another. You had, hopefully, you and Hashem when you rose, and when you layed down. Now you have another to add into the mix.
How do you let in this new person without giving up your relatiuonship with Hashem and with yourself? THAT is the great work of marriage.
If two people are going to go so far as to get married, which in reality is a legally binding contract and according to the Torah rights and responsibilities are spelled out, they should also consider being each others best friend. Do whatever you can for your best friend to make that person happy as long as it does not do something to endanger you mentally or physically. Guys can also clean the house, cook, iron the kids clothes,(yes, I did it when my kids were small) and be a real life partner. Neither one should be a slouch and only think of themselves because if that is the way they look at marriage, they should not sign the contract.
Ivanka is not Jewish! She had a phony conversion because the Kushner’s paid for it. Orthodox conversions take 2-3 years to complete and are never done for the reason of marriage. Ivanka and Jared will have a Gentile family and Gentile children. Ivanka and Jared should get married in a Church or by a judage neither of them have anything to do with Judaism.
why didn’t jared just marry a real jew? He’s a big jew why did he date Ivanka in the first place? And his dad was in prison for tax evasion. Now that’s a real honest jew. wink wink