Marriage is the most emotive time for two people who are binding their lives together in sacred union under the huppah (bridal canopy), with God’s blessings.
Getting married in our beautiful synagogue is a unique experience, the hatan (groom) and kallah (bride) accompanied by our magnificent choir, chanting of Cantor Heller and direction of Rabbi Botnick. Some months prior to the wedding, Belsize couples meet the rabbi to make preparations for the great celebration. Everything is explained — the service, the liturgy, bedeken (ceremony before the wedding service), huppah (bridal canopy), eirusin (first cup of wine), kiddushin (second cup of wine), sheva brachot (the seven blessings), and the breaking of the glass at the end of the ceremony.
We believe that the beauty and blessing of a couple’s love deserves the most sensitivity, care and encouragement from the congregation, so we take great pride in the elegance and warmth of the Belsize Square Synagogue traditions, music, and words that feature the very finest qualities of our Jewish tradition. A wedding is a taste of the “world to come” when all will enjoy only the voice of gladness, the voice of love. It is truly the centrepiece of Belsize Square Synagogue’s endeavour to give our members a Gan Eden (a paradise) on earth.
Listen to Mi Adir sung by Cantor Heller with the Zemel Choir and Belsize Square Professional Choir:
