Will Chelsea Clinton have a Jewish Wedding?

March 9, 2010 · Filed Under Baum's Blog 

There’s been a lot of chatter lately, particularly in the Jewish world, about whether Chelsea Clinton and her fiancé Marc Mezvinksy will have a Jewish wedding.  My primary response is: leave them alone!

While the values, traditions, and religious framework that Chelsea and Marc will adopt in their new life together should be very important to the two of them, I consider these very personal topics.  I’m not sure why there has been so much reaction in the Jewish community, except that the underlying message seems to be that some Jewish professionals want Chelsea to convert – it would be like gaining one more for our team – a trophy of sorts (in their eyes).

I did blog about this topic in December – and you can read more of my thoughts there.  But of course, I’ve had some more recent thoughts as well.

When I work with interfaith couples to plan their weddings, it is a remarkable opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about what their shared life together will bring.  How can we create a ceremony that speaks to the couple?  How can their wedding – one of the most important moments of their lives – be imbued with a sense of shared humanity while also appreciating the uniqueness of various traditions?

I like to think that couples should spend more time time thinking about their marriages than they do about their wedding days.  How will they create a life together that blends aspects of their families of origin and their respective religions?  What new traditions will they create?  If they choose to have children, how will they raise their children?  How will they deal with the opportunities and challenges that interfaith marriage presents?

As for Chelsea and Marc, I wish them the best in whatever they decide.  It is their decision.  But, of course, if they need a rabbi to officiate, they should call me.  I would love to have some conversations with them about the kind of family they would like to create.

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One Response to “Will Chelsea Clinton have a Jewish Wedding?”

  1. Lisa Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 10:23 am

    As half of an interfaith couple, I’d like to chime in. My husband is Protestant and while we did have “dueling clergy” at our wedding it was done out of respect to both faiths and both families. Now, 15 years later, we have built a family life based on shared beliefs and the celebrations unique to each of us. We were fortunate that our families never questioned our choice of spouse. And we are all richer for it.

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