Weddings

דּוֹדִי לִי וַאֲנִי לוֹ

My beloved is mine, and I am theirs. Song of Songs 2:16

Mazal tov! Society Hill Synagogue is honored to be part of one of life’s most sacred moments.
A Jewish wedding is a covenant — a public declaration, in front of community, of the life you’re building together — and a celebration — an expression that the seeds of the world’s redemption can be found in your union.
Rabbi Kamesar meets with each couple several times before the ceremony to personally understand your story and your relationship, to help you explore the traditions and rituals of a Jewish wedding, to hold space for pre-marital conversations that strengthen your relationship, and to shape a ceremony that actually reflects who you are as a couple.
If you would like for Rabbi Kamesar to officiate your Philadelphia-area wedding, we ask that you reach out before setting a date so we can confirm Rabbi Kamesar’s availability. Contact Rabbi Kamesar directly at rabbikamesar[at]societyhillsynagogue.org to start the conversation.
If you’d like Society Hill Synagogue to share an email announcement about your or your child’s recent marriage with the congregation, contact Leanne Bendetti at office[at]societyhillsynagogue.org or Sahar Oz, Executive Director, at soz[at]societyhillsynagogue.org.

What is a Jewish wedding?

A Jewish wedding is built around two ancient ideas: kiddushin, the sanctification or dedication of one person to another, and nissuin, the lifting up of the relationship in the eyes of one another, the community, and the Divine. In practice, these unfold across a series of rituals that are at once deeply communal and deeply personal.
Before the ceremony, the couple signs a ketubah — a marriage document that articulates their commitment to one another. At Society Hill Synagogue, the ketubah is a living document, not a legal artifact: couples can work with Rabbi Kamesar to choose language that reflects who they are and what they are building together. Many couples frame their ketubot and hang them in their homes.
The ceremony takes place under a hupah, a wedding canopy, which represents the home the couple will build — open on all sides, because family and community are always welcome. Society Hill Synagogue owns a hupah that our congregants are welcome to use. Rabbi Kamesar officiates under the hupah, guiding the couple through the exchange of rings, the reading of the ketubah, and the Sheva Brakhot, the seven blessings that celebrate love, creation, and the joy of this moment. The ceremony ends with the breaking of a glass — a gesture that holds even the happiest moment in tension with the larger brokenness of the world — perhaps the wholness of the union is an evocation of what the world will be.
Rabbi Kamesar brings genuine warmth and care to the couples he works with, and goes beyond the ceremony itself — he’s available to help couples think through what building a Jewish home together looks like for their specific family. Couples consistently describe the planning process as one of the most meaningful parts of the whole experience.
Yes. Society Hill Synagogue fully and joyfully welcomes LGBTQ+ couples.
As a synagogue, we officiate Jewish ceremonies, including where one partner is not Jewish. We work with you closely to personalize the ceremony in a manner that feels authentic to you and grounded in tradition.
Rabbi Kamesar does not officiate on Shabbat or Jewish holidays, or during the weeks immediately preceding Rosh Hashanah or Pesah.
Yes. Our sanctuary and social hall are available for ceremonies and receptions. There is a space rental fee — contact Leanne Bendetti at office[at]societyhillsynagogue.org or 215.922.6590 for details and availability.