Ezra had been working for me for a few weeks, and we had already developed such an amazing relationship. Ezra is wise, spunky, intelligent and driven, and they made an incredible employee when I needed one the most. Ezra was a team player, and supported me unconditionally in all of my business ideas and goals.
Ezra had let me know they they were seeking a Rabbi in the Eugene area, and they were confident they would find one to perform their wedding, but they were immediately dismayed when they realized that the local Rabbis would not support them because they were an Interfaith couple, and well, they simply couldn’t support the budget most Rabbis needed to charge. (Which is fully justified, but – what does a couple do when they are totally doing a DIY wedding and simply cannot afford a $1000+ fee??)
I told Ezra that if they just provided a ticket for me to get from Florida to Eugene, Oregon, I would be there with bells on for their wedding. We immediately got to work, planned an incredible wedding that was PERFECT for the two of them, and a $500 plane ticket later, and there I was, in Eugene, with this incredible couple.
I may not always be able to make arrangements like this, but I do believe that $$ should never stand in the way of an amazing couple seeking the perfect wedding officiant. Sometimes, it’s about love, support, and compassion, and sometimes its about making a living. For Ezra, I would have gone to the ends of the earth with whatever I had to support their wedding, and I’m just happy to have had such a perfect outcome, and to see the recent article Ezra penned for 18 Doors.
Love is love. Judaism requires that we welcome our neighbors, and we look at all humans without judgment. The most Jewish thing I could do was show up for Ezra and Joe, and I’m so happy that I did.
Mazel Tov, you two!
