60th Anniversary Celebration at the Temple
Inlaws' Anniversary Trip Journal #5
Harrisburg, PA - Sat, 9 Nov 2024, 2pm
Today my inlaws celebrated their 60th anniversary, and my father-in-law's 85th birthday, for the 3rd or 4th time this week. I mean, why not celebrate it a few times? 60 is a huge number. As FIL has pointed out, getting to his 85th birthday only required living. Staying happily married for 60 years took work.
Today's celebration was at their house of worship. Almost all the family and friends who were at the party at the house last night were also at services this morning. Unsurprisingly, almost all their relatives and close friends are Jewish, or at least born Jewish and now secular, or- in my case- never Jewish but familiar enough and comfortable enough with the faith after sharing a roof with Jewish people for so many years that I am willing to attend their services with camaraderie and respect. The rabbi mentioned their 60th anniversary several times during the services, several of us in the family did short readings at the front, and afterwards the whole congregation joined us for a kiddush luncheon. (My inlaws sponsored the meal, so there was good food there. And champagne, too. 🥂)
A few things struck me about the Jewish service, in the vein of cultural differences. First, compared to my upbringing in the Catholic faith, Jewish services run on an informal schedule. People drift in at various times over the course of an hour, and when as arrive they tend to make a bit of a hubbub saying hello to the friends they take seats next to. In the Catholic church, you arrive on time or everyone stares daggers at you as you make the walk of shame to your seats, and you shut the fuck up. Once in the nave you speak only when instructed and you stick to the script.
The second thing that struck me was the age demographic. My inlaws' Jewish congregation is old. Aside from a few of us visitors (me, Hawk, her brother) who are still under 60, probably 90% of the regular attendees were 70+. OMG, looking around the nave it was like god's waiting room.
This probably isn't so much a Jewish vs. Catholic thing probably as a now vs. then thing. Younger people are less religious than older generations. Plus, as Hawk pointed out to me, the services are simulcast over a Zoom link. Probably younger families with kids are more likely to watch from home than deal with the hassle of bundling all the kids into the car and staying at the temple for 2 hours.
Harrisburg, PA - Sat, 9 Nov 2024, 2pm
Today my inlaws celebrated their 60th anniversary, and my father-in-law's 85th birthday, for the 3rd or 4th time this week. I mean, why not celebrate it a few times? 60 is a huge number. As FIL has pointed out, getting to his 85th birthday only required living. Staying happily married for 60 years took work.
Today's celebration was at their house of worship. Almost all the family and friends who were at the party at the house last night were also at services this morning. Unsurprisingly, almost all their relatives and close friends are Jewish, or at least born Jewish and now secular, or- in my case- never Jewish but familiar enough and comfortable enough with the faith after sharing a roof with Jewish people for so many years that I am willing to attend their services with camaraderie and respect. The rabbi mentioned their 60th anniversary several times during the services, several of us in the family did short readings at the front, and afterwards the whole congregation joined us for a kiddush luncheon. (My inlaws sponsored the meal, so there was good food there. And champagne, too. 🥂)
A few things struck me about the Jewish service, in the vein of cultural differences. First, compared to my upbringing in the Catholic faith, Jewish services run on an informal schedule. People drift in at various times over the course of an hour, and when as arrive they tend to make a bit of a hubbub saying hello to the friends they take seats next to. In the Catholic church, you arrive on time or everyone stares daggers at you as you make the walk of shame to your seats, and you shut the fuck up. Once in the nave you speak only when instructed and you stick to the script.
The second thing that struck me was the age demographic. My inlaws' Jewish congregation is old. Aside from a few of us visitors (me, Hawk, her brother) who are still under 60, probably 90% of the regular attendees were 70+. OMG, looking around the nave it was like god's waiting room.
This probably isn't so much a Jewish vs. Catholic thing probably as a now vs. then thing. Younger people are less religious than older generations. Plus, as Hawk pointed out to me, the services are simulcast over a Zoom link. Probably younger families with kids are more likely to watch from home than deal with the hassle of bundling all the kids into the car and staying at the temple for 2 hours.