Helping you define your Jewish life
Your personal guide for a life cycle event – JLife Consulting
When I was planning my wedding a few years back, even though I was pretty Jewishly literate, I realized how much there was to learn about the myriad of rituals that surrounded the ceremony. What are the sheva brachot (7 blessings) really about and how can they hold modern meaning for me today? And what about all of those rituals, before and after the wedding? I had heard some people compare the wedding day to Yom Kippur, but what could that connection be? While our childhood rabbis who officiated at our wedding would be an obvious resource to turn to, they didn’t live close by and our meetings with them were few in number.
I realized that if these questions were not easy for me to answer, then they most certainly wouldn’t be easy for the majority of folks getting married today, especially unaffiliated Jews living in New York. And if that’s true for weddings, then it’s probably also true for parents planning baby naming ceremonies for girls, bris’ for boys and bnai mitzvah celebrations too (not to mention the more obscure ceremonies like a pidyon haben.)
Life cycle events are peak moments in peoples’ lives. We all pour so much time, energy and money into planning them. Just as the life cycle industry has party planners and florists and a whole host of other vendors to help guide every decision couples and families make related to the party, those planning Jewish life cycle ceremonies need their own guides too to help them with the most important part of their celebrations – the ceremony itself.
I created JLife Consulting, three years ago to meet this need. With a background in Jewish education, and over 15 years of experience working with young adults, couples and families to make Jewish life meaningful for them, I offer private consultations in New York City for individuals, couples and families to help them learn about and plan their Jewish life cycle ceremonies. For those who don’t have officiants for their simchas we refer them to those as well.
Through JLife consulting we hope to connect individuals, couples and families to Jewish wisdom and practice in a way that is relevant to them, helps them create a ceremony that reflects their values and life and celebrate their Jewish life cycle event in a way that is meaningful, engaging and fun.
To find out more check out www.jlifeconsulting.com
Dasee Berkowitz
Jewish Life Cycle Consultant