The Aurora Inn Hotel & Event Center

Shabbat Chatan v'Kallah

Aurora Meadows

Wedding Day

Kabalat Panim

Chuppah

Our Wedding

Shortly after moving to Orlando, Adena heard that a community member was welcoming her newborn son. Everyone brought sweet treats to celebrate -- candy, cookies, and cakes -- Adena brought a crudité platter with sugar snap peas. The mother of the new child noticed the choice of sugar snap peas over snow peas, and decided right then and there that Adena was a gem worth showing off to her cousin Dovid. He was interested, but couldn't get out of work to fly down on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, so the idea fizzled. Two years later, the cousin finally mentioned the idea to Adena. After a couple of weeks of pestering both sides, she finally convinced Adena to make the call. Our first conversation lasted 6 minutes on a Friday afternoon. A few days of texting came and went. The conversations were pleasant, but vague. Fortunately, Adena traveled to New York for a family event the next week, and Dovid figured it was worth a Sunday morning in Central Park to meet this woman he'd been hearing about for so long. Date #1 started in a coffee shop and ended on a park bench. Pretty typical, outside of the rally we joined demanding the release of the Israeli hostages. From there, the spark was lit over two months of phone calls, and by the time Adena traveled back to the tri-state area, we were more than ready to go on a couple more dates. Over the next year, the trips to see each other became more frequent and longer-lasting. Even as both of us took on more and more responsibilities at work, we kept finding the time that didn't seem to exist back in 2022. In 2025, Dovid traveled to Orlando for Memorial Day, which also happened to be Adena's favorite holiday Yom Yerushalayim. It was such a picturesque day, we went to a park for a picnic, but never actually ended up partaking of the food. As we danced to the music playing over the park's speakers, Dovid pulled out a ring and proposed. Adena said yes, and here we are...

It All Started With Sugar Snap Peas

Our Story

Photos

Dovid's Aufruf will take place onשבת קודש פרשת בראשית כ'ו תשרי תשפ"ו Shabbos October 18, 2025Congregation Ohav Emeth 415 Raritan Avenue Highland Park, New Jersey Services at 9:15 amPlease join us for kiddush after services

Aufruf

KABBALAT PANIM (Cocktail Hour): When you arrive, we will have an hour or so of food, drinks, and schmoozing. The bride and groom are in separate areas greeting guests. The bride sits on a throne-like chair, surrounded by family and friends, while the groom will be in a separate room (the Choson’s Tisch or “Groom’s Table”) also surrounded by well-wishing guests. The groom will be doing some paperwork during this time: (1) The Tanaim, a formal engagement contract between the two families, and (2) The Ketubah, a marriage contract which states the groom’s obligations to his wife. The Ketubah is signed by two witnesses and will be read aloud during the ceremony. After the signing, the mothers of the couple break a plate, demonstrating that just as broken fine china can never be fully repaired, a broken marriage is an irreparable breach. While we will be sitting in separate areas, please go between the two of us (the rooms are close by) and make sure to say hi to both of us! BEDEKEN (Veiling of the bride): The Kabbalat Panim ends with the veiling of the bride. Customarily, the bride and groom do not see each other before the wedding. After the signing of the ketubah, the groom, accompanied by singing and dancing guests (with joyous music) is led to his bride. He then gently draws the veil over her face. This touching custom recalls the biblical story of the matriarch Rebecca who was so overcome when she saw her husband-to-be Isaac that she fell off her camel and covered her face with her scarf. The groom is the one to veil the bride in commemoration of the Jewish patriarch Jacob who was betrothed to Rachel, but when the veil was lifted he found that the older sister, Leah, was actually his bride. Here, the groom ascertains that he has the right bride before the veil covers her face. The bride is then blessed by her father and father-in-law. After the Bedekin, guests are ushered to take their seats at the ceremony. CHUPAH: Jewish couples are married under a canopy symbolizing their new home. Open on all sides, it makes a statement that guests are welcome in their home. THE WEDDING CEREMONY: The bride and groom, likened to a king and queen accompanied by attendants, are escorted to the chupah by their parents. When the groom reaches the chupah, his parents will help him put on a white robe (kittel) to signify purity and sanctity. After the bride approaches, she circles the groom counter-clockwise seven times to symbolize the delineation of their own private world within the outer world, with her husband-to-be at its center. During the ceremony, the groom recites in Hebrew, “Behold you are consecrated unto me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel.” He then places a ring on the bride’s finger. The ring, being circular and without end, symbolizes the eternity and the permanence of the marriage. At this point, the bride and groom are considered married, but the ceremony isn't over! Now family members or friends of the couple are called up to give seven blessings in Hebrew over a cup of wine, from which the couple will drink at the end. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a glass is placed under the groom’s foot and he breaks it in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. At this time the bride and groom may recite or sing prayers for the peace of Israel and the Jewish People. The band will begin to play and the guests will shout Mazal Tov (congratulations). The couple is danced out to a private room where they are given a few minutes alone together. While this happens, guests are invited to find their seats at the reception and begin to eat the first course. RECEPTION: When the bride and groom rejoin their guests at the reception, there is great rejoicing and lots of dancing. Men dance around the groom, and women around the bride. Often the bride and groom are placed in the center of the circle and entertained by special dances and shtick (antics). The rest of the wedding will be dancing and eating, and eating and dancing! So make sure to bring some good dancing shoes (some women change into sneakers) and a big appetite! We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Q + A

RIDES We know many of you are making a tremendous effort to celebrate with us, and we appreciate it more than we can express here. To make your journey as smooth as possible, and let our loved ones get to know each other on the way, we've made a sheet where those with cars can offer rides, and those without wheels can find them. <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13dXKMLCqb80YdgjEWWR2bVb3mQFQplC96rLTIPXp_MQ/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13dXKMLCqb80YdgjEWWR2bVb3mQFQplC96rLTIPXp_MQ/edit?usp=sharing</a>

For your convenience, a block of rooms has been reserved at the The Aurora Hotel in Aurora, Ohio from October 30 through November 3. When calling, please mention the Muskin-Dobin Wedding in order to receive the block rate. To guarantee the block rate, you must make your reservation by October 19, 2025. After which, rates are subject to availability.

The Aurora Inn

Travel

There are many things to do while you are in Cleveland, we put together a list of some things we recommend, if you have the time. Cleveland Art Museum - free and open to the publicAurora Farms Outlet MallNatural History MuseumRock &amp; Roll Hall of FameFootball Hall of FameGreat Lakes Science CenterMuseum of Contemporary ArtCleveland Botanical GardensCleveland Metroparks ZooEdgewater ParkPlayhouse Square (second largest performing arts center in the US)West Side MarketCuyahoga Valley National ParkCleveland Metropark (includes the zoo + golf)Cleveland Cultural GardensMitchell's Ice creamWhirlyball

Adena & Dovid

Adena & Dovid

A&D

Shabbat Chatan v'Kallah

Wedding Day

3:00 PM

Kabalat Panim

4:00 PM

Chuppah