From Jerusalem with Joy: Our First Child’s Engagement and the Fulfillment of Prophecy

Today our daughter, our oldest child, got engaged in Jerusalem, the city where she was born 21 years ago to a wonderful young man who also chose to make the holy land his home. The wedding will be here too, be’H, *perhaps the first time anyone in our family has been married in Israel in 2000 years.*

This has been a rough year (more) for the Jewish people. Our position in the world is increasingly precarious. Yet tonight, as we sang the customary wedding song to the new Chasan (groom) and Kallah (bride), “Od Yishama b’arei Yehuda,” the words Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) wrote after the destruction of our first Holy Temple 2500 years ago, when the despair of our people was unimaginable, I couldn’t help but marvel at the joy I was feeling beyond our family’s personal joy. Not only has our child and her chasan found the love of their lives, individuals with shared values and goals, carrying on the teachings and traditions of our people, we have merited to see prophecies in our lifetimes:

“It will yet be heard in the cities of Judea and the parts of Jerusalem: Sounds of joy and sounds of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.” (Jeremiah 33:10-11)

We heard those sounds of joy and voices of gladness tonight in Jerusalem. May joy and prophecies increase for the Jewish people, and may we merit to see the final redemption speedily in our days. Mazel Tov, to our dear children, we love you and are so excited for your future together!

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Allison Josephs

Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City has been involved in the field of Jewish Outreach for over twenty years and is the Partner in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers and one of the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36. Allison has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People Magazine, NYPost, Daily News, TMZ, The Daily Beast, and Hollywood Reporter. She has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including CBS, ABC, Fox5, TLC, Associate Press TV, and NPR; her articles have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, JTA, Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and Kveller. Pearson Education, the largest textbook company in the world, produced a video segment on Allison’s life for the Judaism chapter of their textbook. She is a sought-after international lecturer whose corporate clients include Con-Edison and NYU Langone and hosts a weekly podcast on the Nachum Segal Network. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.