Hi there,

I don't know any jew in NS, but if you google "jewish community Halifax" you get the site of the Synagoge in Halifax, I am sure they can help you out.

www.jewishhalifax.com

hi gvqwv (interesting assortment of letters there!)  - glad you found your way to this website & I hope you might stick around for some of the other discussions too!  Congrats on your upcoming wedding - although I'm not in NS, so can't offer any specific suggestions, I do extend my best wishes to you!   We do have a few members here who are from "down east" - hopefully they will have suggestions for you.  Good luck in your search! 

In Nova Scotia you are out of luck. It looks like Nova Scotia doesn't have civil officiants like Ontario.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/access/vitalstats/getting-married.asp

You can have a religious officiant (as you said, no Rabbi or Cantor would do such a service) or a Justice of the Peace.

quqwv

Welcome to the WC!

I'm thinking your family in N.S.have  already made lots of inquiries in N.S. or you yourself have.  I'm thinking you may have to alter your plans and get married in Ottawa since what you are asking isn't easy to come by. I'm not sure a Justice of the Peace  or such would know very much  about a Jewish wedding ceremony.  I don't believe he/she would be satisfactory to your fiancee's parents.

Perhaps you could have the rabbi in Ont. perform the basics or vows  there  re the license  without many  people in attendance and then have her do a second  religious ceremony in N.S. to please the parents. It can  take place in a hall. You could combine it with the reception?  It would be more costly since you would probably have to pay her expenses providing she's willing to do it.  The first legal wedding could be done on any day meaning there wouldn't necessarily be a big hurry  re the second.

  My daughter converted to Reform Judiasm in order to get married to a Jew from a somewhat orthodox family. Despite this they had a difficult time finding a rabbi to marry them. They did manage to find one who I believe was the only rabbi in Toronto who would oblige them. They had a big Jewish wedding and it went very well, totally beautiful with a canopy to boot although it didn't take place in a synagogue but in a  hall. 

Big Jewish weddings are wonderful!  Good Luck and God Bless.....!!!

Did you try this one although it is Messianic  and may not be acceptable to the parents. . There is a rabbi who I'm quite sure is a trained Jewish rabbi.

Quote:

Thank you everyone for your quick replies.

DK - it is very hard due to Nova Scotia's limitations, but a Justice of the Peace with a Jewish background (or atleast the ability to pronounce the Hebrew blessings) would be fine.

Stardust - thank you so much for all the information you provided. Given that neither myself nor my fiance believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, I don't feel that Messianic Jews would be the right way to go.

I wrote letters to all the Jewish community leaders in NS that I could identify. Hopefully some will take the time to write back to me and they will know of appropriate individuals. Fingers crossed.

quqwv

You're welcome. I'll keep my fingers crossed too....

A Christian lady and her Jewish quite orthodox  fiancee that I knew solved the problem quite nicely. They eloped, got married in Vegas. They did hold a reception later which went over quite well. After all, what could the parents do about it? They had no wish to disown their kids.

They won't do it. A Justice of the Peace does a CIVIL marriage service with absolutely no religious content. The line is very clear, hard and absolute. That is true in all provinces.

BTW, it's not a "limitation". It's the provincial law.

Is it possible to have a civil wedding, with a Jewish 'blessing' of it? 

Please remember that all branches of Judaism are not the same, just as in Christianity.

An Orthodox rabbi won't.

Some Reform will (There is a "conscience clause" for rabbis in Reform traditions and each congregation makes their own policy about whether or not it can happen in their santuaries) Sound like UCC? 

Most Reconstructionists will do one. I, however, do not think there is a Reconstructionist shul in NS. Look perhaps for a Humanistic Jew officiant. Contact Divine I Do's in Halifax and David Maginley, he may be able to help or point you in the right direction.

DKS - I know of several JPs who are willing to include "rituals" into ceremonies and have services which are more than the basic civil package. Check out Gary Dockendorff for example: http://www.angelfire.com/ga4/dockendorff_jp/

He even includes the breaking of the glass, jumping of the broom, handfasting, etc. in his example ceremonies.

SG - Thanks for the advice, I will write David an email in the morning.

Carolla - You might be onto something with that. I will bring that up with the inlaws :)

Thanks again everyone. I truly appreciate this active and helpful forum!

My friends-who are in Edmonton are interfaith and were married by a reform rabbi.

Keep looking! and it may be a 2 part service-formal-legal part and then the blessing

Wishing youall the best!

No. A Civil wedding means zero religious content.

"Ritual" isn't religious. There is a HUGE difference.

 Have you checked with www.interfaithfamily.com to see if they have any registered Officiants who can perform the marriage in NS?

I am a Cantor who travels around the world performing exactly these types of weddings.  I have not officiated in NS before, but a tiny bit of checking says that in order for me to do so (or anyone like me) I have to register with the NS department of vital statistics.  I would check with them to see who is on their list, or what is required to register with them.  Ask them if an officiant from outside NS is able to do the wedding, if they register.

There are plenty of Rabbis and Cantors (me included!) who will absolutely affirm your marriage.  However, when I marry my couples in foreign countries (many US residents get married in Mexico, Dominican Rep, Caribbean islands, etc.), they have a private civil ceremony for paperwork, and then I perform their religious/symbolic wedding at their destination.  The civil ceremony is only the one recognized legally, but the actual wedding is what they celebrate and consider to be the date of "the union of their souls".

It CAN work!

Write me if I can help in any way.

www.mypersonalcantor.com - Debbi Ballard

Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax doesn't give any info on their current chaplains (they are between ministers right now) so hard to say if they'd meet your requirements. Maybe call or email their office if you want try that route? http://www.uuch.ca/weddings-other-ceremonies. They are, alas, the only UU church in Nova Scotia so your options are limited on the UU front.

My wife went there when she taught at Dalhousie for a couple years and it's a beautiful old building in one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city.

Mendalla

Cantor Ballard -  Thank you for volunteering! However, I looked into it for the other Cantor from Ontario already. According to this website: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/vstat/paal310.asp you need to be a resident of Nova Scotia to register. Perhaps I should start looking for Rabbis with cottages up this way...

Mendalla - I emaild the Halifax UU congregation. Fingers crossed that someone there has what I need.

The Rabbi at the Orthodox shul didn't know anyone appropriate, but the Cantor at the Conservative shul is forwarding my info to a former Chief Justice...that's not a Justice of the Peace, but many it'll lead to six degrees of referrals that will lead to someone who can help..

Thanks again all!

Since 9/11/01 the requirements for registration to solemnize have become much more strict in Canada. This is because of the demand for US security and verification of identification documents and because a marriage certificate is considered to be a primary identification document. Registration to solemnize is a provincial government responsibility in Canada and any person applying from out of the province must provide certification of their standing from their religious governing body and verification from that same body within the province.  It also can take up to six months for registration to be granted.

What fees would you charge for such a service? I note there are none listed on your web site.

Interesting DKS - another ripple spreading from the 9/11 event.  

It used to be that that the minister gave the couple a legally recognized Certificate of Marriage at the wedding, signed and completed by the minister. Now they get a Record of Solemnization, which has no legal status. You have to wait three months in Ontario and then request and pay for the certificate.

But that change came in before 9/11 in Ontario.  I arrived in ON in July and that is what the form already looked like.  However, that record of Solemnization was useful for more then.  It was never the official certificate in my experience but in 2002 Patty was able to use it to change everything except her passport.  Now--not so much.

Now you can't use it to change anything.

Wow, I'm learning so much! DKS - you certainly are a great source of knowledge. Lucky for me, I'm not changing my name.

Here's an interesting question. The Ontario officiant that we were talking to has stated that she has performed weddings in Nova Scotia before. She just does everything under Ontario law and isuses an Ontario marriage license (or record of solemnization as I just learned). Is that legal if the ceremony takes place on Nova Scotia soil? Sounds kinda shady to me, but I'm not sure. I'm currently considering hiring her PLUS a Nova Scotian JP, who will not lead the ceremony, but just be there for the paperwork. Unless her method is legit, then we might just go with her.

gvqwv

I would say that is not allowed.  I am licensed in Alberta to solemnize weddings in Alberta.  Up until I moved I was licensed in Ontario to do them in Ontario.  ANd before either of those could/can happen the couple has to get a marriage license issued by the province where the service will take place.

Thanks again to everyone who provided feedback. Now, I have some answers!

There are 2 Justices in Nova Scotia who are affiliated with the Jewish community, however one has just retired.

As far as Rabbis goes, there are several Rabbis and Cantors willing to do interfaith marriages - but they are from the USA. I was unsuccessful in finding a Reform or Resconstructionist Rabbi in Canada who could do weddings - even though I hear they're out there.

HOWEVER, there is a Congregation for Secular Humanist Judaism in Toronto, and the Rabbi at the congregation is willing to do interfaith/intercultural wedding ceremonies. And, she has travelled to do so and appears knowledgaeble regarding the obtaining of temporary licenses in Nova Scotia. Appearntly Humanistic Judaism was officially recognized as the "fifth branch of Judaism" in 2000 by the US Jewish Congress, so it's a legit denomination.

Not saying we're going to go with her. I still need to talk it out and make sure she'd be the right person for the job. Then make sure she's available and whatnot. But for others that might stumble upon with the same question I had I just wanted to post the answers I found.

That's very interesting gvqwv - thanks for keeping us posted.  Hope the rest of your plans are going well too!

This is possible as long as no one finds out where the wedding actually took place - the way around it is do the actual wedding in Ontario and then do the symbolic one in NS.  In other words it is not legal but who checks is the way they get around it.

Hey again everyon,

Just an update. the Secular Humanist Rabbi was out of our league in terms of budget. So, we're decided to have co-officates, of a Unitarian lay chaplain who is licensed in Nova Scotia, and the Jewish lady from Ontario who is not licensed. Thankfully everything seems to be working out. :)

Thanks again

Hello,

In 2005 I conducted the wedding ceremony for my niece and her husband in Nova Scotia.  We were all residents of Ontario, but went there to be closer to family.  My denomination obtained a temporary permit for me to conduct the ceremony.   It worked out well.

thanks for the update gvqwv - hopefully all your other plans are falling to place too ... I'm sure your date will be here before you know it!   Blessings to you and yours.

 What a great thread this one is to read.  Lots of information that I didn't know, and sounds like there was good advice and options provided....for a good outcome.