Rituals are the cornerstone of Jewish practice.
Few realize how “traditional” Jewish rituals have actually been constructed over thousands of years of innovation and experimentation. Ritual can be routine or it can be dynamic and evolving; it can be a regular Friday night Shabbat dinner with your family-of-choice, a beautiful wedding ceremony beneath the chuppah (wedding canopy) or a visit to the mikvah (sacred waters) in search of renewal. I believe all of it is meant to be reinterpreted for each generation and it’s one of the great joys of my life to play with, question and re-imagine Jewish ritual. Plus, it was my senior thesis topic for rabbinical school, so rest assured I could talk about it for hours on end.
Lifecycle rituals I regularly officiate:
Welcoming a Baby
Funerals & memorial services
Shaving one’s head in THE MIDST of chemotherapy
Visiting the Mikvah after miscarriage
Re-purposing Shiva (the week following the burial of a loved one) to mourn the end of a marriage
Weddings
Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Retirement CEREMONIES
Preparing to enter parenthood
Leaving one’s physical office SPACE and entering a new phase of professional life
Together, there is no limit to new Jewish rituals we can create. Reach out to explore creating one for your unique moment.
WEDDINGS
Jewish weddings are the ritual I officiate most frequently and I am honored to work with couples from diverse backgrounds as they prepare for marriage. I’ve developed an extensive and meaningful wedding preparation process to ensure that by the time we stand beneath the chuppah together, not only do we know each other well, but I can share your story with authenticity and love.
“We had multiple friends and family members stop us after the ceremony to ask ‘where did you find your rabbi?! She was amazing!’ We were both proud and comforted to stand under the chuppah with Rabbi Jaclyn. She has a wonderful presence that everyone at our wedding was moved by. It was a perfect way to start our lives together.””
“Rabbi Cohen was warm, progressive, and exactly what we could have ever wished for in an officiant. My fiance’s parents were a bit nervous about having a religious figure marry us (from a religion they knew very little about) but were blown away with how inclusive she was. They still talk about what an incredible job she did and how welcome she made them feel. Since our wedding, family and friends continue to rave about the rabbi!”
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““Simply put, Rabbi Cohen made our wedding day beautiful. When we look back on that day, her words to us under the chuppah remain most salient in our hearts and minds. Both solemn and celebratory, meaningful and lighthearted, intimate and accessible, the ceremony she performed was everything we hoped for. She conveyed our story with depth, feeling, and humor, allowing our guests to fully share in our joy.””
