Mazel Tov! Here is a little background on the situation of Progressive Judaism and what we can and can't do to help you with your wedding.

​​

Progressive Judaism in Italy

There are fewer than 25,000 Jews in all of Italy; most of them are Orthodox. Progressive Jews number about 800, spread between the five progressive congregations of FIEP (the Federazione Italiana per l'Ebraismo Progressivo): Lev Chadash and Beth Shalom in Milano, Or'Ammim in Emilia Romagna, Shir Hadash in Firenze, and Beth Hillel in Roma, as well as FIEP-affiliated chavurot in Torino and Bergamo. There is a sixth congregation not affiliated with FIEP, Nir Tamid del Sud in Serrastretta, Calabria.

​​

FAQs

1) Can you get me a rabbi for my wedding?

     The answer is complicated. 

     None of the FIEP congregations has a resident rabbi. Each of them depends on different visiting rabbis           who come from abroad. The amount of time any rabbi might spend in a congregation is often only a few       days a month. You should be aware that finding one who can be here for your wedding may be very               difficult, especially during the traditional summer vacation period. We can offer some resources to help         you find a celebrant.

​​

2) Will a rabbi perform a mixed wedding (in which one of the couple is not Jewish)?

     Reform, Liberal and Reconstructionist rabbis are quite varied in their attitudes about weddings for mixed       couples. After consultation with the couple, some will conduct a full Jewish ceremony, some will lead a             blessing ceremony, but not a full Jewish wedding, and others simply will not do this at all. Whoever you           ask to conduct the ceremony will certainly want to know something about both of you, and you should           definitely communicate directly with him/her rather than through an intermediary. Do expect to have an       extended discussion of your situation.

​​

3) Will our wedding be legally valid?

     Italy legally recognizes only orthodox Jewish weddings. Hence, a non-orthodox wedding has symbolic, but

     not legal, validity. For that, you will need a civil marriage either here or in your home country. It is not             impossible to arrange an Italian civil marriage, though there is some bureaucratic complexity and cost to       having a civil ceremony here and it is often easier and less expensive to do this in your home country if           that is possible. In general, a rabbi will not conduct the religious ceremony unless the civil marriage has         already been done.

​​

4) So do we even need a rabbi?

     Actually, no! A Jewish wedding ceremony does not have to be conducted by a rabbi (not even for the               Orthodox), as it's the content not the celebrant that matters. A lay person can do this, and it can be more       satisfying to have a friend who knows you lead the ceremony rather than a rabbi who doesn't. In                     exceptional situations we have even found some among our members who've done this. You should               consider asking one of your guests to lead the ceremony, or bring a rabbi with you, or failing that ask us if

     a lay person might be found to help you.

​

5) What about a ketubah?

     If you wish to have a ketubah you should arrange for it to be signed and witnessed beforehand.

​​

Please allow plenty of time for organizing the details. It should be obvious from the above that even if we can help you find a rabbi for the ceremony, it is not something that can be done on short notice. Shir Hadash also does not own a synagogue building, nor any of the trappings (like a hoopah) used in a Jewish wedding.