20 Years And Going Strong
20 years ago, June 20th, 1987, The Gotham Gal and I tied the knot. Not being a Jew, I had a few problems with the traditional jewish wedding ceremony, most noticeably my inability to smash the glass on the first try. Thankfully, that was not an omen.
Our marriage has not missed the mark and we've got a lot to show for it. Most of all that it's still going strong after 20 years.
I am taking the rest of the day off from blogging and work to celebrate with the family.
Happy Anniversary Joanne.
Congratulations, Fred and Joanne!
Posted by: Mike Feinstein | June 20, 2007 at 09:39 AM
Mazel Tov and Congratulations to you both. Here's to the next 20.
All the very best.
Posted by: Michael Parekh | June 20, 2007 at 10:10 AM
Happy Anniversary you two!
Posted by: Eric | June 20, 2007 at 10:14 AM
mezel tov!
Not being a Jew, I had a few problems with the traditional jewish wedding ceremony, most noticeably my inability to smash the glass on the first try.
This originates from an ashkinaz/ yidish tradition where in the fine Jewish tradition of always assuming something bad will happen:
From Michael Wex: Born to Kvetch
"Traditional Judaism is rife with apotropaic practices that have been given newer, more rational explanations in an effort to try to disguise their essentially superstitious nature. The best known is probably the practice of breaking a glass at the end of a wedding "to symbolize," in the words of the Artscroll prayer book, "that until the Temple is rebuilt our joy cannot be complete." It is interesting -- and symptomatic of something -- that Artscroll's ultra-Orthodox editors should prefer this nationalist- rationlist explanation to the original rationale as given in the Talmud itself: "Mar, the son of Ravina, made a wedding party for his son. Noticing that the assembled sages were merrier than was meet, he fetched a precious goblet worth four hundred zuzim and smashed it in front of them. They grew sad" (brokhos 30b-31a)."
"Similia similibus curantur, like cures like, and sadness is being used in the service of safety. Mar was engaging in a kind of metaphysical homeopathy that was meant to keep something worse from happening. According to the Toysfes, the so-called "Supplements" to Rashi's commentary compiled between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, "It is from here that the custom of breaking a glass at a wedding originates." When the usually gnarly and complex Toysfes are this easy to undersand, you know that there's no room to argue. The glass is broken to fool the sitre akhre (me: the dark side of creation and/or evil spirits) to give it its share in the celebration. It wets its beak, gets its props, and is then free to go on its way and ruin someone else's wedding."
So you see Fred, unbeknownst to you at the time, you fooled the "sitre akhre", because the sitre akhre is looking for something bad to happen and to you, not breaking the glass was a bad thing.
Posted by: Jamie | June 20, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Congrats!
Coincidentally, this is my 14th anniversary!
Posted by: Shivering Timbers | June 20, 2007 at 10:34 AM
Well done sir, well done ma'am! Happy 20th!
Posted by: Tony Alva | June 20, 2007 at 10:52 AM
super super mazel tov goy boy.... and congratulations u find good woman to put up w u for so long...
seems u got married on my 20th birthday... which makes me officially "fat and forty but lordy lordy"...
Posted by: phil | June 20, 2007 at 11:09 AM
Nice. Mazel. Simel. Semel :)
Posted by: howard Lindzon | June 20, 2007 at 11:17 AM
Congratulations! Have a good day celebrating.
Posted by: iain | June 20, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Congrats, Fred ... and Phil, happy birthday!
Posted by: Tim Marman | June 20, 2007 at 12:11 PM
Congrats, Fred ... and Phil, happy birthday!
Posted by: Tim Marman | June 20, 2007 at 12:11 PM
Congratulations! And good luck for the next 20 :)
Posted by: Shripriya | June 20, 2007 at 12:38 PM
Congratulations! All the best to you both!
Posted by: Anand Pandit | June 20, 2007 at 12:41 PM
congrats!
Posted by: bijan sabet | June 20, 2007 at 01:48 PM
Congratulations to you both. You don't here double-didgets much these days, so good job.
And thanx to you both for the difference you make.
Posted by: David Gray | June 20, 2007 at 02:36 PM
Congrats.... you guys have always been an amazing couple and an inspiration for me as parents and partners. You're kids are the testament to your partnership... they're all really great.
Can't wait until we look at this post at your 50th!!!!
xoxoxxo
j
Posted by: Jason Calacanis | June 20, 2007 at 02:37 PM
Mazel Tov to both of you. We're about 7 months behind you.
Posted by: JayR | June 20, 2007 at 03:24 PM
Congratulations Fred and Joanne. Wish you continue this for another 100 more years.
Posted by: Vijay | June 20, 2007 at 03:43 PM
Congrats & happy anniversary to you both.
Posted by: Michael | June 20, 2007 at 06:49 PM
Mazel Tov to both of you.
Posted by: Shuki Haiminis | June 20, 2007 at 06:54 PM
Rock on!
Posted by: Giordano | June 21, 2007 at 04:05 AM
Congratulations, Fred and Joanne! 20 years is an awesome accomplishment, especially in this day and age.
Love, Peace and Blessings to you!
Posted by: Helmar | June 21, 2007 at 05:05 AM
Congrats. Hope you have many more.
Posted by: Don | June 21, 2007 at 07:30 AM
Great news. Very happy for you guys.
Posted by: kip | June 21, 2007 at 11:09 AM
Good work Fred - congrats
Posted by: Paul Lightfoot | June 22, 2007 at 08:16 AM