The Omaha, NE,. Beth El Synagogue’s annual 3rd- and 4th-Grade mock wedding ceremony has been nothing but trouble over its 30 years of existence, Margo Riekes, the former Beth El teacher who started the tradition, told Omaha.com.
The mock ceremony is one of many experiential learning opportunities at the synagogue.
Students participating in the wedding get their roles by pulling notes out of a hat. The boys don’t cherish playing the groom. Fear of commitment begins early, apparently.
One year, Riekes related, the boy who drew the groom slot reacted most unpredictably. “When the boy saw who he was going to marry, he proceeded to leave the room and throw up, I felt so bad for the girl,” Riekes said.”
With prodding from his teacher and his parents, the boy apologized to the girl, both in person and in writing, and went ahead to play the groom.