Hi Marquis fiancé. My husband of 34 years and I are similar heights to you. I gave up heels years ago as I will never reach his height. Buying clothes for a 6'6" man (or woman) here in Ireland is slowly getting easier but choice is rubbish, he loved shopping in the US.
Ireland has a tiny Jewish population (about 2k) and I had school friends back in the 70's. Unfortunately a lot of them leave to towns like Manchester in the UK to meet partners from the same faith which I understand is the preferred. If this is too much please don't answer I am just interested in how the marquis family are with you.
The Marquis Fiancee here:
The Marquis family belongs to one of the largest Reform synagogues in Manhattan that count a lot of prominent NY Jews among its numbers. Reform Jews are liberal/progressive. They believe that Judaism is an evolving faith and emphasize the ethical/moral teachings of Judaism over ceremonial observance. They believe that it is in the heart and not the blood--so for them being a Jew is not a race, it is a choice. They believe it is the calling of every person to
Tikkun Olam (repair the world) and fight against all forms of injustice. That said, even though finding Jewish partners is preferred, their synagogue is very welcoming to interfaith couples; they even have a ministry that aims for the full inclusion of Jews of color into all branches of Judaism. His family embodies the teachings of their community and therefore, has been very warm and kind to me in the most sincere way from the first day I met them. They don't tell me to convert.
@Marquis de Potpourri One day I'd love to hear how Sabbat is observed and practiced. I love learning about practices like this.
The Marquis observes Shabbat in the Reform way. At sundown on Fridays, the family attends what they call
Kabbalat Shabbat, a service that welcomes Shabbat. The candles are lit, they sing songs and recite a lot of prayers, hear a sermon, and end with
kiddush--they share wine and break bread (the challah). They go home and eat dinner prepared and served by their domestic staff. Many observant Jewish families who don't have domestic staff prepare the food in advance but employ or seek the help of what they call a
Shabbat goy (Shabbat Gentile) to help serve dinner and clean up after the meal. I read that
Elvis Presley was a Shabbat goy to a Jewish family in Memphis. On Saturday morning, when in the city, the family stays at home and does whatever
fills them. They read a nice book/magazine, take a nap, cuddle on the couch and watch Netflix (like now, he is watching the final episode of The Crown). (Some Saturday mornings, they/we get invited to a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony at the synagogue usually followed by a lunch party.) We go for an early afternoon stroll (1 kilometer), and have afternoon tea at our favorite tea shop, which is fortunately just around the corner from his parents' townhouse. We go home and rest some more, have dinner, and they do
Havdalah, right after dinner, a ceremony of separation between the holy and the secular signaling the end of Shabbat.
The idea is, to take a 24-hour break from activities that empty you and do things that fill you. It's very healthy.
it was great genuine fun
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