Annette Goodman
I stand here today overawed by the amount of emotion I am feeling.
I cannot believe that we are gathered here today at Leah’s wedding. Time rushes on.
It seems like only yesterday that Yitzchok and I brought Leah home from the hospital to our apartment on East 19 th St., in Brooklyn.
Leah, our first-born daughter, brought light in to our lives with her sunny disposition that has never seen a cloudy day she could not overcome with a rainbow all her own.
Many of you here today watched Leah grow up from a sunny child to a sunny adolescent, and now, a sunny adult.
I stand here and look around the room and feel an overwhelming love and gratitude to all of you here today. Friendships are a most precious gift and I have been blessed with a bounty full of sisters and brothers, a sister and brother of the same home, sisters and brothers by marriage and good friends, all of whom are sisters of the soul.
Welcome! And thank you for joining us and enriching this special occasion by your presence here today. Thank to all of our guests from all corners of this country and those who came from as far away as Australia and Israel. We thank you and are honored by your presence on this special day, the wedding of our daughter, Leah, to the love of her life, David.
This special occasion would not have been meaningful to us without all of you here today.
Thank you to Hadassah and Stuart for welcoming Leah in to your family so warmly and lovingly and making her feel like she has a second home away from home.
Thank you to my mother, you poured your heart and soul into this wedding. No detail too small, from general wise counsel, to the clothes, etc. etc. No list would do it justice.
Thank you to my father ‘n law and mother ‘n law who overcame so much, from the unbearable trauma of the Holocaust to the struggles of non-English speaking immigrants in a new country. Many of you have heard their stories at our dinner table. Stories that make you shudder and raise goose bumps on your arms, and yet, their smiles and joy on this happy day know no bounds. No family celebration is complete without my f ather ‘n law singing his famous Yiddish songs and my mother
‘n law directing the dancing, assuring Jewish tradition remains in tact .
Leah, this is where you learned your genuine love for life, your positive approach, your glass half-full disposition. Every job you took on was always for the best, every

school, program and class you ever attended was meant to be, every person you encountered was intended to be in your life, for better or worse.
Leah has an innate ability to find the joy and good in every experience life has to offer, much like her grandparents.
Every soul in this world is precious and every soul comes down to this earth for a reason. I believe Leah was born in to our family to teach me patience, tolerance and compassion. Leah always sees the best in every person, no matter the situation, and has taught me to give people the benefit of the doubt. Leah has also taught me the art of truce with her gentle ways.
There are so many wonderful qualities that Leah embodies. Leah listens deeply and empathetically to those around her. Leah is the ear that all her friends lean on and the hand that all her friends ask for when they need assistance.
Leah has pledged her life to be the voice of the disenfranchised. We are so proud of
Leah’s plan to advocate for environmental changes that will improve the quality of life of those who are powerless. Those who cannot on their own stop the harmful actions of big corporations.
Leah, your bravery and courage which you surely inherited from Abba’s (father in
Hebrew), your father’s parents, your integrity and strength of character which you inherited from mine, your sensitivity to the world around you, your intelligence, your kind and generous heart and caring nature make Abba and I so proud.
Leah, you have high standards for yourself and the strength of your convictions.
Your qualities make you shine in Abba’s and my eyes. You are a remarkable young woman and Abba and I are so proud of who you are and that your light is shining in the world.
Leah chose a life-long partner, David, who is as gentle as she is, two souls who will fly together and brighten the paths of everyone they cross. Two souls who are gifts to their families and gifts to the world.
David, just like Leah, knows just what to say to those in need of comfort. He knows just what to say soothe the agitated. He knows how to make all the people around him feel better.
Both Leah and David admirably bend when needed and stand on principle when required. They ground each other in countless ways and bring out the best in each other.
Leah and David
A young couple with values

A young couple with open hearts
A young couple of spiritual essence
A young couple who know what’s true
Leah
Our eldest born
The daughter of our heart
The little girl whose wide-eyed wonder of the world brought joy in to our home
The little girl who has a smile that never wanes
The little girl who grew to be a woman
Leah
What sweetness to watch you grow
What pleasure to see you see shine
What joy to watch you happy
What pride to see your choice
David
A son in our home for a year and more
A son after our own hearts
One who is true to self
And there for others
A man of Loving Kindness
A man of wise counsel
A man of inner strength
A man of mighty convictions
Leah and David - we greatly respect and admire both of you for standing for what is truly meaningful in life, finding happiness from within and staying true to what is important.
To Leah and David who dream and hope for a better world.
We wish you the world
We wish you all that is good
We wish you joy in each other
We wish you internal peace for eternity
With much love - Ima (mother in Hebrew) and Abba

Notes: It is not customary to make speeches at religious Jewish weddings; however, it is customary to make speeches at a wedding celebration on the weekend following the wedding.