Beyond the Chuppah: A Jewish Guide to Happy Marriages

This forthright, sensible book, by the two authors of Fighting for Your Marriage and two specialists on the Jewish family, offers marriage-enrichment techniques for Jewish couples. The book explores how the Jewish family differs from other American families, focusing on the oppressive legacy of anti-Semitism and enduring cultural stereotypes of Jewish men and women. The gender analysis is fascinating; the authors discuss, for example, how the Eastern European custom of having women support the family so that men could devote themselves to study changed drastically after immigration to America. The text is at times disjointed and a bit repetitive, possibly the result of too many author-cooks spoiling the broth, but despite the narrative disconnections, readers will find plenty of practical advice in the form of exercises, examples, case studies and sample conversations between couples. The Jewish experience is most specifically addressed at the start of each chapter, though chapters on sex, intermarriage and creating a positive Jewish identity explore Jewish-specific themes throughout. The greatest void here is the absence of Jewish ritual; the book contains almost no discussion of how Shabbat, Jewish holidays and home-centered observances can organize daily life and strengthen the family. For a more ritual-based approach, Azriela Jaffe's Two Jews Can Still Be a Mixed Marriage: Reconciling Differences Over Judaism in Your Marriage is a better choice, but Crohn, Markman, Blumberg and Levine offer strong intellectual foundations for marital improvement. (July)