Jewish Wedding in New Orleans: Jamie and Ross

A Permanent Party With Deep Roots: Jamie and Ross

Some weddings hold a piece of your heart before the ceremony even begins. Officiating a Jewish wedding in New Orleans for Jamie and Ross was one of those for me. Only these two would choose a city that feels like a permanent party as the backdrop for the biggest celebration of their lives, and the city did not disappoint.

A Bride I Have Known Since Before Her Bat Mitzvah

I have known Jamie since before her bat mitzvah. She is Sharon Shear’s daughter, and anyone who knows our Neshamah family knows what that means. Sharon is not only our Musical Director, she is my founding partner, the person who has stood beside me building this community from its earliest days. So when I had the honor of standing with Jamie for her bat mitzvah all those years ago, it was already personal. Watching her grow from that young teen reading Torah for the first time into the glowing bride I saw last month in New Orleans was something words can barely hold. Jamie is sweet, sensitive, feeling everything deeply, the kind of person who walks into a room and lights it up with an energy completely her own.

And then there is Ross. Steady and grounded, with just enough mischief to keep life fun. The moment I met him, I understood what the universe was doing. He is Jamie’s counterbalance.

Acquire for Yourself a Friend

Under the chuppah, I spoke about a teaching from Pirkei Avot: kneh l’cha chaver, acquire for yourself a friend. Not find. Not hope for. Acquire. A true friendship is not something that happens to you, it is something you build, with intention and effort and time.

A lot of people say they want to marry their best friend. Jamie and Ross are actually doing it. They chose each other as friends for years before they were anything else, and when the moment came to risk that friendship for something more, they realized the friendship was not what they were risking. It was what they were building on.

I love what they each told me about the other. Jamie said Ross makes sure she is fed, no small thing in her busy, beautiful, flurry of a life. Ross said Jamie makes him more empathetic, drawing out even more of his already good character. That is a love story right there.

Both of them are Ramah Darom kids, formed by the same ruach, the same red clay, the same mountain air, even before they knew each other well. Both raised in homes where the same Jewish values were planted, both quietly wondering if they would ever find someone who loves family the way they do. They each thought that might be a lot to ask. And then they found each other.

Watching Sharon throughout the day was its own kind of gift. My partner in building Neshamah, my friend, standing there as mother of the bride, glowing with so much joy and pride. We have spent years pouring our hearts into this community together, and to share in this milestone with her, not as colleagues but as two people who love this family, meant everything. 

A Celebration That Felt Like New Orleans Itself

New Orleans gave the whole weekend its own kind of magic. The music, the energy, the warmth of the city wrapped around Jamie and Ross’s celebration in a way that felt like it was made for them. I do not say this often, but I wished the party had lasted longer. The dancing, the laughter, the love in that room, I could have stayed in that moment forever. Which feels fitting, since my blessing to them under the chuppah was simply this: may they always make sure the other is fed, in every sense of that word, may their home hold the warmth of both the families that made them, may they return to New Orleans often, and may they always, always dance.

Mazal tov to Jamie and Ross. And to Sharon, thank you for letting me be part of this chapter too.

With love and blessings,

Rabbi Amy