Not many can claim they were married by an “Angel.” Not many can claim they were married in a synagogue with devout Catholics as best man and maid of honor.
In 1936, I was living with another teacher, Charles D’Agostino and his wife, Helen. Charles and I were attending the summer session at Oswego State Normal, a teacher’s preparatory college in upstate New York.
My fiancé Dorothy Toback and her mother took the train from New York on Friday night, Aug. 7 and arrived in Oswego the next morning. Charles had a car. He, Helen and I went to the station to pick up Dorothy and her mother.
Together, we all went to city hall, where we obtained the necessary marriage license. Then they drove us to the synagogue office where we asked the president for permission to be married there that evening.
Not only was he happy to give his consent, he asked if we would be willing to invite the congregation, consisting of 25 families, to witness the wedding ceremony. Happily, we gave our consent.
At that point we were introduced to the rabbi, who made his home in an apartment above the synagogue. To our complete joy, we learned he was named Rabbi Natan Angel.
It would be several hours before evening, so Charles took us back to the hotel, where we donned bathing suits and enjoyed the sun at the beach of Lake Ontario for a while.
We returned to our room and showered and dressed for our wedding. Charles and Helen were ready again, this time to take us to the synagogue.
It is important to note they were devout Catholics. In 1936, some still considered it inappropriate for a Catholic to enter a non-Catholic house of worship. Not only did they enter the synagogue, they stood under the canopy as our best man and maid of honor.
The congregation attended the ceremony en masse. We remained for a small reception arranged by Charles and Helen. Cake and wine, congratulations and happiness have been memories we have cherished for 63 years.
Thank God for bringing Charles and Helen into our lives. We count our blessings and have the rare distinguished privilege of having been married by an “Angel.”