The announcement of Marvin Glick of Malden, Massachusetts and Nina Stroock of Jericho, Long Island’s wedding was printed in the New York Times on Monday, April 5th, 1965. It was the day after the wedding took place.
Upon looking back at the simcha and the days (years) preceding it, we wonder at how something which was once considered so normal has become so not. The following is what happened and could never happen today:
We met at Torah Leadership Seminar when we were 17 and 18. Shortly thereafter we knew we wanted to get married. We waited until we were 20 and 21.
We met each other’s parents many, many times.
He would come for Shabbos frequently (as he was in the YU Dorm) and visit with the Stroock’s and stay in their house!
We would go to many Shabbatonim, staying up late in the night talking and sharing our dreams.
As the wedding got closer, we began to plan our life. We would live in an apartment near YU (there were no YU owned apartments at that time) He still had several months of college and then three years of smicha study.
We bought the little furniture we had with our own money. Nothing was bought for us. I worked after school as a teenager in her local shul office each day. We bought my bedroom set for $199.00 (not including the mattresses) in Korvette’s. Guess what? We still have it! We were not able to depend upon anyone to buy us anything major. If we didn’t have the money, we didn’t buy it.
Our wedding would probably now be considered historical! Our mesader kiddushin, who came from Boston, was the Bostoner Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, z’l. He co-officiated at the wedding with the rabbi of Nina’s parents’ shul—Rabbi Stanley Steinhart, Rabbi of the Jericho Jewish Center. The chazzan was Israel Goldstein, also the cantor of the Jericho Jewish Center. Everyone got along and was happy to be together.
There were no pearls, no diamond bracelet, no gold bracelet in the yichud room or at any other time.
Our friends, all unmarried—as we were the first in the group to marry—were excited to wear their finest Shabbos clothing and look their best so that they could perhaps meet their future mates at our wedding. They all sat at tables together.
There was no mechitzah for the dancing; separate circles were enough.
After the wedding was over (we had a rental car which had to be signed for by one of our fathers because we were too young) we went directly back to our apartment—no hotel for us.
There was never a honeymoon; life was it for us.
BIG NEWS: We officially got engaged while celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary when I was presented with an engagement ring by beloved. I had never had one before.
Mazel tov – we still love being married!
By Nina Glick
