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January 9, 2009
What’s An Aufruf?
Staff Reporter
It may resemble the kind of sound a dog emits when he or she wants to get attention. But the aufruf — which is Yiddish for the phrase “calling up” — is no joking matter but a sacred obligation and custom for a groom.
The aufruf requires the prospective chatan (groom) to be called up to the Torah for an aliyah, to recite a blessing during the Shabbat prior to his wedding day (in the Ashkenazic tradition) or the Shabbat after the blessed event (in the Sephardic tradition). After the aliyah, congregations usually sing a congratulatory song, and some members throw candies or raisins at the groom, to symbolize the hopes for a sweet union.
In some egalitarian communities, the couple is called up for the aliyah. The aufruf is a community’s way of celebrating a wedding and union together, and it is usually followed by a kiddush in a synagogue or temple’s social hall, sponsored by the parents of the bride or groom (or both sets of parents).