Union for Reform Judaism / Jewish Family Concerns / Program for Premarital Couples
Jewish Family Concerns

Program Description

The Aleph-Bet of Marriage: Journeying Towards Commitment is a premarital education program that began in response to President Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie's 1999 Biennial Address in which he proposed that the we "assist engaged couples to consider issues of Jewish home life and child rearing before their marriage takes place."

We believe that the most effective time to accomplish this goal is when a new Jewish home is being created under the chuppah.

All couples preparing for marriage should enroll in the Aleph-Bet of Marriage: Journeying Towards Commitment. The course is open to couples of any sexual orientation who are marrying for the first time or those who will be remarrying but not blending families as well as couples that have been married up to one year.

The Reform Movement's Involvement

Through a generous grant from the Epstein-Wenger Family Supporting Foundation, programs will be offered in Midwest Council and the Great Lakes Council of the URJ.

If your community is interested in finding out more about pilot sites in these, or other regions, or if you have more questions, please contact the Department of Jewish Family Concerns.

The Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis joined together to develop the Aleph-Bet of Marriage, the first premarital education program to be offered within a Jewish movement.

With the benefit of seed money in the form of a generous grant from the Charles and M. R. Shapiro Foundation in Chicago IL, the Department of Jewish Family Concerns created this program.

Collaboration among trained professionals, rabbis, and lay leaders regarding the major philosophical and practical issues resulted in the creation of a program that is offered in congregations across North America with enormous success.

Aleph Bet Publications

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access some of these publications. If you do not have this program, you can download it by clicking here.

Here's what some who have taken the course have said:


  • "The content covered in this workshop can be helpful and enriching to all premarital couples - this course has encourage us to focus on issues that otherwise would not be discussed."

  • "It provided us with a great opportunity to explore topics that we hadn't previously discussed."

  • "The classes gave us an opportunity to find out how others deal with their relationship."

  • "It really got us talking!"

Is the Aleph Bet of Marriage for me?

Couples that have taken part in the seven session workshop agree that the Aleph-Bet of Marriage is indeed a sacred endeavor and that this program strengthens the bonds of commitment through the course curriculum. Each couple explores their expectations for marriage and shares their hopes and concerns with other couples going through similar experiences while they explore issues such as positive communication styles, negotiation, fighting fair, conflict resolution and the sacred nature of marriage from a Jewish perspective.

Judaism teaches that we are each entrusted with the sacred task of tikkun olam, healing the world. As we strengthen the foundations upon which Jewish marriages are built, we will strengthen Jewish families, Jewish communities, and Jewish institutions, and in so doing, we will enhance and strengthen Jewish life and heal a small portion of the world...MORE.

Questions? Comments? Please contact the Department of Jewish Family Concerns.