together in the knowledge of the community. In that case, the wedding ceremony may be objected to by the Orthodox , but the marriage itself is absolutely valid according to Orthodox law.
This being the case, any Orthodox official who casts doubt on the validity of such marriage is not only callous to human considerations, but ignores the main development and tendency of Orthodox law.
There is a much more serious aspect to the whole question than the technical implications of the halakhah itself It involves the unity and the integrity of the Jewish people, and also raises the problem of what should be the mutual relationship of Jewish groups who differ from each other in religious matters.
First of all, it must he realized that the Jewish legal tradition on marriage is so complicated and is such a melange of laws and customs that it is only too easy to cast aspersions on the validity or at least the propriety of almost any marriage. For instance, the marriages conducted in Orthodox synagogues in the United States and in England have been subject to bitter attack by those who are more extreme in their Orthodoxy or who give special weight to specific customs. As an example, though Maharil , of the fourteenth century in Mainz , conducted marriages in the synagogue, the overwhelming opinion of Orthodox authorities of the last century has been that it is absolutely forbidden to have marriages within the synagogue; they must be conducted elsewhere, preferably out of doors, or at least under an open skylight in order to fulfill Isserles ’ suggestion that marriages should be under the stars as a sign of blessing. Most of the marriages taking place in Orthodox synagogues in England and in America are thus open to serious objection.
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