Welcome to Irishrabbi.com, the website of Rabbi Mark R. Newton. Why this particular website name?
Until recently, I thought that surely I must be the only rabbi in the world with an Irish passport. Since then, I've discovered there are
actually a few more out there. (But I can declare affirmatively that we've never all been in the same room together!)
Now as it happens, I was born, raised, and currently live in the United States. Nevertheless, I am very proud of my Irish
citizenship and heritage. I am also privileged to live in Boston -- a terrific city in which to enjoy both the Jewish and Irish
experiences.
Since 1991 I have been performing weddings, baby namings, Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, Hebrew tutorial, other Jewish life cycle events, as well as Shabbat and High Holiday service.
Let me tell you a little bit about myself and what I do, in order to help you decide how I can be of service to you.
My rabbinical ordination is from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
where I graduated in 1991, with a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters. Prior to my seminary studies there, I graduated with a B.S. in Languages
from Georgetown University, at the former School of Lanaguages and Linguistics.
In preparation for university study, I attended the Carl-Friedrich von Siemens Oberschule-Gymnasium ,
in the former West Berlin. (A European Gymnasium is similar to a French Lycée, or pre-university school of higher learning.) After enjoying some 22
years serving as a pulpit rabbi in synagogues in the Boston area, I have recently taken semi-retirement from that field, now devoting my energies to outreach
to the "spiritually unaffiliated."
I am also a professional genealogist and translator.
For many years now I have enjoyed providing rabbinical services and support for couples in the
process of celebrating their union. For such couples I have created non-denominational ceremonies
which incorporate rituals from many traditions.
I work with couples where both partners are Jewish, as well as interfaith couples and those with no particular
religous tradition or spiritual affiliation.
In essence I serve as your spiritual guide as you begin to create your own special and unique
family unit. I assist you through the process of creating a warm, beautiful and meaningful
ceremony that reflects both Jewish and universal values and often includes rituals and customs from other
spiritual and ethnic communities.
I regularly co-officiated with clergy from other religious denominations.
As I am also a cantorial soloist, you may be assured of a pleasant musical experience as well.
(And yes, I'm an Irish tenor.)
I am also proud to officiate at LGBT weddings, whether as the authorized officiant recognized in that state, or in a religious ceremony in
jurisdictions that have not yet provided legal recognition.
With recent legal victories, the geographic jurisdiction possibilities have greatly expanded.
In the United States, full marriage rights are recognized in the following states in New England:
Massachusetts ,
Connecticut , Vermont
, New Hampshire ,
and Maine .
Outside of New England, states that have authorized full marriage rights for LGBT couples include
New York ,
Iowa ,
Washington, DC ,
Washington State and
Maryland .
Civil Unions are recognized in Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
As of June 2005, fully legal same-sex marriage is now available in all provinces and territories of Canada. Some provinces may have residence requirements, but check with the civil authorities of each jurisdiction to note any recent changes.
There have been a number of recent changes made in Québec civil law regarding all marriages,
regardless of the gender particulars.
Most of these changes simply make the paperwork easier. Please see
The official Québec government website for further information.
Il y a quelques changes faites à la fin de 2005, qui concernent les mariages
au Québec. La plupart de ces changes allège la paperasserie. Veuillez visiter le site officiel du Gouvernement du Québec pour plus renseignements.
Je parle français et je peux bien diriger une cérémonie bilingue pour vous!
I am based in Boston, so my usual geographic area includes metropolitan Boston, all of
New England (New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island),
most of New York state, and certain northeastern seaboard cities, such as New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, etc.
I am flexible in considering other locations, including Canada, Europe, and other parts of the
United States.
Another question I am often asked is whether I will conduct a ceremony outside of a
synagogue. The reality is that with very few exceptions, the vast majority of weddings
I have officiated were held in a "religiously neutral" location. Here is a short list of some of
my favourite venues:
MIT Chapel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
The Red Barn, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
The Saphire Estate (Manor), Sharon, MA
Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich, MA
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Wellesley, MA
Kirkbrae Country Club, Lincoln, RI
The Essex, Vermont’s Culinary Resort & Spa, Essex Junction, VT
The Hampshire House (Site of the Sitcom “Cheers”)
Auberge des Gallant, Ste-Marthe, QC, Canada
Le Windsor, Montréal, QC, Canada
Sunnyside Pavillion, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Old Mill Inn & Spa, Toronto, ON, Canada
Castle Durrow, Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, Ireland
You may have seen portions of a ceremony I performed aboard the Moshulu, which was featured on
The Style Network
in a series entitled Whose Wedding is it Anyway? .
For that Irish-Jewish and somewhat (*ahem!*) "Pirate themed" wedding, I had the privilege to
work with wedding consultant Mark Kingsdorf of
Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants, Philadelphia, PA
I am currently building my professional profile on weddingwire.com
and you can read a few more reviews on me at Wedding Channel ("The Knot").
For more information, please e-mail me at rabbimarknewton@yahoo.com and I will be pleased to send you an FAQ which will answer
most of your questions about my background, experience, philosophy and availability.
(So as not to delete your e-mail by mistake, please put the word WEDDING in the subject field.)
I can also be reached by telephone at 617-520-8002.
Finally, I am in the process of updating this site so that it is more in line with the 21st century cyberworld.
Stay tuned as I give this site a complete facelift and be sure and refresh your internet browser history so as to find the latest updates.
Please come back and visit.
Síocháin!