The Wedding (Die Trauung)

As the number of marriages permitted to Jews was restricted until 1846, this occasion resonates politically.

Oppenheim sets the wedding in the courtyard of the old synagogue in the Frankfurt ghetto. Following German Jewish custom, the bride and groom stand with their heads jointly covered with a prayer shawl (tallit) under the marriage canopy (huppah). They wear the traditional bridal belts decorated with gold that they have previously exchanged. The bride extends the index finger of her right hand to receive the wedding ring. Afterward, rather than crushing the wineglass underfoot, the groom throws it at the plaque decorated with the Star of David on the staircase. Standing in readiness for the celebration are a musician and harlequin hired to entertain.