PATRICIA FINNEY, left, Rabbi Joel Seltzer and Risa Schulman, with members of the wedding party, at Temple Emanu-El /Gumula PhotographyPROVIDENCE ­ – Weddings may be “old hat” for seasoned rabbis, but Nov. 12, 2011 was a milestone at Temple Emanu-El, the Conservative synagogue in Providence: Rabbi Joel Seltzer officiated at the marriage of Patricia Finney (now Patricia Finney Schulman) and Risa Schulman that evening. It was the first same-sex wedding performed there.

Triplets Madison, left, Jacob and Victoria Berman attend Temple Sinai in Cranston. Jacob, who has cerebral palsy and some learning challenges, participates in the religious school inclusion program at Temple Sinai. /Jamie Berman

PROVIDENCE – Learning Hebrew can be challenging for any student, yet it often presents additional challenges for individuals with learning disabilities. With approximately 20 percent of Americans having a disability (according to national Census data), it’s little wonder that some Hebrew school students need extra support to prepare for their bar or bat mitzvah.

NEW YORK (JTA) – As Jews in some northern New Jersey communities made their way to synagogue last Shabbat, the scene was slightly different from the typical day of rest.

Extra police cars were on patrol near synagogues. At Bnei Yeshurun in Teaneck, a new buzzer system had been installed. And at Ahavath Torah in Englewood, security guards stood sentry.

Jeffrey K. Savit, president and chief executive officer of the Alliance, announces that an anonymous family, passionate about the value of a Jewish day school education, has generously established a matching grant of up to $100,000 for the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island.

This grant will be used to help balance the impact the difficult economy has had on the local community and ease the burden of the cost of a Jewish day school education for first-time families.

More information will follow in upcoming issues of The Jewish Voice & Herald.

WASHINGTON (JTA) – The Obama administration is engaged in a full-court press to persuade Israel that Iran’s nuclear threat can be contained short of war.

The U.S. lobbying has received a mixed reception from Israel, where the Netanyahu government has not ruled out a unilateral strike on Iran. Iran, meanwhile, is taking an aggressive stance in response to mounting sanctions.

Reyna Simnegar speaks at the Providence Kollel event. /Nancy KirschPROVIDENCE – Nearly 90 women, some toting babies, heard of one woman’s transformation from a Catholic school girl to an observant Jew, at “It’s for You,” the Southern New England Conference for Jewish Women on Sunday, Dec. 18. The women’s division of the Providence Community Kollel sponsored the half-day program.

Dr. Gary WitmanPROVIDENCE – Bad timing and an errant ocean wave irrevocably changed the lives of Dr. Gary and DeeDee Witman, of Providence. On Aug. 31, 2010, an unplanned visit to an out-of-town friend took them to Narragansett’s Canochet Beach, where Gary was “whacked in the back of his neck” by a wave, DeeDee said in a recent interview. “I saw him floating face down, and I knew something was wrong.”

One artist’s creation at Peace Love Studios /Nancy Kirsch

PAWTUCKET – Providence native Jeffrey Sparr frequently hears people say, “Are you crazy…trying to make mental illness cool?”

His response: “Yes, I am crazy – and I am going to make it cool!”

In a recent visit to Peace Love Studios on Pawtucket’s Main Street, Sparr, 48, said that many individuals embrace his desire to “create a positive symbol for mental illness.”