An extraordinary wedding took place in the Ukrainian city of Odessa when a graduate of the ‘Mishpacha’ orphanage wed a graduate of Chabad’s schools amidst sirens and interceptions.
Between one siren and the next, stood under the chuppah in Odessa, Ukraine, Menucha, a graduate of the ‘Mishpacha’ orphanage, and Shimon, a student from the Chabad educational institutions in the city.
The kalla had been under the care of shliach and Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine, Rabbi Avraham Wolf, and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya, since she was 5 years old.
Many eyes welled with tears during the moving ceremony as the couple married according to halacha. “The war situation here hasn’t stopped for a moment in the last two years,” shared a local Jew, “to see a Jewish wedding, on the city streets, during these days – it’s so touching and gives hope for a future of Jewish life and continuity.”
“Just as we hear the voice of the chosson and the kalla in the streets of bombarded Odessa,” Rabbi Wolf said at the event, “so may we merit to hear voices of joy and happiness in the rebuilt Jerusalem!”
Chabad’s educational institutions in Odessa include kindergartens, schools, yeshivas, kollels, and Jewish academic institutions. “The wide range of educational institutions allows many Jewish children to remain under the community’s umbrella,” said Rabbi Wolf.
