A mass Jewish wedding was held in Kyiv amid the relative calm that followed a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, bringing together couples ranging from young newlyweds to elderly partners who had lived together for decades.
The ceremony took place at the Beit Menachem Jewish Community Center, where several couples were married according to Jewish law, including couples in their 60s and one bride and groom who are both 92.
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Couples marry under the chuppah during a mass Jewish wedding at Kyiv’s Beit Menachem Jewish Community Center in Ukraine
(Photo: JCC Kyiv)
Community members said some of the couples had lived together for many years but only now, after a long period of war, air raid sirens and uncertainty, decided to formalize their marriages in a traditional Jewish ceremony.
They said holding a large event with relatives and guests had been nearly impossible during months of fighting.
The wedding drew entire families, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, creating the unusual sight of several generations gathered together under the chuppah, the Jewish wedding canopy. Local media also covered the event, which drew attention in the Ukrainian capital.
“To see a 92-year-old couple enter the chuppah is not something you see every day,” said Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, Kyiv’s chief rabbi. “We have been living for a long time in a reality of war and uncertainty. Precisely now, when a bit of quiet became possible, people are choosing to stop and say: We are continuing the chain of generations, preserving tradition and building a Jewish home.”