Lubavitcher Chosson Stops at Cemetery Before Wedding

By COLlive reporter

On Monday afternoon, a Lubavitcher chosson on his way to his wedding made an uncommon stop at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

The chosson, Aharon Noach Freiman from Jerusalem, who was to be married later that evening to Devonya Reinitz of Bet Sha’an, chose to visit the grave of an Israeli hero.

Dressed in a hat and his new kapota, Freiman visited the grave of Aner Shapira, the IDF Staff Sargent who was killed by the Hamas massacre on Simchas Torah – October 7, 2023.

Shapira was attending the Supernova music festival near Re’im and hid inh a bomb shelter when Hamas attacked Israel. He heroically fended off 7 grenades and was able to save the lives of 9 people, before being killed himself.

A few months ago, Freiman helped Shapira’s family to print an edition of the Alter Rebbe’s Tanya in Aner’s memory at the very shelter in the Gaza border area where he was murdered.

Since then, Freiman became deeply connected to Aner’s story.

On the most important day of his life, during the hours typically reserved for spiritual preparation before the wedding ceremony, Freiman chose to visit Aner’s gravesite and recite Tehillim on his way to the wedding hall.

While at the cemetery, Freiman met the brother of fallen IDF soldier Roi Daoui, a Givati Brigade fighter who was killed last Cheshvan in northern Gaza. Frieman helped him put on Tefillin, making the timing of his visit a true hashgacha protis.