Between sirens and bombs, a young couple stood under the chuppah in Odessa, Ukraine. The kallah Menucha was a resident of Chabad’s Mishpacha Orphanage, while the chosson Shimom is a graduate of Chabad’s local school system.
Officiating the ceremony was the person who heads both institutions – Rabbi Avrohom Wolff, Head Shliach and Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine.
Rabbi Wolff and his wife Mrs. Chaya Wolff have been raising the kallah since she was brought to their orphanage at the age of 5 years old.
Many eyes shed tears at the emotional ceremony, as the two stood and were wed as per Jewish traditions.
“The state of war here hasn’t ceased for a moment in the past two years,” said one of the city’s Jews. “To see a Jewish wedding, on the streets of the city, in such days – it’s so moving and gives hope for the future of Jewish life and continuity.”
“Just as the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride are heard in the streets of shattered Odessa,” Rabbi Wolff said during the ceremony, “so may we merit to hear the voice of joy and the voice of celebration in the rebuilt Jerusalem!”
Chabad’s educational institutions in Odessa include kindergartens, schools, yeshivas, colleges, and Jewish academic institutions. “The wide array of educational institutions allows many Jewish children to remain under the community’s umbrella,” said Rabbi Wolff.
so special and happy