Marriage, Israeli-style: Couples wed in the shadow of rocket attacks

After a long day of reporting on missile strikes, Channel 12 news reporter Branu Tegene was filmed dancing at a wedding in Sderot – and Netta Barzilai surprises couple at their Beersheba wedding.

By HANNAH BROWN
Wedding ring (illustrative) (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Wedding ring (illustrative)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Israelis aren’t going to let a few rockets ruin their weddings. That was the message on Tuesday night as a handful of couples in the south of Israel found creative ways to celebrate their marriages in spite of the security situation. This as red alerts, warning that rockets from the Gaza Strip were headed their way, blared throughout their region. And it’s just this kind of crisis that brings out the best in Israelis.
For one couple, a silver lining of the security situation was a surprise visit to their wedding from singing star Netta Barzilai. The 2018 Eurovision winner saw the couple, Efrat and Eliran – who had planned to marry in a ceremony with 400-plus guests in Beersheba – speaking about their plight on the Channel 12 evening news. Large gatherings are prohibited by the Home Front Command during periods of attacks.
The couple decided to marry in a much smaller ceremony in a protected space. “I couldn’t stay indifferent,” Barzilai said at the wedding. “I was watching TV like half of Israel and I saw you. And I just got up off the couch and said, ‘It will surely be very special here. And it will surely be fun.’ And I simply got my team and traveled here to make this amazing couple happy.” Barzilai was filmed embracing, serenading and posing for selfies with the delighted couple.
In an appearance on Niv Raskin, one southern couple, Yigal and Ortal, who also cut down their guest list by hundreds, talked about their decision to marry in a small synagogue rather than postpone the wedding. “It was a very moving ceremony, really fun,” said Yigal, adding that he considered the possibility that there might be rocket attacks when he planned the wedding.

“I worried about getting married during a period of terror in this country,” he said. Although the wedding turned out well, Yigal said it seemed crazy that he had to consider the security situation when planning it.

Race for the Million star Karin Kleinberg, appealed to her thousands of followers on Instagram to try to find a venue to host a wedding for her brother, Dor Huri, who was scheduled to marry his fiancée, Orel, last night in front of a thousand guests. After announcing that they would cancel the wedding, Dor and Orel chose to marry in Moshav Beit Hagadi near Netivot, with 100 guests.

 
 
 
 
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אהובים שאלתם בלי סוף " אז מה קרה עם החתונה ?!?" וכמובן שמגיע לכם הסבר! אז החתונה הגדולה שהייתה צריכה להתקיים באולם בנתיבות בוטלה בגלל המצב הביטחוני. ‼ יצאנו בהודעה שאנחנו מחפשים לזוג הצעיר אולם במרכז אך בגלל שהמצב נמשך האורחים פחדו לצאת והזוג החליט שאירוע שהם חלמו אולי לא יקרה היום... אבל חופה תתקיים היום ! אז במקום 1000 מוזמנים באולם גדול קיבלנו 100 מוזמנים במקלט במושב בית הגדי. הדיגיי התותח @kobi_ben_haim התנדב ועשה שמח בטירוף והצלם המוכשר @snir_elharar התנדב ותיעד את כל האירוע המיוחד הזה ניפגש בעז"ה במסיבה הגדולה ב 24/11 ומבטיחה לעלות לכם תמונה שלי עם השמלה ההורסת שתפרתי במיוחד בנתיים מוזמנים לברך את החתן והכלה @dor__huri_teorya @orel_huri

A post shared by קארין קליינברג (@karin_kleinberg1) on

One bride from Ashkelon called into a radio show, asking listeners to find a place for her wedding further north. Listeners responded with warmth, and one found a solution to her dilemma.

Yaniv and Moran, who were scheduled to marry in the Tel Ya event hall near Even Yehuda north of Tel Aviv, offered to have a double wedding with any couple from the South who needed it, and posted their offer on Facebook.
After a long day of reporting on missile strikes, Channel 12 news reporter Branu Tegene was filmed dancing in a synagogue with guests at a wedding in Sderot.


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