Under the Chuppah in a Hotel Garage: From Sirens to Simcha

The phone buzzed again, alerting to another Iranian missile on the horizon.

At the Benivagi home, the makeup artist and hairdresser were getting Hadassah ready for her wedding that night. According to the original plan, she should already have been home by now, her hair covered, standing beside her brand new husband.

At Michael’s place, the groom’s suit waited in the closet. He had imagined a very different kind of wedding day, but instead, he was caught in a frantic round of phone calls. Suit: ready. Wedding venue: still missing.

These days of uncertainty and resilience are bringing forward extraordinary stories. In a special interview, newlyweds Michael and Hadassah Benivagi share how their wedding was canceled just hours before it was meant to begin, why they insisted on getting married anyway, and the faith that carried them through.

From France to Bnei Brak: A Story of Purpose

Michael, 21, made aliyah from France on his own at 16, right after finishing high school, and began learning at the Kisei Rachamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak.

“If you love Torah, you come to Israel,” he says. “I knew I would find the best Torah learning here.”

Hadassah, also 21, is studying speech-language pathology.

Their story began with what felt like clear providence. Michael’s family travels to Spain every summer, and last year, for the first time, Hadassah’s family was there as well. Their fathers met in a synagogue, prayed together, and learned together.

“One day my father came home and told me he had met a sweet, serious young man,” Hadassah recalls.

After returning to Israel, her father made inquiries. Hadassah and Michael met, and within a few dates, they became engaged. The wedding was set for Sunday, the 12th of Adar.

On the morning of the 11th of Adar, everything changed.

When Everything Suddenly Shifts

Sirens pierced the quiet of Shabbat as Operation “Lion’s Roar” began.

“We hadn’t met the week before,” Hadassah recalls, “and when I heard the first siren, I wondered if Michael was hearing them too. After a few sirens, it became clear to me that this wouldn’t be a regular wedding. I tried to stay optimistic.”

On Motzaei Shabbat, they realized they would need a different venue. They began searching for a smaller hall within walking distance of a protected space, but everything depended on the security situation.

Did you go to sleep without knowing for sure whether you would get married the next day?

“You could say we didn’t exactly sleep that night,” Hadassah says. “Even in the morning, when the makeup artists were checking in again and again, I still didn’t know what to answer.”

At 9 a.m., they received the final answer: the hall would remain closed.

“We Understood This Is What Hashem Decided”

Up until that moment, they had not spoken directly, following their community’s custom before the wedding. But once the wedding was canceled, they broke that practice in order to strengthen one another and figure out what to do next.

“At first it was really hard,” Hadassah says. “By Purim, we were supposed to already be married, and Michael had prepared to read the Megillah for me.”

Slowly, they began to process it.

“The only thing that kept us going was knowing that this too is from Heaven, and for the good.”

Michael adds, “It was hard for me as well, but we understood that this is what Hashem decided. It is clearly for the best, even if we don’t know the reason.”

During that conversation, they made a firm decision: they would get married on Wednesday, no matter what.

A Race Against Time

For the next three days, they searched desperately for a new venue, but nothing worked out.

Then, just 24 hours before the new date, they managed to book a synagogue in central Israel. They updated the guests and went to sleep believing that everything was finally set.

On Wednesday morning, the wedding day, Hadassah woke up excited. But her mother was waiting for her with unexpected news.

“Don’t panic,” she said, “but the synagogue canceled.”

Hadassah did not hesitate.

“This time, I’m not giving up. We’re getting married today.”

While she began preparing, Michael continued making calls, searching for any possible solution.

“He worked so hard that day,” she says.

A Wedding in the Most Unexpected Place

Thinking creatively, they found a fully protected location: an underground parking garage in a hotel.

From there, everything moved quickly. Michael arranged food from a nearby restaurant. The event designer they had originally hired transformed the concrete space into something fitting for a wedding.

“There were many guests from France who had come especially for the wedding,” Hadassah says. “We had to update them for the third time about a new location.”

Despite everything, the wedding went ahead.

Michael, did you have the energy to get married after all that work?

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he says with a laugh. “I felt like an event producer. But at the wedding itself, we danced, we celebrated, and baruch Hashem, we were happy.”

Hadassah agrees. “At first I was disappointed. I had imagined walking to the chuppah, all the details, everything we had planned.”

“In the end, none of it happened. It was strange to walk into a parking garage in a wedding dress. But I didn’t feel any regret, not even a little. It was joyful. The guests who came made us truly happy.”

Holding On to What Matters

How are the families and friends from France experiencing the situation?

“For now, they are stuck here because their flights were canceled,” Michael explains. “About 15 friends are staying at my parents’ home, sleeping wherever they can.”

He smiles. “They got used to it very quickly. Every night feels like a party.”

Hadassah adds that while some relatives were initially overwhelmed, overall they are managing.

“Sometimes it’s even harder to be far away and hear about everything than to actually be here.”

A Message for Other Couples

To couples planning weddings during uncertain times, they offer a simple but powerful message.

“The most important thing is to keep your focus on what matters,” Hadassah says. “And what matters is getting married and building a home.”

“A wedding lasts a few hours,” she adds, “but what stays with you is not the food or the setting. It’s the feeling.”

“And we were left,” Michael concludes, “with beautiful memories and a truly sweet experience.”