In Wartime Kyiv, a Mass Jewish Wedding—Featuring a 93-Year-Old Couple

Amid a cease-fire in the war between Russia and Ukraine and a relative easing of security tensions, an extraordinary event took place this weekend in the heart of Kyiv: a mass Jewish wedding that brought many couples together under the *chuppah*. The event, held at the community center *Beit Menachem* (JCC) in the capital, was made possible thanks to the relative calm that has prevailed in the city in recent days.

(קרדיט: JCC Kiev)

Couples spanning a remarkably wide age range took part. Alongside young people building their homes, longtime couples aged 65 and older stood out, with the peak moment coming when a pair of 93-year-olds stepped under the *chuppah*. Community members say some of the couples have lived together for decades, but the war’s complex reality—with nonstop sirens and uncertainty—pushed them to formalize their marriages now according to *halacha*.

The security lull made it possible to hold the event on a broad scale, with family members, guests, and even representatives from Ukraine’s local media arriving to cover the mass wedding. Around the *chuppahs*, it was a moving sight of entire generations—children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—accompanying their loved ones at a defining moment in their lives.

"Seeing a couple at age 93 walk under the *chuppah* isn’t something you see every day," said Kyiv’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, with great emotion. "We’ve been living in a wartime reality for a long time. Precisely now, when a bit of quiet is possible, people are choosing to pause and declare: We are continuing the chain of generations, preserving tradition, and building a Jewish home."

(קרדיט: JCC Kiev)