This is not the kind of wedding you see every day: Bluma and Moshe, a couple in their 80s, got married according to Jewish law after no less than 20 years together.
Moshe, a Holocaust survivor, arrived in Israel from Poland in 1948. Bluma immigrated to Israel only 24 years ago. They have been living together for a long time, but it was only recently discovered that they had never officially married.
It was Bluma's granddaughter, Adina, who uncovered this fact. "Grandma told me that in Russia, weddings weren't held because of Stalin and the decrees against Jews, so they didn't bother with it here either. I asked them if they were willing to get married, and they said, 'Why not?' We are in Israel, the Jewish state – of course, we should get married officially here," Adina explained.
After the Itim Institute and the Shorashim organization managed to confirm Bluma's Jewish heritage, the family looked for a modest yet joyful place to hold the special event. The Ma'aleh Eliyahu Yeshiva in Tel Aviv volunteered to host, and the wedding took place at its entrance. Rabbi Lavie Engelman, affiliated with the yeshiva, conducted the ceremony, and the students danced and sang with the family and the newlyweds.
"We were so moved by the occasion," the couple shared. "Honestly, we had talked about getting married for a long time, but it never happened. The wonderful yeshiva students brought us so much joy."