Man walks 30km on Shabbat to propose to girlfriend
Young religious man walks from Jerusalem to Ofra via hostile Arab villages to propose to soon-to-be fiancée
A. left his home on Friday night carrying a bottle of water, an engagement ring and a spare shirt. "I was looking for a nice way to ask for her hand in marriage and all the old gimmicks were already exhausted," he explained. "I wanted to do something to express my love not only to my fiancée but to the land of Israel."
His mother, who heard about the trek right before his departure, spent the whole night studying the Torah to ensure his success.
"Maybe it was her studying which enabled me to walk dozens of kilometers, some of them near hostile Arab villages and to secretly enter the fenced settlement.
"I served in Golani's reconnaissance unit in the IDF. Our motto was 'Any place we want, anyway we choose' and this was an implementation of the motto. I chose the way."
The trek, which began Friday night in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem ended shortly after sunrise when A. entered Ofra and, after learning his fiancée was still asleep, rushed over to the local synagogue to pray Shacharit. Around 9 am he wore a clean shirt and knocked on his girlfriend's door, a few steps away.
"My mother opened the door dumbfounded," recalls D., the soon-to-be bride. "She woke me up and left with some excuse. And then A., was suddenly standing there with a ring. I said yes on the spot, of course. "
The story has created a buzz in the religious sector and is on the way to becoming the latest trend in marriage proposals.
The rabbis however, would have probably barred A.'s excursion, due to security and religious considerations.
