The Kibbutz Wedding I Will Never Forget

Lucky me!  Dvora and Eli invited me to the wedding of their daughter Odeya and Ilan on May 30, 2016.  I had never been to a wedding at a Kibbutz, so I really did not know what to expect.  I suspected that the dress code was casual, considering the setting, the season, and the Israeli dress style.

Yael and I met in Tel Aviv, and together we boarded the train to Kibbutz Yavne Mizrach where the Cohen family has resided for years, where the four daughters grew up surrounded by a supportive community formed by families.

I had one visited the Kibbutz, but it was late at night and I did not get a chance to tour it. This time, Yael, who lived in the Kibbutz for two years, took pride to show me around, and before me stood a luscious piece of land, too large to cross by foot, landscaped by homes, centers, gardens, roads and streets, much like a mini city.  I am sharing with you some of the shots I took of the Kibbutz' landscape.

The oldest tree at Kibbutz Yavne

Yael Levy

Milking the goats

When we arrived Yael and I saw at a distance the wedding party gathered in the centre of the main park, green baby grass covering the ground and l a variety of trees and schrubs.  I felt emotional spotting the wedding canopy "Chupa," the synagoge style seating plan, the decorations and the coming and going of local kibbutzniks getting ready for the party, and incoming guests.  The bride and groom were set apart, men with men, women with women, and each gender catered to the ocassion to the soon to be happy couple.  There was a live band, playing beautdiful middle eastern tunes with the aid of ancient sounding instruments. The young woman flutist was my favorite.

The ceremony touched me deeply.  The whole kibbuts was invited, so all guests gathered around the canopy to partake in the great simcha (celebration).  I did my best to capture the moment through film, but my iPad ran out of memory.  However, I have lots of photographs that give you but a hint of the calibre of the simcha.  What stood out the most for me is the feeling of brotherhood in the Kibbutz, the love of the Cohen Family, all three daughters sharing their joy around the bride, the ruach of the place, like a godly setting to bring two lives together.

I am so very grateful that I had the opportunity to attend such a magnificent simcha and will cherish the memories of a wedding unlike anything we experience in North America.  It was not the elegance, the wealth, the gourmet food, the sophistication of the ceremony that touched me deeply.  It was the combination of all of the above, crowned by the feeling of mishpacha, immediate and extended that cheered a young couple into a happy life together.