Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen were abducted to Gaza two and a half years ago. Yesterday, they were married and began building a home together in Israel. That sentence is worth re-reading.
Every word spoken beneath the chuppah suddenly took on a deeper meaning.
“Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel,” Sasha said as he placed the ring on Sapir’s finger.
In interviews after his release, he said: “When I was abducted, my Jewish identity meant nothing to me. The first time I ever put on tefillin was after I was freed from captivity. I did not know there was a God. It is incredible. I was abducted because I was Jewish, yet I did not even know what that meant. Today, I do.”
Then came the breaking of the glass.
Rabbi Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia, who has supported the couple and officiated at their wedding, placed the glass on the ground and recalled the surgery Sasha had undergone on his leg after being wounded in captivity.
And there he stood, on both feet, healthy, strong, and smiling, as he declared:
“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget it’s skill. Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not place Jerusalem above my greatest joy.”
By then, many were in tears. Sasha and Sapir were abducted from Nir Oz, but their story is also the story of Jerusalem. They both understand that.
Sapir once told me in an interview that her captors would speak to her about Judaism, the Ten Commandments, Jerusalem, and the Torah. The more she knew, the more unsettled they became.
“Ana Yahud,” she would tell them. “I am Jewish.”
One of the terrorists told her he disliked her because she was constantly looking out for the people around her, helping them and bringing “light into the darkness of Gaza.”
He was right.
The seven wedding blessings were recited beneath the chuppah yesterday. Sasha’s mother, Yelena Troufanov, and his grandmother, Irena, were there. Both had also been abducted to Gaza and later returned home. Since then, they have become symbols of faith, hope, and Jewish identity, particularly among Russian-speaking Jews.
One person was deeply missed: Sasha’s father, Vitaly, of blessed memory, who was murdered on October 7th.
Once again, the ancient words carried extraordinary meaning—a prayer for all that will now fill this new home, and for the home of the Jewish people:
“Who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, rejoicing and song, delight and celebration, love and fellowship.”
Amen. Mazel tov!
