Yisrael and Chen Avikazar recently celebrated their wedding on the grass of the "Belevav Shalem" Amit high school yeshiva in the southern city of Yerucham - and the wedding was organized entirely by the yeshiva's students, who volunteered for the task.
The story began with a post that Chen wrote on Facebook: "I am new in the Yerucham area. I don't have a supportive family who can accompany me during the wedding, and they can't help me financially. We are a young couple just starting out, and we would like your help, with any donation possible."
Help quickly appeared in the form of Yerucham's rabbi, Rabbi YItzhak Shalev, who together with the yeshiva's management, joined the efforts to arrange the wedding. The yeshiva bought food, brought sound equipment, a wedding canopy, chairs, and everything else.
The wedding was held during the yeshiva's afternoon break, and the tenth-grade students helped with the preparations, and members of the eleventh-grade band encouraged the dancing and brought joy to the participants.
Students at the nearby Amit Kama girls' school also joined the efforts, dancing with the bride and in front of her.
Following the end of the wedding, Chen said, "This was the best wedding in the world - better than the fanciest halls. The students really moved us and made us happy."
Ma'ayan Knoll, a twelfth-grade student, said, "It was really moving and joyous at the wedding. We saw that the couple was very happy. It was very powerful to see how the entire yeshiva joined the efforts to produce this wedding for an amazing couple."
Rabbi Avi Benayon, a tenth-grade teacher, said, "It was amazing what this did for the students, that we merited to do such a thing here in the yeshiva's yard. I am sure that the couple is very moved and happy, but the students are the ones who really benefited from this mitzvah (Divine commandment)."
Rabbi Yair Yaakovi, the yeshiva's dean, said, "This wedding was an amazing experience of joy - there is no joy like that which comes from a true desire to make others happy."
Anar Leshem, the yeshiva's principal, said, "Kindness is one of the most important values which we want to pass on to our students. We are happy for the opportunity which presented itself to us, to teach kindness here at home."