A Purim Wedding Near the Bomb Shelter

Nava and Elroi Bloom were not going to let a missile barrage stop their wedding.

The couple had planned to marry the Sunday before Purim. Then, after Shabbat, news came that Israel and the US had launched strikes against Iran, and Iran was retaliating. They refused to postpone.

They pivoted fast. Israeli government restrictions on large gatherings forced them to cut the guest list from 350 to 50. Parents sent WhatsApp notices apologizing for the change. The wedding hall was out. Instead: a friend's spacious home near Jerusalem, chosen partly because it had a bomb shelter big enough for everyone.

Good thing. Just as the couple stood beneath the chuppa, the missile sirens went off. Bride, groom, and guests ran for the shelter. When the all-clear sounded, they came back out and finished what they started.

The dancing that followed was pure joy. Guests celebrated to lively Purim songs as the newlyweds soaked it in. "It was a very happy wedding," one of the bride's grandmothers said. "Everyone was very happy for the couple."

There was something fitting about it. On Purim, Jews celebrate survival against an enemy who tried to destroy them. This couple had just lived that story in real time.