A wedding in wartime this past Tuesday. It was supposed take place at a venue in the West Bank, but was canceled out of security concerns after Hamas began its brutal assault on Israeli civilians. A small Jewish community came together, determined to celebrate.
"The bride's brother had just gotten married and his new mother-in-law [had] set them up," said Tamar, the Israeli American aunt of the bride, who asked us to use her first name out of security concerns.
"We had friends who brought speakers, friends who helped with the food, friends who helped with the organization. And so we know that our community got a lot of joy knowing that they were helping someone have a wedding in this time," said Tamar.
Adi, the woman who hosted the wedding, had family members killed by Hamasand others who were still missing. "It was probably the most emotional wedding I've ever been at," Tamar said. "We were constantly hearing explosions in the background. We can hear everything from northern Gaza."
She says the celebration gave people hope.
"That they made it through. And that they're continuing on, that they're willing to have the celebration when we really don't know how to move on from here," said Tamar.
SEE MORE: Palestinian Americans react to the conflict between Israel and Hamas
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