The Jerusalem Post reports: Thousands of haredim – most of them Belzer Hassidim – flocked to Jerusalem over the past week and a half to celebrate the wedding of Sholom Rokeach, the eldest grandson of the Belzer Rebbe, to Batya Paneth, the daughter of Rabbi Yehiel Meir Paneth of Bnei Brak.
The wedding ceremony took place last night in the courtyard of the magnificent Belz Synagogue, which stands out on the horizon on the highway approach to the capital. Roads leading to the synagogue were closed to traffic from 3 p.m. After the ceremony, the sea of black moved in the direction of the Jerusalem International Convention Center where the wedding banquet was held.
It is difficult enough at a regular wedding to see the ceremony under the huppa, but with so many people, even members of the family would have missed out – but for the many video screens placed in the area around the synagogue. This enabled the hordes of well-wishers to see the continuation of what many in hassidic circles consider a post-Holocaust miracle.
The pre-wedding festivities began last Saturday when the bridegroom was called to the Torah, and the post-wedding festivities will continue until next week.
According to Yeshiva World News, the groom and his father went to the home of Shas spiritual mentor and former Sephardi chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef to personally hand-deliver the wedding invitation.
In some hassidic circles, including Belz, the bridegroom receives a shtreimel (fur hat) on the day he is called to the Torah. Thus, before going to synagogue, the groom and his father first went to the home of the Belzer Rebbe, who presented the groom with a fine shtreimel and placed it on his head.
The Belzer Hassidim are known to be very musical, as the groom proved to be at his bar mitzva five years ago. But the favorite Belz composer, conductor and musical arranger is Rabbi Yosef Moshe Kahana, who composed 22 new melodies for the wedding.
That is interesting to have the information about wedding and pre-wedding festival, it seems people enjoyed alot with music and other marriage traditions. Thank you for updating us.
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