Ahseph Weisz met Miriam Hershkop in Jerusalem. Both had made aliyah. Once the couple decided to marry, they planned a wedding at Beth Sholom in Lawrence for January 4.
When the blizzard was forecast, friends of the chassan’s parents, Rita and Ned Schoenfeld of Woodmere, invited the chassan’s family to stay with them before and after the wedding. Mr. Weisz became concerned the morning before the wedding. The blizzard had disrupted the travel plans of at least two thirds of their guests. Then the heat in the catering hall broke, the photographer and videographer canceled, and the chef called to say he wouldn’t be there either. Mr. Weisz asked for some help from Hashem and from Klal Yisrael. Rabbi Yair Hoffman of TAG arranged for another photographer and for some local girls to do the cooking and waitressing. The Schoenfelds spoke to Rabbi Levin and Menachem Lewin of Aish Kodesh, Rabbi Katzenstein of Yeshiva Gedolah, and Jeremy Feder of the Lawrence School District. A message was sent out via e-mail and WhatsApp to the local community. Additionally, the brother of the kallah, who learns in Lakewood, contacted other rebbeim in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, who continued to spread the word.
Once it was time for the chuppah that evening, despite the snow, over 300 people were in attendance, 200 of whom had arrived for the sake of the mitzvah, never before having met either the chassan’s or kallah’s families! The chassan and kallah spent the next four hours dancing, smiling, and meeting their several hundred new friends. One rebbetzin commented that night, “When the Jewish people come together like this with such ahavas Yisrael, it shows Hashem that we are ready for Mashiach, may he come soon.”
The day after the wedding, Mr. Schoenfeld called many of the shuls and schools to thank everyone for their efforts. On one such call, a rebbe from one of the schools made the following point:
“Too often when we are invited to a chasanah, we start thinking that either it’s too far away, or not at a convenient time, or we identify some other ‘inconvenience.’ But this chasanah was wonderful because it reminded everyone of the incredible mitzvah to bring joy to the chassan and kallah, and all who attended were clearly there for no other reason than to fulfill the mitzvah.”
The Weisz and Hershkop families would like to express their hakaras ha’tov to the community for making their simcha so wonderful and memorable.
