In an emotional event for a community ravaged by war, five Jewish couples were married in a shared wedding ceremony in Kyiv over the weekend during a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Young and old couples, including a pair of 92-year-olds, came together in matrimony at the “Beit Menachem” Jewish Community Center according to the religious tradition, the JCC said in a statement.

The event took place during the May 9-11 ceasefire in honor of Victory Day, a holiday that both countries celebrate in honor of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The pause in the war, which has raged since 2022, eased tensions in the city and allowed families from across the community to gather for the ceremony, the JCC said.

Some of the couples had lived together for years but delayed marrying according to Jewish law because of the war, the JCC said. About 250 guests attended the event, which was funded by the community center.

Kyiv Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, a Chabad emissary who also runs a local school........

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