Taking advantage of Ukraine ceasefire, Jewish couples wed in joint ceremony in Kyiv

A 92-year-old couple was among those married during the May 9-11 truce put in place in honor of Victory Day

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 and synagogue, said the event was one of the most moving moments the community has experienced in recent years.

“To witness a couple aged 92 entering the chuppah is not something ordinary,” Markovitch said. “We have been living for a long time under the shadow of war, with uncertainty and daily challenges becoming part of normal life. And specifically within that reality, people are choosing to pause and declare: we are continuing the chain of generations, preserving our tradition, and building a Jewish home.”

According to the spokesperson for the community, “tens of thousands” of Jews currently live in Kyiv, although it is difficult to pin down an accurate number due to migrations throughout the war. Hundreds of families are connected with the synagogue, he said.

The core Jewish population across Ukraine is about 32,000, according to an estimate by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.

The community has been hit hard throughout the war, including a school run by Markovitch that suffered significant structural damage from a Russian drone strike in 2024.