Israeli Wedding Draws 25,000 Guests: Was There Enough Cake?

Israeli weddings are known for being uproarious celebrations that go well into the wee hours of the morning, but the wedding of Shalom Rokeach and Hannah Batya Penet blows all others out of the water. The guest list to their Ultra Orthodox Jewish ceremony included 25,000 guests in all, many of whom traveled to Jerusalem from Europe and the United States.

The groom is the lone male grandchild and heir to the Belz Rebbe, the head of one of the largest Hasidic communities in the world. The bride is 19-year-old Hannah Batya Penet, who is also a member of the Belz Rebbe. Per tradition, the bride's face was covered by a veil throughout the wedding. The ceremony also included ritual dancing and vows recited under a chuppah.

In some hassidic circles, including Belz, the bridegroom receives a shtreimel, also known as a 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 one of the nicest fur hats and placed it on his head.

The Jerusalem Post covered the event, explaining, "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."

Roads leading to the synagogue were closed to traffic from 3 p.m. After the ceremony, the sea of people moved in the direction of the Jerusalem International Convention Center where the wedding banquet was held.

Though the two newlyweds are what most would consider too young for marriage, Ultra Orthodox Judaism is different from traditional American marriage conceptions. It's more about the merging of values and continuing tradition than pursuing independent careers. But one similarity is the reception, always fun, full of love and memorable.