A beautiful lesson
Teen campers throw dream wedding for new Israeli immigrants
Leezy Katz of Teaneck is not a professional wedding planner. She’s a 16-year-old student at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck.
Yet Leezy and about 170 peers took charge of decorating, serving guests, and adding to the festive atmosphere at a wedding they hosted on August 11 for Miriam and Chaim, recent immigrants to Israel from Russia.
This unusual activity was part of their summer in Michlelet, a camp in Ramat Beit Shemesh for American Orthodox teen girls run by NCSY, the youth arm of the Orthodox Union.
“The girls decided to take on the responsibility of the wedding simply because this couple was in need and they are a part of Klal Yisrael” — the Jewish people — Leezy said. “It didn’t matter how long we knew this couple; the fact that we were able to make them happy was so amazing. The smiles on their faces were priceless.
“Every girl on Michlelet was included and had a role in putting the wedding together,” she added. “My role was creating and making centerpieces. We picked a flower theme based on the bride’s preference, and we arranged beautiful bouquets in pretty vases. It was so nice to see everyone’s individual roles and jobs come together at the completion of planning and setting up the wedding.”
Actually, it’s not unusual for Michlelet campers to throw a wedding with the help of their counselors. According to camp director Rivka Yudin, this was the 20th wedding hosted by the camp since she assumed her job 21 years ago; the only year missed was during covid.
The camp’s schedule of touring, Torah classes, and other activities always includes at least two volunteering experiences every week.
“When I came to Michlelet, I just thought it would be really nice to make a wedding for couples with limited financial resources and little family support nearby,” Ms. Yudin said. “We’ve made a bridal shower and a wedding for a needy couple every single summer, thank God.”
Her husband, Fair Lawn native Rabbi Andi Yudin, identifies appropriate couples through his contacts with various charitable individuals and organizations. Several benefactor families provide funding for the wedding each summer, and the remainder is raised through donations from camper families and others. Any leftover money goes toward a gift for the couple’s new home.
This was not the first Michlelet-supported wedding Chaim had seen. “He was at a wedding that we made two years ago at Michlelet for a friend of his from Russia,” Ms. Yudin said. “That couple came to Miriam and Chaim’s wedding as guests, and they were so excited and moved to be there again.”
Miriam’s bridal shower gave the campers an opportunity to get to know her better. They presented her with gifts and led an icebreaker game. Then, for the wedding, the girls did everything from assembling the chuppah and singing at the veiling ceremony to waitressing and preparing the small room where the couple spends a few minutes of quiet time together between the ceremony and the reception. One of the camp’s counselors styled the bride’s hair.
During the gender-separated dancing at the reception, the girls joined the dancing circles, mindful of their instructions to add ruach — joyous spirit — yet not to come on too strong, allowing the bride to set the tone. Miriam was joined by her parents, her new mother-in-law, her sister and brother, and guests from the Russian Israeli community. Chaim’s father couldn’t be there, but he watched it on livestream.
“I tell the girls that the wedding is so much of the Michlelet experience,” Ms. Yudin said. “It’s just one day, but this shows them who they really can be. They can just love another Jew and make anyone feel like a million dollars, and they can do this for life in any given situation.”
Ms. Yudin said the annual wedding unfailingly leaves her teary-eyed at this demonstration of “Jews loving other Jews, putting their all into making a wedding for a couple they don’t even know, just because it’s another Jew.”
Miriam wrote to Ms. Yudin afterward expressing her thanks. She said it was “the most beautiful wedding I could ever have dreamed of. There was so much simcha there, and the girls were so, so filled with ruach. It was literally a dream-filled wedding.”
The head of the yeshiva Chaim attends told the campers that three years ago, Chaim didn’t even have a Hebrew name. “And now he’s religious, and he’s here in Israel, and he had the most beautiful wedding — made by you. You girls were incredible.”
Leezy, the daughter of Ari and Deena Katz, said, “There are many times in life when we are looking to plan a party or simcha and we find the prettiest location with the fanciest flowers and decor. We think that the event is only beautiful because of the externals. The wedding we made in Michlelet took place on a campus. Michlelet girls made the centerpieces, set the tables, and served the guests. But it was the most special, beautiful, and inspiring wedding I have ever been part of. The simcha that everyone had was incredible.
“It taught me a lesson that it’s not only about the external pieces; it is about showing up and being there” for the bride and groom. “I think every single girl on Michlelet benefited from it and took away with them a beautiful lesson that will be part of our lives forever.”