𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 

Four couples got married at Kinneret Courtyard on February 28th, 1946, among them Zuli and Rachel Ben Haim. He was 23, she just 20, both of them survivors of the Holocaust and the only remaining members of their once large families.

 They met onboard a clandestine immigrant boat fleeing the horrors of Europe on their journey to fulfil their Zionist dream. They arrived at Kinneret Courtyard to join a group of youngsters and help form Kibbutz Ma'agan.  

This picture shows the couple photographed outside their tent on their wedding day.

 In a book of his memoirs, Zuli recalls the day: "Rachel's mother had always promised her that she'd be the most beautiful bride in the world with the prettiest dress, but in reality, the wedding was quite sad and pathetic.

 From the kibbutz storeroom, Rachel was given a faded blue skirt, several sizes too big, and a worn white shirt. She started to sob, crying that she couldn't get married without her mother and father, and without her brothers and sisters by her side. Nothing helped. She came crying to the chuppah. 

After five minutes, the ceremony was over. We entered our new "room", our tent, and we lay crying in each other's arms until we fell asleep. And this is how we entered married life - without our parents, without our siblings, and of course, without the beautiful white dress which Rachel's mother promised her." 

But on that same day, at Kinneret Courtyard, a new journey began for Zuli and Rachel. They created a new family; an Israeli family, and one which numbers scores of children, grandchildren, and great-children today. 

Find out more about Kinneret Courtyard, one of the most interesting Israel heritages operated by SPIHS, with a history going back to the first pioneers.

Jewish National Fund - USA Humans of JNF