Tying the Knot: Kharkov JCC Hosts First Wedding Celebration

The Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Kharkov, Ukraine, supported by the JDC, recently celebrated the first wedding in its new building. Mikhail and Anastasia chose the location for their ceremony because the couple had met through the JCC's Hope club – part of the center's Family branch which provides programming for singles.

Mikhail, an artist and illustrator whose works are exhibited at the JCC and art galleries throughout Kharkov, came to the Community Center with his friends and joined the Hope dating club.

Anastasia came to the center's Family program in 2002, and the following year brought her daughter Nastya, 5, to the Mazal Tov program. Anastasia began visiting the Hope club, where she first encountered Mikhail. The two began dating in the spring of 2003, when they were first seen leaving a JCC Hope event holding hands.

The couple was married in a Jewish ceremony under a traditional wedding canopy (chupah), in the presence of many guests who brought gifts and well-wishes. Everyone then enjoyed a Klezmer concert and a festive meal to commemorate the event.