PHOTOS: Familial Happiness. Renana Meir Celebrates Her Wedding With Members Of Bereaved Families

(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

The “OneFamily” hall in Jerusalem hosted a Sheva Brachot for Renana Meir, daughter of Dafna Meir HY”D, and Or Cohen, who got married on Sunday, 23 Sivan. Family members were present, headed by Dafna’s widower Nathan, Renana’s father, who got remarried three weeks ago with Zohar Morgenstern.

Among the guests were representatives of bereaved families from all across Israel, including David Hatuel, whose four daughters and first wife Tali were murdered in a shooting terror attach in Kisufim in 2004, and Meir Pavlovsky from Kiryat Arba, who was badly wounded in a stabbing attack in Hebron a year and a half ago, and after recovering from his injury – against all odds – married his sweetheart, Katya. “Today I found here a new home, warm and supportive,” he said.

Several weeks ago, Renana visited her mother’s kever and laid an invitation to the wedding next to the grave. She posted a photo of the tombstone with the invitation next to it and wrote: “Take me far, teach me to shout like there is no tomorrow, promise me that nothing ever ends, that G-d stays. I was never afraid of the sea, but now every wave is intolerable. We have put an invitation on your grave and I beg that you arrive. I leave one hand for you on the way to the chupah, please come to hold it.”

The “Onefamily” Organization that organized the Sheva Brachos is an organization for supporting and helping rebuild the lives of terror victims in Israel with a combination of emotional, psychological and financial support. Today, the organization support more than 3,550 families of wounded victims, bereaved families and trauma victims. After the terror attack in which Dafna Meir was murdered a year and a half ago, Renana joined the activity of One Family and is today a volunteer in the organization.

Chantal Belzberg, CEO of OneFamily, said: “We are so proud to host the Sheva Brachos for Renana and Or. It has been a tremendous experience getting to know Renana over the past year of her national service at OneFamily, and it’s astounding to watch her grow into a married woman before our eyes. We have all learned so much from her, just watching how she lives her life. She make everyone feel comfortable, even when they feel they should be the ones comforting her.

She speaks about choosing life despite the challenges, and she truly lives the way she speaks. We have grown very close as all of us at OneFamily have been able to envelop her with love on a daily basis..”