Dovy* and his wife Suri did everything together. So when Suri passed away at a young age from cancer, Dovy had to learn to face life’s challenges alone. Marrying off their daughter Penina was particularly difficult to do without her.

Now a single parent of 6, Dovy fought daily to support his family on one income. Making a wedding, when the time came to do so,  was nearly impossible. On the day of the chasuna, however, the unexpected happened: One of the children’s schools had cashed multiple months of tuition checks at once, leaving his bank account empty. It was a harsh blow. He paced the wedding hall aisle in his suit, wondering how he would pay for the modest venue. He forced a smile in his daughter’s direction, unwilling to show her his pain on her special day. She was already feeling her mother’s loss. 

With a sudden burst of courage, Dovy approached the manager of the hall. 

“It’s about the payment for this evening…” he stammered.

“Yes, we just received it,” said the friendly man in the grey suit. 
Dovy was sure the man must be mistaken. 

“I’m sorry, what?” “Yes, we received the check an hour ago. Your delivery man gave it to me.”
 
Dovy asked to see the check, and wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or cry. The check was from Kupat Ha’Ir, a check that the Weiss family had been waiting for. They had signed up for the orphan wedding program and qualified to receive tzedaka money. The check, miraculously, was for exactly the amount needed to cover the hall. The delivery man had come at exactly the right moment, to save them from utter humiliation. One detail, however, was still unclear: How did the shaliach know who the give the check to?

“The check here says it’s for Dovy Weiss. Why did they give it to you?”

The manager blushed, and pointed to the ‘D.W.’ on his name tag.“Dovy Weiss is my name too. Is there a problem?”

Dovy’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude. “No,” he said. “Everything is just fine.”

You can be a part of an orphan chassan or kallah’s story by donating to this month’s Kupat Ha’Ir orphan wedding campaign. Whether you are able to donate a small amount or a sizeable one, your contribution can mean shoes for a bride, a check for a wedding hall, or a plate of food for a sheva brachos. 28 special young people are getting this month, and relying on help from Kupat Ha’Ir to make it work. 

Donors also receive a bracha from Rav Binyamin Finkel for shefa (abundance).

 CLICK HERE TO BE A PART OF THE STORY

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN 

* Being an orphaned bride or groom is a painful and often humiliating experience. Consequently, the month’s participants are understandably unwilling to share their personal stories. This is a fabricated scene, intended to illustrate the sorts of challenges that grieving families experience when making a wedding, together with the relief experienced when they receive financial assistance.