The annual tradition, now in its fourth year, is organized by students of the Suzana and Ivan Kauffman Aish Institute for Women’s Education, spanning both the efg@Aish program and the Aspire program. Each year, the students select a deserving couple and take full ownership of the wedding, handling every logistical and creative element themselves. The initiative is not an extracurricular add-on. It is woven into the fabric of Aish’s educational philosophy, which holds that genuine Torah learning must find expression in real acts of chesed and communal responsibility.

This year’s couple brought together two families who bridge continents and cultures. The groom’s family traveled from Germany, and the bride came originally from the United States. Both had grown significantly in their Jewish commitment and were building a home together in Israel. 

Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish, described the evening as one of the most meaningful of the year.

“Lag B’Omer at Aish has become one of the most uplifting nights of the year,” Rabbi Burg said. “The caliber of young women coming through our doors is inspiring beyond words. Since leadership and chesed are central values at Aish, the seminary created a beautiful tradition several years ago: every year, the students organize and create a dream wedding for a deserving couple. The girls do everything themselves. Flowers. Food. Makeup. Decorations. Logistics. Music. Everything from beginning to end.”

Rabbi Burg remained at Aish late into the night after the celebration ended. The encounter that followed stayed with him.

“Late that night, I was sitting in my office thinking everyone had already gone home when I heard a knock on the door,” he recalled. “It was the parents of the chassan. They were emotional beyond words. They told me they never could have imagined something like this. Coming from Germany, moving to Israel, adapting to an entirely different culture, and then watching their son get married overlooking the holiest place in the world. The father hugged me tightly and thanked me over and over again. Afterward, I walked them down toward the Kotel so they could say a prayer there together. It is moments like these that remind you what Jewish life is really about. Being there for one another. Creating belonging. Creating dignity. Creating love.”

The chesed programming at the Kauffman Institute is run by Mrs. Hannah Paul, whose approach to student leadership has become a model within the organization. Tovi Lobel, a counselor and organizer who led the flower arranging preparations this year, described what makes the program distinctive.

“I was raised by parents who taught me that money is not always the only, or most valuable, way to give,” said Lobel. “They taught me that everything we are given: time, skills, and abilities, can and should be used to serve the klal when possible. One of the things I love about Aish is its alignment with that sentiment. Teaching the girls personal responsibility for our beautiful nation is part of the curriculum, in regular Torah classes as well as the intentional chesed programming.”

Lobel described watching students transform in real time as they took ownership of the flower arrangements for the bridal chair and the chuppah.

“The first hour, I helped them place each stem. By the next hour, they were working as a team creating something magnificent,” she said. “The girls decorated the chuppah almost entirely on their own. By the time we finished cleaning up and stepped back to admire our handiwork, the girls couldn’t believe what they’d accomplished. They admitted that at the beginning of the day they couldn’t imagine they’d actually be able to create something wedding-worthy, and by the end they were wishing it was their own kallah chairs we’d set the stage for.”

The skills acquired during the chesed wedding have had a life beyond the event itself. Lobel noted that students from previous years still send her photos of bouquets they have created for their families’ Shabbat and Yom Tov tables, and several have gone on to offer their flower arranging skills for family simchas or small businesses.

For the students themselves, the experience of the wedding day carries a weight that classroom learning alone cannot replicate. Goldie David, a student in the efg@Aish program who hails from Las Vegas, described the moment everything came together under the chuppah.

“The entire day was so much fun. It was amazing watching each of my friends use their talents and abilities to create a beautiful wedding,” said David. “Although all the excitement we had while preparing for the wedding was incredible, nothing compared to the joy of watching the chuppah. It really showed that when we all come together, great things can happen, and even more so when we come together as a nation, we can accomplish many things.”

A fellow participant from the New York area, who asked to remain anonymous, reflected on how the experience shifted her understanding of what it meant to show up for another person.

“Making a wedding on Lag BaOmer was such a beautiful experience,” she said. “I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to help create this wedding for the chassan and kallah while also learning so much throughout the process. From making fruit platters and setting up arches and the chuppah, to waitressing and helping with all the little details, it was amazing to watch everything come together with so much simcha. I went into it thinking I was simply helping make a wedding, but I came out with so much more than I ever expected. The experience, the memories, the people, and everything I learned made it truly unforgettable. It’s amazing how Aish incorporates opportunities like this into the seminary year. Being able to take what we learn and turn it into real acts of chesed and simcha made the experience even more meaningful. It felt like the perfect way to end the year, especially on Lag BaOmer.”

The bride’s own words offered the clearest summary of what the students had built. “I’m not even sure what my exact vision was for my wedding,” she told the students afterward, “but this was it. It’s so beautiful and exactly what I wanted.”