A moving and festive Jewish wedding ceremony — Chuppah ve-Kiddushin — was held at the largest Jewish center in Dnipro, the Menorah Center, for Shneor Zalman Lazarev and Miriam Podgurska.
The wedding celebrations began with the traditional Kabbalat Panim — a special reception where the bride and groom, like a queen and king, welcomed their guests. Miriam received family and friends in the Menorah Center’s gallery, while Shneor Zalman greeted his guests in the foyer of the Golden Rose Synagogue, where he delivered a maamar (“Lecha Dodi”), sharing deep insights into the spiritual meaning of a Jewish wedding.
The groom was then accompanied by a group of men to the bride, where he performed the badeken (veiling ceremony). The honored shushvinin (escort families) were the Nachshon and Lazarev families.
The Chuppah ve-Kiddushin ceremony took place under the open sky, surrounded by family, friends, rabbis, and esteemed community members. The wedding hymn “Mi Adir” was beautifully performed by Menachem Mendel Margolin. A letter of blessing from the Lubavitcher Rebbe was read by Rabbi Meir Tzvi Stambler, with a Russian translation delivered by Reb Akiva Romanovsky. The couple then received a blessing from Shneur Zalman Erentroi HaCohen, a descendant of the Kohanim.
The formal wedding ceremony was officiated by the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region, Shmuel Kaminezki, with Rabbis Shlomo Segal and Yisroel Aryeh-Leib Gurevich acting as witnesses to the ring. The Ketubah (marriage contract) was read by Rabbi Eliyahu Heifer, followed by the recitation of the Sheva Brachot – the seven wedding blessings.
The Jewish community of Dnipro and our team extend heartfelt congratulations and blessings to Shneor Zalman and Miriam, wishing them to build a strong Jewish home filled with the light of Torah, good deeds, and future generations who will walk in their path.
Mazl Tov!
