When Love Overcomes Space-Time: Former Hostage Ilana Gritzewsky Holds Symbolic Wedding
Former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky held a symbolic wedding ceremony at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, highlighting the plight of her fiancé and other captives still held in Gaza.
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A poignant ceremony unfolded today at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as families and supporters staged a mock wedding for Ilana Gritzewsky and her boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, who remains in Hamas captivity in Gaza. The event was part of a larger day-long protest and nationwide strike demanding the Israeli government focus on negotiations to secure the release of hostages rather than expanding military operations in Gaza.
Both Gritzewsky and Zangauker were abducted from their home in Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Gritzewsky was released the following November, while Zangauker continues to be held.
Dressed in a white wedding gown and veil, Gritzewsky walked beneath a chuppah toward the main stage, flanked by John Polin, father of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The ceremonial canopy was held by the parents of other hostages: Yehuda Cohen, father of Nimrod Cohen; Michel Illouz, father of Guy Illouz, who was killed in captivity; and Yitzhak Horn, father of Eitan Horn.
Einav Zangauker, Matan’s mother, joined the ceremony in a black headscarf, holding a poster of her son beside Gritzewsky under the chuppah.
“I love you,” Gritzewsky said, addressing her partner. “I’m fighting for you until you and all of the hostages are back. We’ll bring you back alive. We’ll heal together.”
The symbolic wedding reflects the ongoing personal and communal struggle as Israeli citizens continue to push for the safe return of all hostages and to raise awareness of the human cost of the conflict.