STOCKTON, Calif. — Missiles filled the sky over Israel Tuesday as Iran launched a retaliation attack for targeting several Hezbollah leaders over the last few weeks.
For Groom Alon and Bride Sapir, it’s the start of "forever."
Rabbi Jason Gwasdoff has been the leader of the Temple Israel in Stockton for 32 years and is a close family friend to the new couple.
“A lot of their friends couldn’t even come, because they got called up in the reserves,” Gwasdoff said.
Their grand ceremony of 450 people was cut to 150.
“They got to the wedding site and the sirens went off. They went down, all the guests, into the basement of the building, which is also the garage and the bomb shelter. They reversed order. They started with the food and the dancing while this bombing was taking place. The all clear was given, and they went up to the roof of the building and had the chuppah and the wedding ceremony. It’s just incredible to hear that, and it speaks to the incredible resiliency of the people of Israel,” Gwasdoff said.
The family lives in the northern part of country near the border and security line but chose not to leave. They moved the wedding closer to Tel Aviv for safety.
“We’re worried. It’s a significant attack, but we also have a lot of confidence in the Israeli defense forces,” Gwasdoff said.
For San Joaquin County resident Lauri, she was anxiously awaiting word from her sister who lives in Jerusalem.
“My nephew was wounded in Gaza in early November; he’s now OK but my niece's husband has been called up. So, that’s an extra worry,” Lauri said.
The date of the attack was not lost on her, just six days before the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack from last year.
“People have been evacuated from south, the north, people are living in hotels and anywhere else people will take them. This has been going on for a year,” Lauri said.
The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region issued the following statement on behalf of CEO Mariela Socolovsky:
"The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento region unequivocally condemns Iran’s massive bombardment attacking Israel. Over 180 ballistic missiles were launched by Iran over Israel.
Iran has been the central force behind Israel's hostile adversaries—from Hamas and Hezbollah to the Houthis—arming them and offering the expertise to launch attacks on innocent Israeli civilians.
Our region's Jewish community stands united in solidarity with the people of Israel and the brave men and women of the IDF as they defend themselves from these attacks. We pray for their safety.
We are deeply grateful for the support promised by the United States to actively defend Israel against the Iranian threat and for the iron dome which adds a thick layer of protection over Israel."
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