Moments after the wedding: Elia Cohen and his wife arrived for Selichot at the Western Wall

Tens of thousands participated last night (Saturday night) in the central Selichot prayers at the Western Wall plaza, with the participation of captives survivors Noa Argamani, Itay Regev, Omer Shem-Tov, Bar Kupershtein, and the newlyweds Elia and Ziv Cohen. During the evening, the Rabbi of the Western Wall, together with the returnees and the crowd, recited a special prayer of thanksgiving for their return, alongside prayers for the well-being of IDF soldiers and security forces, for the unity of the people, and for the peace and security of Israel.

Media personality Sivan Rahav-Meir, who also arrived at the Western Wall, encountered Cohen and Argamani in the women's section: "It took me a few seconds to realize who I was standing next to. I was tonight on the balcony of the Western Wall, watching the crowds who came for Selichot, and next to me — Noa Argamani, who was rescued from captivity in Gaza in 'Operation Arnon', and Ziv Avod, who survived the shelter at the Nova festival, and married last week to Elia Cohen, who also returned from captivity."

According to her, the two were immersed in reciting the Selichot, "I didn't feel comfortable disturbing them." She added: "I looked at the men's section, and there the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, led the prayer, with Elia Cohen, Omer Shem-Tov, Itay Regev, and Bar Kupershtein around him. They were all in Hamas tunnels, and they are all here now, holding prayer books and reciting Selichot with emotion. 'Anenu', 'Adon HaSelichot' — every word took on additional meaning."

One moment moved her especially: "The cantor cried out: 'Our God who is in heaven, save us from the hands of all our enemies!', and I looked at them, I thought to myself that this is the message from this moving occasion. That sometimes you simply see prayers coming true with your own eyes. I remembered all the great prayers that were held for them, here and all over the world, with their names being read out in tears."

As recalled, Elia Cohen and his wife stood under the wedding canopy last week. The two were married in front of over a thousand guests at an event that moved an entire nation. At the wedding ceremony, they were sanctified by the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau. One of the central moments was the reading of the Ketubah written by Moshe Shapira, the father of the late Aner Shapira. On the Sabbath of October 7, Cohen and Avod were in a shelter in Re'im, together with Shapira, who fought the terrorists and pushed away grenades thrown into the place. His actions saved the lives of many, including Avod.

At the wedding ceremony, Cohen fulfilled his promise to the Creator of the world from his days in captivity:

"I was always dreaming about the wedding canopy and saying: 'Father in heaven, if I ever merit this status under the wedding canopy, I promise You that I will stop, I will not pay attention to anyone in the audience — I will say thank you very much and invite everyone to say Shema Yisrael'."

In a chilling speech he added: "My dear Father, only You know what I went through, only You were with me when it was hard for me. You hungered with me, You hurt with me. You slept with me on the nights when I was cold. Father in heaven, I want to say thank you very much for letting me merit standing under this wedding canopy and for making the biggest surprise I could ask for — and leaving alive the woman I love. Father, I love You."