What began as a painful and public moment of bizayon quickly turned into an extraordinary display of achdus and chesed, as the broader tzibbur rallied in support of two bochurim who were mocked on camera while collecting for hachnosas kallah.

The widely circulated video, showing the two young bnei yeshiva being ridiculed by Inbar Twizer of Channel 12 News, sparked outrage—but also inspired one of the most remarkable grassroots fundraising efforts seen in recent memory, unfolding within less than a day.

Aryeh Ehrlich and media personality Yair Levy, who had been accompanying the bochurim—identified as A. and S.—since the story broke, visited them this evening. They brought fruit platters on behalf of Klal Yisroel, offering chizuk and solidarity in the wake of the incident.

In an emotional post, Ehrlich described the encounter and the mindset of the two young men who unexpectedly found themselves at the center of a national storm. “The conversation yesterday with the two righteous bochurim – A. and S. – who went out to help with hachnosas kallah and were forced to endure an ugly humiliation, quickly turned into a great beam of light of chesed and unity,” he wrote.

He noted that while the bochurim appeared somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden attention, their perspective remained one of emunah. “They believe that this is how Hashem arranged things from Heaven.”

The most striking revelation came when one of the bochurim shared what they had originally expected from their efforts: “We thought we would come back from the round with 200 shekels at most – in the end they told us it came out to more than 200,000 shekels.”

Ehrlich concluded by relaying their gratitude: “A. and S. thanked everyone for the support and love that was showered upon them from every direction.”

While criticism continues to mount in media circles over the conduct of the reporter, the tzibbur responded in a very different way—choosing generosity over anger. The remarkable sum raised will go entirely toward its intended purpose: the mitzvah of hachnosas kallah.