“I want to thank you for coming today to share this joy with us, this evening, this emotional moment,” groom Sasha Troufanov told the guests gathered beneath the chuppah, many of whom were themselves former hostages, Arbel Yehoud, Ariel Cunio, Shani Goren, Moran Stella Yanai, Rom Braslavski, Eitan Horn and Danielle Aloni. “You’ve been with us every step of the way. Thank you so much. I love you.”

The ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia, as the couple stood beneath the chuppah surrounded by family, friends, and fellow survivors whose presence underscored the extraordinary journey that had brought them there.

Among those celebrating the joyous occasion was President Isaac Herzog, who attended the wedding alongside First Lady Michal Herzog.

Standing beneath the huppah, the presidential couple offered the newlyweds a heartfelt blessing.

“We prayed for your return, we were moved to tears when you came back home, and this evening we were privileged to rejoice together with you and to bless you under the chuppah on your joyous day,” they said.

The presence of Israel’s president reflected how deeply the couple’s ordeal and ultimate return home had touched the nation.

It was a moment few thought they would ever live to see.

For Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen, both 30, their journey to the chuppah came only after surviving one of the darkest chapters in modern Jewish history. After enduring Hamas captivity following the October 7 massacre, the couple is now husband and wife, transforming unimaginable tragedy into a powerful story of resilience, faith, and hope.

A Trip Sasha Never Wanted to Take

The couple traveled to Kibbutz Nir Oz on the eve of Simchat Torah to celebrate the holiday with Troufanov’s family. It was a trip Sasha almost did not make.

The day before, he told Sapir that he simply did not want to go. He could not explain why, but something felt wrong. Sapir encouraged him to reconsider, reminding him how disappointed his mother had been the previous time they skipped the holiday. She also reminded him that he had always said once he told his parents he was coming, he would never back out.

Reluctantly, he agreed.

The next morning, at approximately 6:30 a.m., rocket sirens shattered the holiday.

The Nightmare Begins

In an exclusive interview with Jewish Breaking News conducted in Teaneck, New Jersey, Cohen recalled waking to the sound of incoming rockets before Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz hours later.

Desperate to hide, she wrapped herself in a blanket and crawled beneath a bed. It was not enough.

“I stood up knowing there was no escape,” she recalled.

The terrorists dragged her outside and forced her onto a motorcycle between two armed gunmen. As they sped toward Gaza, she noticed crowds of Palestinians lining the roads filming her abduction.

Rather than look away, she kept her head held high, hoping her family would eventually see the footage and know she had been taken alive.

Once inside Gaza, a violent mob surrounded her, beating her with sticks and pelting her with stones.

A Family Torn Apart

Troufanov was also taken hostage that day, along with his mother and grandmother. His father, Vitaly Troufanov, remained behind at Kibbutz Nir Oz and was murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre.

His mother and grandmother were released during the November 2023 ceasefire. Sasha remained in Hamas captivity for 498 days, much of that time inside Hamas’s underground tunnel network, before being freed in February 2025. Cohen was released after 55 days.

Separated but enduring similar horrors, both suffered starvation, isolation, and physical and emotional abuse. Troufanov was shot in both legs during captivity and later said he survived only because fellow hostages helped care for him.

“I’m not mad at life anymore,” he reflected after his release. “I understand that you need to do something meaningful with your time.”

The Psalm That Changed Everything

For Cohen, faith became her lifeline.

About a month before October 7, she experienced an unexplained sense that something was wrong. Believing it might be related to her health, she came across an Instagram post encouraging people to recite Psalm 27 daily for 30 days as a prayer for protection.

She began reciting it every day.

Only during the final week did she realize the Psalm was not about physical illness at all. It was about finding strength and protection in the face of enemies and war.

“When my enemies and my foes come upon me to devour my flesh, they stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear… For He will hide me in His shelter on the day of evil.”

Cohen has also pointed to the verse in Psalm 27 containing the Hebrew word “chamas” (חמס), meaning “violence.” She believes its appearance in the Psalm carried profound significance in light of what would soon unfold.

A Prayer Card and a Promise

During the JBN interview in Teaneck, Cohen handed the reporter prayer cards she had printed bearing Sasha’s photograph alongside Psalm 27. She asked that the reporter pray for Sasha’s safe return and help distribute the cards so Jews around the world would also pray for him.

The JBN reporter gladly accepted the cards and gave Cohen a heartfelt blessing, telling her he believed Sasha would soon be freed and that one day the two of them would stand together beneath the chuppah as husband and wife. Sasha was freed 500 days after his captivity with some intervention from Vladimir Putin.

On Sunday evening, that blessing became reality.

From Captivity to the Chuppah

Their shared ordeal forged an unbreakable bond.

“Now I know why I had waited for him,” Cohen said. “Out of all this pain, we found something beautiful.”

Troufanov, who has said he considered himself an atheist before October 7, now speaks openly about how captivity transformed his outlook on life and faith. Today, he says he wants to dedicate his life to meaningful purpose, beginning with building a future alongside Sapir.

From the tunnels of Gaza to standing beneath the chuppah, Sasha and Sapir’s story is a remarkable testament to the endurance of the human spirit, the power of faith, and the Jewish people’s unwavering commitment to life.

Mazel Tov to Sasha and Sapir! May they be blessed with many long, healthy, and joyful years together. May they merit to build a Bayit Ne’eman B’Yisrael, filled with Torah, faith, love, peace, and generations of happiness. May they know only simchas from this day forward.