Hostage Wedding: Hero's Father Writes Marriage Contract

Nearly three years after the October 7 massacre, former hostage Eliyah Cohen is preparing for a new chapter in his life. On Sunday, August 19, Cohen will marry his fiancée Ziv Aboud in a ceremony in the Sharon region of central Israel, with approximately one thousand guests expected to attend—many of whom supported the couple through their long journey of recovery.

The wedding ceremony will be officiated by former Chief Rabbi David Lau. But the most poignant element of the celebration will be the ketubah—the Jewish marriage contract—which will be handwritten by Moshe Shapira, father of Aner Shapira, who gave his life to save both Cohen and Aboud on that fateful day.

On October 7, 2023, Cohen and Aboud found themselves trapped inside a small bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re'im along with dozens of other young people fleeing the Nova music festival massacre. The shelter quickly became a death trap as Hamas terrorists repeatedly threw grenades inside.

In those horrific moments, Aner Shapira stood at the shelter's entrance and caught the incoming grenades with his bare hands, throwing them back out again and again until he was fatally wounded. His extraordinary act of heroism saved many of those inside, including Ziv Aboud, who was injured but survived. Aner was killed in the attack.

While Aboud survived the shelter attack and was evacuated from the area, Cohen's ordeal was far from over. He was abducted from the same shelter by Hamas terrorists and taken deep into the Gaza Strip, where he was held under brutal conditions for 505 days before finally being returned to Israel as part of a hostage release deal.

Cohen sustained a severe foot injury from gunfire during the initial attack at the shelter. He recently underwent complex surgery on the foot. "My beloved people of Israel, thank you so much for all the prayers and love, the surgery was successful," he shared afterward. "Now I have a long rehabilitation ahead of me. But we've gotten through the hardest part."

Throughout Cohen's entire captivity, Aboud campaigned tirelessly for his return, maintaining hope and faith that they would one day build their life together according to Jewish tradition—a hope that is now being fulfilled.

As they prepared for their wedding day, the couple sought to create a profound connection between the memory of that traumatic day and the future they are building together. They approached Moshe Shapira and asked him to inscribe the ketubah that will accompany them throughout their married life.

This unique gesture transforms the ketubah into an extraordinary expression of gratitude and living memorial to the self-sacrifice that gave them the gift of life. In messages shared ahead of the wedding, Cohen and Aboud described their complex emotions and explained that for them, this represents a circle coming closed in ways that simple words cannot capture.

They explained that Aner was an inseparable part of the moment that changed their lives forever, and having his father write the ketubah and take an active role in the moment when they choose life and love moves them to the depths of their souls.