Boris Baruch Shtonda, a 27-year-old Reserve First Sergeant from the elite Duvdevan Unit, stood tall under a chuppah with his bride, Anna, in a wedding that had everyone choking back tears. Badly wounded in a brutal fight in Beit Hanoun during the Swords of Iron war, Boris lost his leg and went through 19 grueling surgeries. Yet, in a moment that screamed defiance, he smashed the ceremonial glass with his prosthetic leg, shouting to the world: “The Nation of Israel Lives!”
The scene was electric. Boris’s parents were there, beaming with pride. His friend Elisha Medan, who lost both legs in that same bloody battle, stood as a witness, his presence a quiet testament to their shared fight. The widow of First Sergeant Major Yossi Hershkovitz, killed alongside six others in Beit Hanoun, was there too. Rabbi Menachem Kutner, a Chabad Youth leader who’s been supporting terror and war victims for decades, presided over the weeding. “I’ve done hundreds of weddings,” he said, “but this one hit me hard. It’s pure courage, building a life against all odds.”
