Love Triumphs Over War
Building a bayit neeman b’yisrael, Tamar and Aaron Greene forged through with a wedding during the first week of the October war. The former Atlanta Greene family has three sons serving in the IDF with one more still set to be drafted.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
When Tamar Fest and Atlanta native Aaron Greene planned their wedding for Oct. 11, they could not have foreseen the events of Oct. 7, along with the possibility of Aaron and two of his other brothers’ immediate calls to Israeli Defense Forces duty.
The wedding details pivoted and received international acclaim for celebrating in the streets of Jerusalem with hundreds of revelers. Tamar recalled, “Our Rabbi, Rav Erez Halevi, encouraged us on Oct. 7 to go ahead with the wedding, reassuring us that despite the terrible war, it’s important not to delay a wedding … and even more so, why now is an especially important time to be building a bayit neeman b’yisrael. He made the journey from the Golan Heights to Jerusalem for our wedding, through rockets.”
Tamar, hailing from Sydney, Australia, made Aliyah three years ago. Aaron, from Atlanta, made Aliyah seven years ago. Both students at Hebrew University, Tamar also works as a barista. Aaron was ready to start college but has been in reserve duty since the beginning of the war.
The couple met at an event for lone soldiers. They started dating in August of 2021, were engaged in April 2023, and married Oct. 9, 2023, two days after the war started.
In terms of the ultimate commitment, parents Kerry and David (Atlanta native) Greene, who lived in Toco Hills and were active members of Congregation Beth Jacob, call themselves “accidental Israelis.” After sending their four sons to various schools from Chaya Mushka, Galloway, Torah Day School, and GHA, they moved to Israel for a one-year trial while their oldest son, Avi, was an IDF tank driver.
Kerry explained, “We didn’t want Avi to be a Lone Soldier. The youngest three boys wanted to join the IDF, so we stayed. We never thought this would be our lives, but we love it here and cannot imagine being anywhere else, especially now watching college campuses explode with antisemitism.”
As for the engagement, Aaron planned a surprise day and Tamar’s Army commander told Tamar to leave early. Tamar recounted, “I was confused, but happy to be getting the afternoon off. When I walked out the gate, I saw Aaron’s mother, dressed as a chauffeur and waiting outside her car.”
After a clothes change, Tamar was sent on a scavenger hunt with prepared clues, describing significant places, like their first date location. The last clue led to a beautiful tower at Hansen House, with views of the Jerusalem skyline.
“There were flowers and champagne – it was gorgeous.”
The original wedding plan was at a beautiful venue for 300 guests. The morning of the Shabbat kallah (Oct. 7), they woke up to alarms and rocket attacks. It is customary in Jewish weddings for the bride and groom not to speak the week before the wedding. After realizing the enormity of the catastrophe, they checked in with each other.
Tamar continued, “It was horrible hearing the news and everyone was in shock. Aaron was called up for reserve duty, along with all of his friends. He was allowed to stay home until after the wedding. On Sunday, the 8th, we decided that we couldn’t postpone the wedding with so much ‘unknown.’ We got married the following day on the Greene’s balcony with 50 guests. Hundreds of strangers lined the streets of Baka neighborhood to celebrate. Many people have come up to us since the wedding to share that our wedding provided light in a time of complete darkness.”
Tamar’s dress was by Mia Pava, an Israeli designer. She had her final fitting on the wedding day. Flowers were by Hanan Gershon. Tamar’s sister, Shevy, and her husband, Gabe, were the caterers.
Married for over four months, the couple has not cohabitated for more than six days at a time. Aaron, in Gaza, comes home every few weeks.
Although he is incredibly proud to be doing his part and serving Israel, he hopes soon to be released. She said, “He has been so selfless, delaying his studies for another year so he can protect Israel.”
Tamar concluded, “Israel is the place where the Jewish people belong, this war has shown us that.”
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