Photos: Shimi Kutner/COLlive
Thousands of passersby in New York’s famed Times Square got to witness an unusual sight Sunday: a Chasidic wedding ceremony.
The wedding of JJ Hecht of Crown Heights and Hadassah Halperin of Toronto is taking place Sunday evening at the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan.
The Chuppah was held in New York’s famed landmark Times Square, known as the “Crossroads of the world.”
The chosson is the youngest son of community activist Rabbi Shea Hecht, who officiated the traditional wedding ceremony before over 100 guests and many curious passersby.
“We are making a statement on marriage and Jewish marriage in particular,” Rabbi Shea Hecht told COLlive. “Many people don’t believe in marriage, and we hope this will make a statement. Spiritually speaking, we need to conquer the world, and what better way to do it with a Jewish wedding,” he said.
Was there! Awesome & moving chuppah! Huge kiddush Hashem …. shlomo simcha moved me to tears with his heartfelt yerushalayim shel zahav. Long time since I’ve been to a fully orthodox Chassidic chuppah
Speechless! What a kiddush Hashem and simcha for the world to witness! The Hecht & Sufrin grandparents are the real deal! Rabbi Shea and your eishes chayil have shown you chosson more than you can ever grasp.May the chosson & kallah continue in their legacies and the legacy of the Halperin family too!!!
Mazel Tov!!!
Sorry we were not there but glad to see it online.
wonderful simcha!!
Just saw this, mazeltov, your long ago border, Andrea
Mazeltov from me and my family
Mazel tov! Amazing!!
MAZEL TO
MUCH NACHA’S
CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT’S NEXT
Mazeltov and much chasidishe nachas from from Chaim and Sora in Scotland
What a courageous family & bride to get married in Time Square! To elevate a place with the sanctity of marriage in a respectful way. So impressed!inspirational! Makes one want to be proud to follow our traditions!!
Thank you and MAzal Tov to the beautiful couple!!
Go take the world in your hands and make a difference
Kiddush Hashem! What a way to start married life to share their heritage not only with friends and fam but to publicize as well!
Enjoyed every moment of watching. Was v moved
This Hecht/Halpern Chuppa Times Square Wedding is, from a global perspective, symbolic of all weddings of all families since the beginning of recorded time. Specifically, men and women meet and fall in love, their unions “bear fruit “, those children mature , fall in love, marry, and ” bear fruit “. And forever, the ” mitzvah ” of this cycle will prevail.
Dr Marc
MAzal tov Chosson and kallah!
Hecht’s rock!!!
Milecki rocks!
Shlomo simcha rocks!
Wedding rocked!!!
Jj, I always knew you were Sumaschechi, but you just outdid yourself there!! #yekaforever #ulyanovsk #rubberduckyland
Mazel tov a Chappah in time Square that is a great idea that show the people will know what is a Jewish Wedding and we as Chabad we dont play games the Rebbe told us go out and show the People that i am a Jew and i am proud great job Simchas and Nachas
Rebbetzin Hecht you deserve this nachas!!
MAzal tov to the Hecht’s, Sufrin’s & machatonim
A simcha to remember
Let’s all stay proud
Huge Mazal Tov from us all dear Rabbi Shea and Baila, wonderful zechus for you / our families. I was honoured and highly delighted to have been here with you celebrating Yankel and Hadassah’s wedding in Times Square. …and to have had the merit of reading the Kesubah too, thank you, thank you! may we all be blessed with many more simchos gezunterheit…love you all. A & D
Truly a moment to remember! We had a great pleasure to play music for this beautiful celebration – Chony Milecki and Zisl Slepovitch’s Litvakus band.
This is such nachas for Rebbetzn Hecht. She looks as beautiful now as she did decades ago when I knew her at Camp Emunah/ It was before R’Shea’s upsharenish. Now his son is the chosson. Mazel tov to the chosson and kallah and their respective families. May they buiild a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel.
mazel tov jj from all your cousins in sydney
Wow what an amazing wedding! Wish I could have been there.
Huge Mazel tov Rabbi and Mrs Hecht.
Success over the top
Love an Ivy League daughter
With music like that and Shlomo simcha the wedding was truly simchadik!
You rock!!!!!!!
To the Sufrin’s & Hechts!
Privileged to know you and respect you!
Only heartiest mt wishes. May the young couple be blessed
a great big heartfelt mazal tov from a sister by another mother 🙂
sorry I was not there but glad to see it online.
wonderful simcha!!
I am thrilled for all of you!!
a biyon adei ad
tons of continued nachus!
Wowee! Rabbi Jj must have been cheering on from on high
Was there. A huge kiddush Hashem
A woman came over to me crying …. she’s Jewish and her children never merited a Jewish ceremony!!! This was so meaningful to her
Smaller hat (with red feather!) and colorful socks!
WOW Daniel and Raquel, and the entire Halperin and Hecht familes.
We so much wanted to be with you tonight.
Enjoy your beautiful chasana…
And to the Choson and Kallah – may you have a beautiful beginning filled with good mazel and joy and only simchas.
Yossi & Surie
Toronto
spotted in the crowd. Hows manhattan doing thesed ays
The way it was once upone atime back in the shtetil
What a beautiful kiddush Hashem!!
Sorry I missed it! It looks like it was a lovely Ceremony. But I did get to speak with a very kind man about his Chinese-Jewish family and I’ll never forget that experience.
美丽
Mazal tov! Did they need a permit?
JJ!!! I was his camper in Pittsburgh 6 years ago. Gratest, most dedicated counselor ever. He made a one hour program on Tisha B’av when there was no camp. So happy for you.
Mazel Tov! The Metzgers married in Times Squares at the famed Roseland Ballroom in 1996. The Chuppah was out on the street. They never left. They run Chabad of Midtown three blocks away. May the streets of NYC rejoice with Chosson kallah!
BS”D Nice, powerful message, especially the dancing afterwards, Binyan Adai Ad
What a fun idea 🙂