Brooklyn, NY – Their wedding may have been a small but intimate gathering, but the outpouring of love that Sholom and Nechama McJunkin experienced last night from the Jewish community was of gargantuan proportions.
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As previously reported on VIN News, the Chattanooga Tennessee couple and their ten children completed their conversion to Judaism yesterday and were married last night in Flatbush. A crowd funding campaign spearheaded by Alexander Rapaport Executive Director of Masbia has raised in 24 hours close to $10,000 for the family to help them purchase essentials including housewares, dishes and appliances as they begin their new lives as Torah observant Jews.
“My whole intention here was to show them some love,” Rapaport told VIN News. “I don’t know if they need a lot of help or a little bit of help, but we all know that a family with ten children can always use help. This was about doing a mitzvah. Just like you buy yourself an esrog or a mezuza because it is a mitvah, it is a mitzvah to show a ger love and I wanted to give people the opportunity to do that.”
The Jewish community came through for the McJunkins in a big way. Toys 4 U in Borough Park presented the family with a $500 gift certificate and Sweet Choice in Flatbush donated ice cream miniatures that were served at the wedding. Raizy’s Wig Salon in Borough Park donated a sheitel to Mrs. McJunkin, and all through the day yesterday, total strangers showed up with wedding gifts for the family.
The wedding took place at Rabbi Tzvi Mandel’s shul on East 7th Street, with guests spilling out into the backyard and enjoying the picture perfect weather. Approximately 100 people attended the chupah, with guests coming spontaneously to wish the couple well and partake in the simcha all through the night.
“At one point I realized that it was going to get dark soon, so we ran to Masbia and picked up some floodlights for the backyard,” said Rapaport, who added that he became aware of the situation when someone contacted Masbia to arrange food for the wedding.
“In the end, Rabbi Mandel arranged all the food, but I wanted to do something for them so that they would feel welcomed into the Jewish community,” said Rapaport.
Musicians Sruly Neiman and Akiva Wax donated their services for the wedding as well and after an hour of leibidic dancing, Rapaport said it was clear that the simcha just couldn’t end there.
“We started debating, what is the minhag for a Ger?” said Rapaport. “Do we do a mitzvah tantz? Do we not do a mitzvah tantz? We just weren’t ready to stop dancing yet.”
Rapaport filled in for a badchan, doing an English mitzvah tantz, explaining the custom to the Mc Junkins.
“We called up a few people to dance and then we asked R’ Sholom to say a few words. He danced with his eishes chayil, it was all spontaneous. Baruch Hashem we had the floodlights!”
Brooklyn Real estate Philanthropist Peter Rebenwurzel, who made a wedding for a Hungarian giyores two months ago, was one of the guests at yesterday’s simcha, which he described as an unbelievable event.
“I get to the wedding and you see these two people named McJunkin and their ten beautiful children and he looked like a nice heimishe guy except that he had very blue eyes. It is amazing to see how they embraced Judaism. We take it for granted. We do mitzvos because our fathers did. But they are doing it because they yearn for it.”
Rebenwurzel said the McJunkins were extremely grateful for the generosity they experienced from the Jewish community.
“They were so thankful,” said Rebenwurzel. “They weren’t expecting anything.”
For those interested to donate can do so by visiting this web page http://www.gofundme.com/weddingshower
VIN News photographer Eli Wohl who attended the wedding took the below photos.
Wow!
thank you so much sruly for playing so beautiful thanks
it is hard to be a ger, but this outpouring of chesed is certainly very nice. May it be the beginning of a great marriage and help them fit into the community.
Nice! Kol Hkoved
Every chasunah should be like this in someone’s house with 30 people, total COST 800.00 IT would save so many heart attacks and pressure Mazal tov for the couple
Brings tears to my eyes. May this beautiful and moving event stir compassion in the Almighty for Am Yisroel and awake the hearts of the lackadaisical who go through the motions of Yiddishkeit without appreciating what it means to be a Jew.
im glad flatbush was able to overcome their judgements and discrimination for one day
Sruly, you’re the best! Also thank you Mrs. Fisher!!
As a southerner, I have been to quite a few such weddings and I am always amazed at the strength and commitment of the geirim.
My heart is also warmed that Jews from all backgrounds are helping out with this simcha. True ahavas yisroel! A special shout out to YTH!
There should be the same outpouring of warmth to all Jews, not just these unique people.
Mazal Toiv, mazal toiv! May they go from strength to strength & moishiach tzidkeinu come already so we have only simchos, or smachos, or however it’s conjugated.
Mazel Tov!!! May they continue to build their Bayis Neman Byisrael!!!
I just wanted to thank your community for the love you have shown this family. The beautiful bride is my cousin and I have watched her search for faith. I am so happy that she has finally found what she was searching for and that the whole family has been welcomed in such a beautiful way. They are truly special people and to see them so happy is a blessing to everyone who knows them.
Love it. We should learn how to make a wedding. it’s more intinate and meaningful as well.
Thank you for opening our eyes. we always knew its broken now we know the fix.
We were all gerim at Har Sinai on Shavuous and the McJunkin’s, G-d bless them, remind us of the deep emunah by which we went forth into the desert and stood at the mountain and received the Torah with mesiras nefesh and eternal dedication.
Thank you Eli Wohl. Thank you VIN for bringing this most beautiful and heartwarming story to the readers.
I am left speechless. Only one sentence comes to mind. “Mi Ke amcha Yisrael.
Very nice of all the askunim and whoever went to attend the this big simche!
Btw can someone explain me this sentence
“he looked like a nice heimishe guy except that he had very blue eyes”
jews dont have very blue eyes?
Mazal Tov! all the best!
It’s amazing how the Kossover Rebbe Shlit”a finds time at any time day or night to be mechazek Yidden. A walking Mussar Sefer indeed ad to what the hachonoh to Kabalas Hatorah should look like; how electrifying! True Ahavas Yisroel without attending the Israeli parade.
I hope that as accepted as they are today, they will be when their children start looking for shidduchim. I’m not very optimistic; if we’re already worrying about the father’s very blue eyes, what is going to come next?
I am very happy for this family. The problem will be when the “kosher” bills start arriving. School tuition, glatt meat, living near a shul etc…
This will be a major burden on the local community for years to come with ten+ children having to go thru yeshiva with minimum income.
Mazal Tov.
Me and my wife had the Zchus to be in that wedding from the beginning,almost to the end.My wife was also involved in the conversion process of the Mother and daughters as well.
I can tell everybody who was not there,that participating in this especial and unique event,was the biggest inspiration,elevation and preparation possible for KABOLAS HA”TORAH in Shovuos !!!
I happened to get close with this WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE FAMILY,and I can tell everybody,that all of us has A LOT what to learn from them,about devotion,sacrifice and AHAVAS HASHEM !!!
Who was not there,will not understand it !!! You had to be there,to experience first hand,touch it and feel it !!!
A few observations:
#1)It was unnecessary and NOT RESPECTABLE,to bring up who donated what !! Full discretion is recommended !!
#2) EVERYBODY should take MUSAR HASKEL to himself,and change-even A LITTLE BIT and come closer to HASHEM as a result of this HISTORICAL event and EXAMPLE OF AHAVAS HASEM AND MESIRUS NEFESH !!
#3) From now on,EVERYBODY should LOVE,RESPECT AND MEKAREV EVERY GER !!!
#4) It should be a HUGE WAKE-UP CALL,to change once and forever the CRAZINESS of the BIG weddings,and make them only up to 100 people !!
We couldn’t sponsor few hundred $ for a 7brochos hall for such an event?
We could’ve done better.
Mazel tov!
mazel tov. seems like an amazing family…i am in awe..moral values, home schooling, growing family, calmness, sweetness..May you and family be blessed!!! truly inspirational.. may the children be happy and grow in the yeshiva of your choice..amazing that all this is before shavous!
Welcome to the McJunkin family. I do hope they realize that for a ger in the frum community, it is not all sweetness and light. For example, when it comes time to marry off their children, are they aware that most likely NOT ONE of the people in the photos would even consider making such a shidduch? This can be a painful awakening when the time comes.
I know what I am talking about – since I have been there.
Of course Hashem sent me my “basherte” and we have amazing children (who found their basherte as well.) and grandchildren — but at the time, knowing that all of my dearest friends looked upon me as a kind of second-class citizen (all the while telling me how good, wonderful and holy I was), was difficult.”
Dovid haMelech himself had this problem – and Moshiach is a descendant of a giyores. But rank and file members of klal yisroel sometimes forget this.
Yes in a few ways the ger is a second-class citizen (even in halacha)….Still it is better to be the last car of a train heading in the right direction than the engine of a train heading in the wrong direction!
Hi, I’m looking for someone of this awesome family to talk with. Does anybody know how to contact them? Thanks