Begin Family Commemorates 87th Anniversary of Menachem and Aliza Begin's Wedding in Ukraine

Menachem Begin, Israel's sixth prime minister, and his wife Aliza were married 87 years ago in the resort town of Truskavets, now in Ukraine, in a ceremony attended by Revisionist Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky. This month, a commemorative plaque was unveiled at the exact location of their wedding, marking a poignant moment for the Begin family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The wedding took place in a synagogue in Truskavets, followed by a celebration at Villa Eden, a boutique hotel then owned by a Jewish family. The ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Yaakov Avigdor, with his son Rabbi Yitzhak Avigdor recalling the event in his memoirs. A rare 1939 photograph showing Menachem and Aliza Begin outside the villa the day after their wedding helped historian Shimon Briman identify the site.

Today, the building operates as the Rafael boutique hotel under Israeli ownership, whose proprietor was unaware of the site's historical significance until informed by the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. The hotel owners cooperated with the initiative to install a memorial plaque at the entrance, which received local government approval.

The Begin family has three children: Binyamin Ze'ev (Benny), Hassia, and Leah. Ariel Cohen, head of the Begin Heritage Center, highlighted the rarity of the young couple's survival through the Holocaust and noted the large photograph of them displayed at the museum. The ceremony celebrated the enduring legacy of Menachem and Aliza Begin at the site of their nuptials, connecting past and present generations.