A Wedding on the Mount of Olives? The Mystery Unraveled

Jerusalem isn’t Jerusalem without a bit of mystery. A mysterious photograph delivered to Rabbi Yisrael Gliss tells a story of an unusual wedding at a particularly surprising location: the Mount of Olives. How a wedding came to be held at this ancient burial ground used by Jerusalemites for centuries, no one knows.

A closer look at the photo reveals several details that might help solve this enigma: at first glance, the main procession resembles a funeral, which isn’t out of place for the location – a funeral on the Mount of Olives fits as well as a wedding fits a banquet hall during Av’s midseason. Yet, it isn’t so. Firstly, the key component of any funeral, a coffin, is missing. Moreover, the people of Jerusalem in the photo are dressed in festive garments. If you scrutinize and enlarge it, you might even spot a bride and groom at the image’s edges.

Rabbi Gliss posits it could have been a wedding intended to stop an epidemic ravaging Jerusalem, with a ceremony by the graves of the righteous supposedly conducted to plea and pray for the old settlement’s safety. "However, this theory," admits Rabbi Gliss, "lacks evidence and doesn't hold up under scrutiny." Another theory suggests a groom, an orphan, was taken to wed near the grave of his mother, buried on this mount, but again, this lacks concrete backing and is based purely on rumor and seeming logic.

Eagle-eyed individuals might notice a group of Yemenite immigrants who had already reached Jerusalem by that time. In the photo’s upper portion, more groups clad in black are visible – attire appropriate for an epidemic and suitable for a funeral – and funerals were indeed frequent on the Mount of Olives.

Whatever the case, this mystery is now presented to the public. If anyone has a theory, or more importantly – a clear knowledge regarding this curious wedding on the Mount of Olives, please write to the editorial team.

Solving this mystery, if possible, would bring peace of mind to many Jerusalemites who have pondered over this strange and mystical event.