Hoffnung & Mernick

Dvorah Hoffnung & Ben Mernick

  Since October 7th Ben is currently serving as a reservist combat tank driver in the 52nd battalion of the 401st brigade. Ben’s unit lead the ground incursion into Gaza city. Before the war in his peacetime role Ben served as a PhD psychologist at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

  We met one another at a dance class in 2022. Dvorah had immigrated from Belfort France in 2013 and Ben from NYC in 2009. Over several months we developed a deep connection with one another and decided to make a life together in Jerusalem. On the eve of Yom Kippur, just two weeks before the 7th of October, Ben proposed to Dvorah. We were so excited to plan our wedding, but when Ben was called on October 7th to serve as a combat tank driver in Gaza, all plans were put on hold. After Shabbat on October 21st, Ben called Dvorah and suggested that they get married on the army base the next day. In the aftermath of the October 7th tragedy, and facing imminent risk of Ben’s combat role, Ben and Dvorah decided that they didn’t want to wait any longer before expressing their love for one another under the Chuppah. On October 22nd Ben’s unit organized an unforgettable celebration, and one day thereafter Ben’s unit lead the IDF’s first land raids into the norther Gaza strip.