Sarah Tehiya Litman and Ariel Beigel were married in Jerusalem on Thursday night, at a ceremony and reception like no other. The entire population of Israel was invited to attend and, based upon reports by attendees, it certainly felt like everyone did.

The record-breaking crowd was there to support the happy couple in their time of greatest happiness, but even more so to support the bride and her mother in their time of greatest grief. Two weeks prior, Litman’s father, Yaakov, and brother Netanel were murdered in a terrorist attack near Hebron. During the seven-day shiva period, Litman decided the wedding would go on, and extended an invitation to the public to attend as a way to show that the enemies of Israel will not prevail. The mood that evening was both joyful and defiant. The family refused to let the terrorists win, and went on with their simcha as planned.

The attendees included a cross section of Israeli society, as well as students and visitors from countries the world over. Their explanation for attending? Solidarity. Defiance. The refusal to cower in fear of terrorism.

As for security concerns at such an enormous gathering, according to one American student spending his gap year in Israel, “I felt very safe. There were guards everywhere. We just wanted to help the couple celebrate.”