The groom who moved the web reveals what was behind the gesture to the cleaner on the dance floor
A short video from the dance floor has united the country around a moment of pure humanity. Amit Alkobi, a newlywed from Hadera, never imagined his spontaneous gesture toward a cleaning lady named Monrodi would go viral. Speaking from his honeymoon, he shares his message of "free love."
A short video from the dance floor managed to unite an entire country around a moment of pure humanity. Amit Alkobi, a newlywed groom from Hadera, did not imagine that his spontaneous gesture towards Monrodi, the cleaning lady at the hall, would go viral with half a million views on the original video alone and tens of thousands of likes. In an interview from his honeymoon in Italy, he talks about the values from home and the message of "free love" that is important for him to pass on.
"The truth is that the one who broke the glass on the dance floor was actually my wife, Shahar," says 26-year-old Amit about the moment it all started. "It was towards 1:30 AM, at the peak of the joy. Within seconds, Monrodi the cleaner arrived to clear the shards, and very quickly she found herself on my shoulders in the middle of the dance floor. I didn't plan it, I just saw her and said to myself in my head: 'She will celebrate with me, she will be happy with me.' I wish everyone would give 'free love', especially in today's generation."
The gesture went viral while Amit was celebrating his "Shabbat Chatan" while disconnected from his mobile phone. "I observe Shabbat, and friends who came to me on Saturday afternoon told me, 'Listen, there is a video exploding on TikTok, full of views and likes.' At first, I didn't believe them because I'm not that savvy with social networks. On Saturday night, I opened the device and it just crashed from the number of messages. I received comments like 'What a king' and 'I wish everyone would learn from you.' It moved me very much, because for me, Monrodi is not a 'cleaner', she is a human being."
This view of the other comes to Alkobi from home. "These are values I received from home. My mother taught me from age zero to show respect to the other, whether it is elderly people or people who are considered 'transparent' in our society," he explains. "I see her exactly as I see the CEO or the owner of the hall. It was important for me to lift her up and make her happy because these people are usually treated less. For me, it was worth everything to see her like that, it definitely made my event."
Despite the language barrier, the connection between the groom and the cleaning worker managed to cross the screens. "Monrodi does not speak Hebrew and also not English, but she used Google Translate and sent me a moving message on Instagram," shares Amit. "She wrote that she was really moved and that it did her heart good. This is the message I want to convey: to respect the 'transparent' people, to appreciate them and to see them. In the end, only 'free love' will win. Seeing her joy on my shoulders is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life."
Now, while on his honeymoon in southern Italy, Amit is still surprised by the power of the exposure. "It was completely spontaneous, someone filmed 'on the way' and uploaded it, and I had no idea it would reach such dimensions of half a million views," he concludes. "I hope that those who watched the video will take something small from it for the next time they meet a worker on their way. This respect for the other is our foundation as a society. For me, it was half a minute of dancing, but I understood that for many people it was a moment of hope and humanity that we all needed."
