Egerton Road was closed off and buses were on diversion last Wednesday as over a thousand people turned out - some from as far afield as New York, Jerusalem, Belgium who didn’t even know the married couple but just wanted to see Rabbi Halbershtam.

Hackney Gazette: Orthodox Jewish women gather together to witness the marriage of Mordechai Blum and Shprintzy Lipschitz, from the Bobov community, celebrated outside the New Synagogue in Stamford Hill.Orthodox Jewish women gather together to witness the marriage of Mordechai Blum and Shprintzy Lipschitz, from the Bobov community, celebrated outside the New Synagogue in Stamford Hill. (Image: Archant)

People from all over the world flocked to Stamford Hill to witness the Grand Rabbi of Bobov conducting his nephew’s wedding ceremony.

Hackney Gazette: Bride Shprintzy Lipschitz, from the Bobov community, makes her way towards the Chuppah outside the New Synagogue in Stamford Hill.Bride Shprintzy Lipschitz, from the Bobov community, makes her way towards the Chuppah outside the New Synagogue in Stamford Hill. (Image: Archant)

Party planner, Moshe Davis who organised the day for bride and groom, Shprintzy Lipschitz and Mordechai Blum, said it was a “monumental occasion”.

“Once a rabbi gets invited it’s spiritually uplifted, you wouldn’t normally close off a road, and such a vast amount of people wouldn’t turn up,” said Mr Davis who plans around 150 functions a year and who organised the wedding of TV magician and self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller.

“I’ve done bigger weddings, but when a Rabbi comes like this, the wedding gets - I won’t use the word forgotten - but the Rabbi takes over the scene, he dances with the bride and groom.

“The ceremony goes back hundreds of years and the Rabbi dances with a special string called a Gartel, because a man mustn’t touch another woman by hand in the Jewish world.

“When he started dancing to see a thousand people jumping and dancing to his tune was spiritually uplifting, it was out of this world to see.”

Rabbi Halbershtam flew into Heathrow Wednesday morning, where he was greeted by senior Bobov representatives and other religious leaders before being escorted by police to Stamford Hill.

During the afternoon as the bride was at her home with the women and the groom was taking part in a pre-wedding ritual with all the men inside the synagogue in Egerton Road, the Chuppah was being built outside.

Rabbi Halbershtam became the Grand Rabbi two years ago when his father passed away and he has a worldwide following.

Mr Davis explained: “Bobov is like saying Arsenal or Chelsea or Manchester United, Bobov is like an organisation.

“They are one of the biggest organisations of Jewish sects.

“After the ceremony the Rabbi wished everyone help whether it be financially, physically mentally, he gave the whole area a little blessing.”

The reception was held in Romford’s City Pavillion for 2,500 guests.

See the picture gallery on the right hand side.