Mazel Tov! Israeli weddings introduce ATMs
Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:51A new device at one Israeli wedding hall gives new meaning to the Hebrew expression 'Mazel Tov', meaning 'good fortune'.
Guests can now insert a credit card into a machine at the entrance of the Gan Oranim wedding hall, tap in a sum and leave a gift for the bride and groom.
'It's new in Israel and the world,' said the hall's Aya Alon Kaufman. 'It's very convenient... guests can give a gift even if they forget their chequebooks.'
She said couples pay 500 shekels (€95) to rent the ATM-like device and the recorded funds are transferred into their bank account the next day.
The machine prints out a 'deposit' slip with the guest's name, which can be put into an envelope along with a congratulatory note and inserted into a slot in the device for the couple to retrieve.
Rather than bring boxed gifts, guests at Israeli weddings usually leave cash or cheques in envelopes they slip into a safe placed at the reception hall's door.
