Israeli couple declares love on Table Mountain

When a young man from Israel bent down on his prosthetic knee to propose to his girlfriend on top of Table Mountain in March, it was the highest point of a gruelling journey that began when he was severely injured fighting Hamas in Gaza.

It was the culmination of a romance that had its foundation when Moshe Adams*, 28, made aliya with his family from Ukraine when he was 12. It blossomed into a relationship when Ora Levin* visited him in hospital after he was injured in the Gaza war. His army unit was hit by an explosion at the entrance of one of Hamas’s terror tunnels on 10 November 2023, just more than a month into the war.

“Four of my friends and my commander were killed instantly,” he told the SA Jewish Report from Israel. “Four of us were severely injured.” His leg was amputated above the knee.

One year and four months after being injured, he proposed to Levin on top of Table Mountain. “Being in hospital was the lowest point in my life,” he said. “I had wires everywhere, I had 19 surgeries, I lost 25kg. Then Ora started visiting me every week and we fell in love. I knew that this was the woman I wanted to marry, to be the mother of my children.”

After war, amputation, and rehabilitation, he wanted to find a place as high as the clouds to propose to Levin. He therefore planned a trip to Cape Town, all so that he could ask for Levin’s hand in marriage on the top of Table Mountain. “I love mountains, and I wanted to propose on one of the wonders of the world,” he said.

Adams has travelled to 45 countries – some before his injury, some after. In Australia, he met many South African Jews who advised him that Table Mountain was the perfect spot to propose. They also recommended local photographer Russel Smith, who captured the moment for posterity.

But Adams almost missed his perfectly planned proposal thanks to that perpetual Cape Town villain – the wind. The first time they tried to go up in the cable car, they were told it was too windy. Time was ticking towards the end of their trip and they had a full schedule exploring everything Cape Town had to offer, including shark-cage diving.

Finally, on a beautiful mid-March evening, they made it up to the top, and as the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean, Adams asked Levin to marry him. Of course, she said yes. Around them, fellow tourists and South Africans cheered, echoing the warmth they encountered every step of their South Africa trip.

“We were always treated with kindness and respect, from our arrival at the airport to all the places we visited,” Adams said. “South Africa is one of the most beautiful places in the world – the scenery, the views, the nature, and the wonderful people.”

Adams’ uncle is a close friend of Levin’s family, so when his family arrived in Israel, Levin’s family welcomed them. They stayed in touch, but it was only when Adams was injured that they reconnected properly and love bloomed.

Adams is originally from Mariupol, the city where Russia killed 87 000 people. He still has family there, enduring Russia’s relentless attacks day and night, yet he said the world remains silent about Russian aggression.

In contrast, he was horrified to see murals praising Hamas leaders in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town. “Don’t they realise that Hamas is like ISIS, murdering Jews and Arabs, kidnapping innocent people?” he asked. “We went into Gaza to rescue our brothers and sisters and to destroy a terrorist organisation. Meanwhile, they don’t protest [against] Egypt, whose border with Gaza is much stronger and more fortified than Israel’s border with Gaza.”

On 7 October 2023, Adams was travelling in Japan but decided to return to Israel immediately to fight. On 11 October, he landed in Israel, put on his uniform, and joined his team at war. Five days later he was hit by shrapnel in the neck. “Despite the injury, I chose not to evacuate to hospital. Every day, I dressed the wound myself, and continued fighting,” he said.

He was then injured in the explosion at the entrance to a tunnel shaft inside a civilian building when terrorists detonated 13kg of explosives. The building almost collapsed on them. Today, Adams still experiences phantom pain from his amputated limb, but he moves through it with perseverance and hope.

This wasn’t Adams’ first foray onto an African mountain. Just two months earlier, in January 2025, he became the first Israeli above-the-knee amputee to summit Kilimanjaro. “After I got injured, it was one of my goals. I trained for it for about three months. It was a huge challenge. Even for people with two legs, it’s a challenge! There was so much rain, mud, and snow. People looked at my prosthetic and thought I was mad. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But I hope it will inspire other people who are going through challenges.”

Adams did the climb with two Israeli friends. One had been gravely injured when a Hamas grenade exploded beside him. When they reached the summit, they held up a flag with the faces of Adams’ brothers-in-arms who didn’t survive the explosion that took his leg.

In Tanzania, everyone from the porters on the mountain to the people on the street knew the story of Joshua Mollel, the young Tanzanian student who was brutally murdered by Hamas on 7 October and whose body is still being held hostage in Gaza. Everywhere they went, Tanzanians expressed support for the war, knowing the cruelty of the enemy that Israel is fighting.

Adams said being in Gaza was “like being in World War II. There are planes, artillery, tanks, everything. Before you go into Gaza, you prepare yourself. You know you could get injured or die. You’re ready for that sacrifice, for your country.”

For now, he’s grateful to be alive, and looks forward to his wedding in July. An information systems student, he plans to continue studying and travelling. His next major goal is to do a triathlon, and from there, the world is at his feet, especially with his love by his side.

*Their names have been changed for security reasons.