#1597 Michel Bankier (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) of YUConnects
& Alexander Israel (Syosset, New York)

Success Story

I want to announce that I am engaged to Michel Bankier. We met on the life-changing DineNMeet/SawYouAtSinai Labor day retreat just under 6 months ago. We first met at the Shabbos ice-breaker, where we went around the room trying to find 20 people of the opposite sex who answered questions. To be honest I forget what I put her down for. But after shabbos we played pool, and managed to keep her up talking by the camp fire until 4 am while we figured out just how compatible we were. As she lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I am local to New York, dating presented so many hurdles that we both were willing to handle as a team because we saw a future with each other. Now, she has made me grow into the man I always wanted to be. I start work this Monday in Midtown as an actuary, and will work hard to provide for our dream bayis ne'eman bi'ysroel. Thank you Alena Bloom and Dine N Meet that the weekend was so incredibly well put together. From the catering, to the plentiful availability of concerts and activities. Thank you Malky Goldstein Galler for being so involved with this match right from the beginning, from when I needed to figure out how to ask Michel out up until figuring out how to propose. Thank you also Mindy Eisenman for agreeing with Malky that I had nothing to lose for pursuing Michel. Thank you Nava for the list of 10 actionable tips to better relationships, I'm sure I used at least a few of them. Thank you to everyone else I have not mentioned that made this event possible or of whom I asked for advice, including my good friend Judah Hirsch for convincing me to sign up for the weekend very last minute. And finally, thank Hashem for sending me such an amazing bashert through this shabbaton.