It is with great pleasure that I contact JDate to not just simply update you on my recent engagement to my lovely fiancée on July 29^th of this year, but to also make you aware of the truly remarkable manner by which our relationship came to fruition. It is a unique story of two young Jewish lovers who were brought together on JDate thanks to what some would consider “the enemy.”

I am of Israeli decent and I currently work at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. At this institution I became close friends with a colleague of mine who, as it turns out, is of Palestinian decent. Samia (now living in Toronto) decided to take the initiative and set up a JDate profile for me. I was hesitant to start dating again after a failed relationship but Samia was determined to find me a nice Jewish girl. I surprisingly agreed and “LP1501” was created. My JDate experience started off slow but soon enough I began to correspond with “Lorifay987.”

Our first date was January 19, 2010 and I can honestly say I knew that night our relationship would be for forever. The first night I met Lori, I knew there was something so special about her. I remember when she began to speak of her upbringing and how her brother, who is deaf, affected her life. I was completely and utterly enthralled in conversation with this girl. I recall the atmosphere around us was at a standstill as I was gazing into this girl’s eyes, listening to her every word. I knew there was something burning inside me to keep this going. Lori had been a JDate member for some time but was unsuccessful when it came to connecting with anyone (thank God). We officially started dating on July 6, 2010 after we both got to know one another for a couple of months.

Our story is special, not for the simple reason that we were both truly made for each other but because of the circumstances surrounding how and why we met. As a society we are accustomed to hearing about Middle East peace, or lack thereof, between Israelis and Palestinians. However, there or some moments where we need to take a step back and let our guards down to see the good between the two dividing sides. I will forever be grateful to my Palestinian friend, Samia, for taking the initiative in signing me up on JDate. It is because of her that I am now engaged to the love of my life.

On behalf of Lori and me, I would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to all at JDate. Without JDate, Lori and I would never be a truly unique success story.

Lori and Lee
Alexandria, Virginia