Alice was born in Chicago and raised in a tight-knit Ukrainian-Jewish community, where the spiciest thing on the table was horseradish, every meal involved at least five heartfelt toasts, and borscht was basically a love language. In May 2024, she packed up her life and made Aliyah to Israel with five suitcases, excitement, and Hebrew that often messed up her coffee order. She was excited to build something new, explore the country, and maybe find someone who could teach her how to battle the bureaucracy.

Nitzan, on the other hand, was born and raised in Israel, and grew up with a modestly-sized Moroccan family (only 14 aunts and uncles). He is a proud Sabra whose childhood tasted like cumin, couscous, and the kind of spice that needs a warning label. After years of shuffling back and forth from Israel, he had a job lined up and a one-way ticket to Spain at the end of Summer 2024.

And then, on July 12, 2024, they went on their first date after they matched on Hinge. Alice (already annoyed at the Tel Aviv dating scene) was hoping to find someone grounded and patient enough to put up with her Aleph-level Hebrew. Nitzan was hoping to find someone to explore Israel with one last time before saying goodbye for good.

By the second date, both of them deleted Hinge. By March 2025, they had moved in together in Florentin, where their apartment quickly became the go-to spot for Shabbat dinners filled with laughter, homemade food, and friends who became family.

In June 2025, the couple traveled to Chicago for Alice’s brother’s wedding. While there, Nitzan asked for her father’s blessing and permission to incorporate Alice’s great-grandmother’s ring into her engagement ring. Back in Israel, he had appointments lined up to design the ring… but life had other plans. War with Iran grounded flights and canceled everything.

Stuck in New York, fate (and a helpful friend) stepped in: he found a beautiful ring and proposed one night when Alice came home from work.

She said yes, without hesitation.

And now, they can’t wait to celebrate the next chapter with all of you.