Valentine's Day: An Israeli love story between Aliza and Natan

While Valentine’s Day is not a Jewish holiday, there’s never a wrong time to celebrate Cupid’s arrows hitting their target, culminating in a Yiddishe wedding.

Aliza Isaacs and Natan Davidowitz met at a wedding in August 2022, two months after Aliza made aliyah. In fact, they had sat at the same table eight years earlier during their junior year of high school, at a Yachad Shabbaton (for the organization aiding those with developmental disabilities). Aliza was then a student at the Stella K. Abraham (SKA) High School for Girls, a Modern Orthodox school in Hewlett, New York. Natan attended the Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) Yeshiva High School for Boys in Woodmere, New York. 

“I remembered her name and her face; but at the time, I was too shy to talk to her,” said Natan.

“I didn’t remember him at all,” Aliza said.

After being high school valedictorian in 2016, Aliza studied at a Jerusalem girls’ seminary. Subsequently, she entered Barnard College, where, by 2021, she earned a BA in computer science. Eighteen months later, she made aliyah; and thanks to her job in the United States, she was able to make a smooth transition. 

“I was lucky to have a job with Google in New York and could transfer to their Tel Aviv office. My aliyah was much easier because I came with a job; I am also grateful to Nefesh B’Nefesh for making my aliyah simpler.”

Natan made aliyah right after high school to a hesder yeshiva in Ma’aleh Adumim. After serving in the IDF, he enrolled in Ariel University. He was 24 in his last year at Ariel and preparing for medical school when he saw Aliza, 23, at the fortuitous wedding.

Meet cute

Aliza had received a last-minute invite: “How I got invited to the wedding is an ‘only in Israel’ story. I was invited on a whim by the bride-to-be. After reconnecting, she said: ‘Come to my wedding. It’ll be fun.’” 

Natan was not going to miss a second opportunity to talk to Aliza: “I was determined to start a conversation with Aliza at the wedding. After the huppah, I approached her, and we had a brief conversation. Luckily, we were on the same bus leaving the wedding, and we spoke a bit more.”

Soon after the wedding, they both checked in with a mutual friend. Aliza was wondering if Natan would ask her out on a date, and Natan asked the friend if she was available.

Dating

Natan texted Aliza that same week. “She suggested the venue for our first date – Nadi Café in Jerusalem. I had never eaten a meal on a first date before, but I thought: ‘Why not?’”

They began dating, but finding time to get together was not easy.

“Aliza lives in Jerusalem, and I lived in Ariel, a distance of about 60 km. Neither of us had a car, but we managed to get together at least twice a week.”

The couple has much in common. They both hail from Long Island and share similar interests. 

“Natan is a great violin player, and we both enjoy music,” said Aliza. “We are both runners and often run together. Most fun for us is tree climbing. For our engagement announcement, we chose a photo of us up a tree, where Natan was upside down,” Aliza recounted. 

In November, Aliza’s parents came to visit her in Israel. “We invited Natan to spend Shabbat with us. In January, my sister had a baby and Natan’s brother had a bar mitzvah, so we both went to New York and met each other’s families in a casual way. For Passover, we were back in New York and spent most of our time together and with each other’s families.”

Natan spoke of the issues they faced to be able to wed. “After Aliza and I decided to get married, I was faced with two challenges. First, I needed permission from my army reserve unit and from my Ariel University professor to go to Jerusalem to propose.”

Second “I wanted to follow Aliza’s wishes for the proposal: No wine, no flowers, and no diamond ring. She just wanted to be surprised.”

Surprise proposal

Natan set things up so that Aliza’s friend invited her to lunch in Gan Sacher, ostensibly to meet her mother. 

“Aliza was truly surprised when I showed up instead,” said Natan.

“I was shocked how he was able to surprise me,” said Aliza.

On October 7, Natan was called to miluim (reserve duty), and the couple had to rethink their wedding plans. 

“Natan is still in miluim and is now in his first year of medical school at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba,” said Aliza. “He pretty much left the wedding planning to me. With God’s help, the wedding is set for February 7 in Beit Shemesh.”

Mazal tov! 