This Valentine's Day, we're rolling out the ultimate love lineup featuring couples who hit it off at Hillel. These stories are all about the fun, quirky, and totally unexpected ways Hillel became the backdrop for romance. Get ready for a dive into love stories that are as fun as they are heartfelt, showcasing the cool side of finding your other half in the most unexpected places.
Megan & Yonatan (Slide 2)
I clearly remember the first day I met my future husband, Yonatan Markus. It was on the second floor of Hillel, my first time getting dinner at Allen’s Table. I walked into the room unsure of where to sit, but there he was, in the corner at a table, quietly eating his food, and I knew I had to talk to him.
In the coming days and weeks I would see Yonatan all the time at Hillel. In the “living room.” In the boardroom. Studying. Not studying. He had a quiet, contemplative presence that was entirely the opposite of my talkative and quick-to-act self. He was grounded, even when there was chaos around him.
If it wasn’t for Hillel, Yonatan and I wouldn’t have met. He was an engineering student. I am an English Major. He was an observant Modern Orthodox Jew. I am a fuzzy non-observant/culturally Jewish/if I had to put a label on it, Reform Jew. He had lived in Thornhill all his life. I couldn’t seem to stay in the country for longer than a year. Naturally, we didn’t often find ourselves in the same space. Two months after that first interaction at Allen’s Table, I received a text from Yonatan: “Megan, I’ve got a question for you. Do you want to hang out tomorrow? Like as a date.” I smiled. Of course, I wanted to. He was perfect. I wrote back, “that would be nice!” I had to decide how many exclamation marks I should put. Wanting to sound “chill” I settled with one, but inside, I could have put 100.
Our first date was laughs, smiles, and nervous glances at one-another. I fell in love quickly. Sitting at Hillel we would study (or more accurately, I would study & Yonatan would be reading Urban Toronto, keeping himself – and subsequently me – up to date on Toronto’s latest construction projects). We ate lunch together. We ate dinner together. Our lives were quickly becoming intertwined.
On May 3rd, 2021, exactly 1.5 years from our first date, Yonatan got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. On August 15th, 2021, I married my best friend. I trace it all back to that moment, when I walked into Allen’s Table, and the man who I sat across from, changed my life forever.
Megan Hill, Hillel UofT Alumni
Krystal & Nissin (Slide 3)
When we were both in first year at York University, I would occasionally see Nissim at the York library or at synagogue. It wasn’t until March 24th, 2016 when we were both at a Hillel Purim Party in downtown Toronto when we finally met. I would attend Hillel events regularly, however, for Nissim, it was his first event. We were both there with friends, and we ended up being in the same subway and car ride home back to Thornhill. We began messaging each other, and met up again one day at the Hillel lounge on campus, where we studied for exams together. The lounge was the perfect place for two Jewish students to meet up and feel comfortable. From then onwards, we were inseparable.
Throughout both of our University experiences, we continued to attend Hillel events as a couple, such as challah bakes, holiday parties, paint nights, and more. Fast forward almost 6 years and countless Hillel events later, we are happily engaged and planning to be married this summer (B”H). We appreciate the opportunities Hillel has given us and countless other Jewish students across Ontario and for allowing us to have a place where we feel like we belong on campus. For those who want to create lifelong friendships and/or relationships, we both urge students to be active and participate in Hillel events.
Krystal Barkhordarian, Hillel York Alumni
Katie & Rob (Slide 4)
We have both spent the bulk of our professional careers thus far supporting Canada’s Jewish community: Rob, for Hillel Ontario and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and myself for the Montreal Jewish community and eventually Hillel Ontario.
On September 23rd, 2019, just before Rosh Hashanah, our paths collided at the Hillel Ontario office. Rob was working at UJA at the time. We had known each other beforehand – we’d met briefly at a Birthright training program, and other Hillel conferences, and were ‘friends’ on Facebook. We caught up very briefly and, without shame, I sent Rob a message on Facebook to ask him out to coffee. He responded with only a vague “For sure!” but never followed up.
Months later, Rob was hired back to Hillel Ontario as the Senior Director at Hillel UofT. All of a sudden, we had to work together. And even though I felt like Rob had (perhaps unknowingly?) rejected me, we worked well together and acted as if nothing had happened.
As we got to know each other better in the halls of the Wolfond Centre, we became more and more friendly. We bonded over similar lives – Jewish camp, Hillel and Birthright work, and the fact that neither of us have Instagram accounts. Together with colleagues, we traveled to Atlanta for the Hillel International Global Assembly in December 2019 and got to spend even more informal time together. My initial feelings for Rob had not gone away…but I felt that the ball was in his court to make a move.
January of 2020 rolled around… Leaving a team meeting, Rob asked me to coffee. Thinking it was to chat about work, I responded “For sure, put it in my calendar.” Little did I know this was his first attempt at getting me out on a date.
A couple weeks later, he tried again by asking me to get a drink sometime soon. This time I knew he was asking me out. But, feeling overwhelmed in the moment and busy with work, I said I couldn’t.
Then, finally, after Hillel Ontario’s program called Out of Sync, I asked Rob for a lift home. I didn’t much care if it took him out of his way, I just knew I wanted to spend time with him. He kindly agreed. We spent the whole 15 minute car ride laughing and talking. I woke up the next morning and wasted no time. I thanked him for the lift the night before and scheduled a time to meet up that week. The rest is history.
The Jewish community is what brought us together. We bonded over the shared understanding, values and language that comes with working in the community. We care so deeply about others’ well-being and genuinely want a stronger, brighter future for the Jewish community. Together, we have dedicated our lives to serving Jewish students and community members – and now we have each other to lean on for input and support.
Now, our relationship is two years (one pandemic) old. With a wedding on the horizon, we are excited to continue building our life together and working to strengthen the Jewish community wherever we may be.
Katie Goldig, Director, Hillel Western
Bernie & Bev (Slide 5)
How Bernie Met Bev It was the summer of ’79… I was in Toronto for a weekend with Camp Ramah friends; all of us hoping to prolong summer. Two people I knew (my co-counselor and another camp friend) suggested I meet this guy at Hillel during Frosh Week at Western once I arrived. So, I did. But, nothing stuck for either of us. He was on the Hillel board, and some time later, we met again at a Sukkot dinner and then again through various other Western Hillel programs and kosher lunches. We both were disappointed when the other didn’t appear. Conversations led me to realize that these two friends had also told Bernie to look for me!
Through conversations, we discovered that each of us came from a family of four – 3 girls and one boy, and both of us were third in the pecking order. Our fathers were both (retired) butchers, our mothers kept kosher homes, and our families led traditional Jewish lifestyles. I was Shomer Shabbat back then. Our first official date occurred on a wintry Saturday night in my first year at Western. We went out to a movie and then for drinks with a group of his friends. While I can’t quite remember how the “ask” went, one thing is certain – I obviously said yes!
Bev Zaifman
