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Overcoming Pitfalls

A torn muscle, a two-week delay and an electronic proposal.

LEONARD POGER

Copy Editor

Ann Arbor
ackie Topy knew that tearing a calf muscle
shortly before embarking on a JDate Caribbean
cruise was an ominous signal.
She had been dating Steve Lonn for only a month,
but she had committed to the $700 cruise just days
before she met him.
Jackie decided to go ahead with the seven-day
cruise, even though she would be confined to a chair
and use of crutches, forcing anyone who wanted to
talk to her to approach her.
Jackie said the torn calf muscle incident happened
in the summer of 2003, just before the cruise
arranged by JDate, which provides on-line profiles
and contacts for Jewish singles.
She didn't enjoy the cruise but Jackie and Steve
continued dating. The relationship became more seri-
ous and led to an unusual New Year's Eve 2004 mar-
riage proposal.
But there was a potential stumbling block that
almost prevented the whole thing.
"It was a JDate party in Pontiac two years ago —
advertised in the Jewish News — where I went with a
girlfriend," she recalled. "We were talking to a man
who happened to be a friend of Steve's."
Steve came over to talk to his friend and quickly fell
into a conversation with Jackie. That chat lasted two
hours because they had a lot in common.
Jackie has a bachelor of arts degree with a major in

jr

July 27
Rabbis Lauren and
Jonathan Berkun of
Southfield announce
with joy in their
hearts the arrival of
Jonah Michael
Berkun. Welcoming
Jonah home is enthusi- Berkun
astic big brother
Jeremy. Proud grandparents are
Stephen and Anita Eichler of Chevy
Chase, Md., . and Rabbi Alvin and
Flora Berkun of Pittsburgh, Pa. Also
sharing in their joy are:great-grand-
mothers'llia. Triet Eichler asid, • Dorothy
Sigel of ilyer Spring, Md.„.mici.Sylvia
Marcus dfNotwalk, Conn!

religious studies from Michigan State
University. Steve has bachelor's degrees in
religious studies and psychology from the
University of California-Santa Barbara.
Three days after the first contact, Steve
called her for a date but learned that
Jack _ ie was going on a two-week trip with
her parents.
When she returned, she and Steve
agreed to a first date for Friday, Aug. 15,
2003, in Ann Arbor, where Steve lived.
It was just one day after the infamous
power outage that stretched from the
East Coast to parts of Michigan and
Ohio.
The outage posed a major problem for Jackie, then
living in a darkened section of West Bloomfield. She
didn't have enough gas in her car to make the
roundtrip to Ann Arbor. Her home didn't have power
to generate water for a shower. She eventually man-
aged to obtain gasoline and keep the date for a
planned Shabbaton — which seemed perfect for a
Jewish couple with degrees in religious studies.
Sixteen months later, Steve decided on a unique
proposal that utilized his doctoral studies in learning
technologies. He created a DVD containing numer-
ous photos of themselves over the past year and con-
cluding with the proposal and the couple's special
song, "My Only Love."
The DVD was a surprise for Jackie, who was with
Steve at a New Year's Eve party with friends.
Besides planning for a wedding, Steve continues to

announce the birth of
Asher Seligman
Meltzer (Mordechai
Meir). Asher is the-
grandchild of Randy
and Craig Rubin,
Sandra Seligman and
Meltzer
Gilbert Glassberg,
Gerald Meltzer and Dr.
Bernard and Toni Stern and the great-
grandchild of Katie and Irving
Seligman and Charlotte Brous. He was
named in loving memory of the late
Martin Meltzer and Meyer Stern.

4

July 20
Melissa and Seth Meltzer of
Bloomfield Hills are happy to

July 18
Ori Lev and Sara Gold of Bethesda,
Md., welcome with love Samuel Gold
Lev (Shmuel), brother to big sister
Lily, 18 months. Sharing in their joy
are very happy savta and saba Nira
and Amos Lev of Farmington Hills

1,E TROrr

SEATTLE
LEAGOE BASSBALt. ,

MAJOR

Proposal
OVD

Steve Lonn and Jackie Topy show their DVD
marriage proposal.

work toward doctorate, which he plans to complete
within a year.
Steve, 26, grew up in the Seattle area and came to
Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan.
Jackie, 30, grew up in Oakland . County and is a
branch manager for Comerica Bank. Both now live in
Ann Arbor.
Besides the DVD, Steve created a Web site thattells
their stories in detail and has images of their friends,
the New Year's Eve proposal, the wedding party
and the engagement ring as well as arrangements
for the Sept. 4 wedding. ❑

and grandparents Karen and Lewis
Gold of Jenkintown, Pa. Sam is
named in loving memory of his mater-
nal grandfather Samuel (Shmuel)
Lieberman and his paternal grandfa-
ther Moshe-Shmuel Lev.

July 14
Chelsea (Chiodo) and Joseph
Greenwald are thrilled to welcome
with love their beautiful new daughter,
Rosemary Florence. Sharing in their
happiness are excited grandparents
Carol Greenwald of Farmington Hills
and Tess and Sam Chiodo of Bonita
Springs, Fla. Little Rosie is named in
honor of her paternal great-grand-
mothers Florence Schultz and Rose
Greenwald. She is also named in lov-
ing memory of her maternal great-
great-grandmother Florence Taylor.

June 28
Melissa (Hammerstein) and Tony
Oleshansky of Waterford are delighted
to announce the birth of their daugh-
ter, Jolie Reese (Chava). Sharing their
happiness and love are grandparents
Marlene and Bill Oleshansky of West
Bloomfield; Carol and Michael
Corman of West Bloomfield and Ann
and Stan Hammerstein of Ingelwood,
Fla. Proud great-grandmother is Edith
Iskowitz of West Bloomfield. Jolie
Reese is named in loving memory of
her maternal great-grandmother
Rosamond Hammerstein and her
paternal great-grandmothers Ruth
Oleshansky and Alice. Rosen. Her
Hebrew name was chosen in loving
memory of her maternal great grand-
mother Eva Corman Freed.

BIRTHS on page 56

8/1 8

2005

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