34 | MARCH 16 • 2023
S
ometimes when a Jewish mother
wants her daughter to meet some
nice Jewish boys, she’ll urge her
to mingle with some big Jewish group.
But all she really needs to meet is that
one special person …
Take Alison Wick. She’d attended an
all-girls high school and was “in heaven”
meeting “all those lovely boys” at the
University of Sheffield in the UK when
she enrolled in 1985.
“I was having a great time!” the
London native remembered.
Alison’s mother read the writing on
the wall and urged Alison to go to Hillel
(the Jewish society on campus) to “meet
a nice Jewish boy.” Alison balked. She
was already meeting plenty of boys,
thank you very much, and didn’t want
to go somewhere she wouldn’t know
anyone.
“Just go once,” her mother said. “For
me. What have you got to lose?”
Grudgingly, nervously, Alison finally
turned up at Hillel one Friday night
near the beginning of her second year.
She quickly noticed a “tall, strapping
rugby player in a black leather jacket.”
He noticed her, too, immediately headed
over and stuck like glue by her side for
the rest of the night.
Her clothing may have helped her
stand out in the crowd. “I was wearing a
very distinct outfit,” Alison said. “A blue
V-neck sweater and tartan blue pants. It
was fashionable at the time! I probably
looked a bit silly, but I guess he liked it.”
After the Hillel dinner, the two
headed to a disco at the student union
and “the boy” immediately scored more
points by buying Alison and all her
friends a round of drinks.
Knowing how pleased she would be,
Alison immediately sat down to write
her mother a letter. She wrote, “I met a
nice guy… His name’s David Schwartz
— I think he’s Jewish.” (With a name
like that, it’s a wonder that she included
the words ‘I think!’)
Dave grew up in a small Jewish
community about 150 miles from
London, called Cardiff, which is the
capital of Wales. (Yes, same place
that William and Kate are prince and
princess of, if you follow British royalty.)
“It’s highly unlikely we would have
come across each other if we hadn’t met
at Hillel,” Alison said.
They married in May 1989.
“I never went to another Hillel event
after that. I found my husband, that was
it for me!” Alison laughed. “My mother
was very happy, too!”
Some years after they were married,
Dave was working for a computer
consultancy company that did a lot of
work with the automotive industry.
In 1998, he was working on a project
with Ford, which bought the family to
Detroit for a “two-year project” — and
they’ve been here ever since. Now Dave
works for Ford and Alison works in
public relations for CKC Agency. The
Schwartzes live in West Bloomfield and
are members of Adat Shalom Synagogue.
Alison and Dave are parents
to Michael, 28, William, 25, and
Teddy, 19. And you can bet your toasty
crumpets that they enjoy telling their
story to their sons and reminding them
that all it takes is “just one meeting” to
find the love of your life!
This column will appear biweekly. If you’d like to
share your “meet-cute” story, please email
burstynwithjoy@hotmail.com.
OUR COMMUNITY
HOW WE MET
‘Just
One Nice
Jewish Boy’
ROCHEL BURSTYN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A recent pic
of the happy
couple
ABOVE: A photo from Dave and Alison’s engagement party and wedding. RIGHT: Dave and
Alison Schwartz, with sons Michael, 28, William, 25, and Teddy, 19.