20 | FEBRUARY 1 • 2024 J
N

OUR COMMUNITY

T

o date, there are almost 4,000 
members on the Jewish Moms 
of Metro Detroit Facebook page. 
But there’s one special day a year that 
the organizers don’t accept regular 
posts about kids, recommendations for 
restaurants or plumbers or posts on any 
topic — except descriptions and pictures 
of single men and women, which are 
posted with the hashtag “itsashidduch.” 
 Fellow members are invited to express 
interest for themselves, friends or 
relatives and the hope, of course, is to 
make matches. 
And that’s where Robyn Weiner comes 
in. The then-divorcee with two kids — 
Remy, now 15, and Jakob, now 22 — was 
scrolling Facebook one fine day in 2019 
when a profile that her friend Shari 
Smith had posted jumped out at her: 
Peter Harvey, a widower with one son, 
Ben, now almost 19. 
“There were quite a few comments 
expressing interest on the post,” Robyn 
said. “But instead of commenting 
publicly, I messaged her privately … and 
Shari liked that!”

Shari called Peter to give him Robyn’s 
phone number … and then nothing 
happened for a little while. 
“It took Peter a bit of time … He’s a 
bit of a procrastinator,” Robyn said with 
a laugh. Evidently, he’s also a romantic. 
“He still has that piece of notepad paper 
with my name and number written on 
it!”
They texted back and forth to arrange 
a date. 
“I refrained from looking him up on 
any social media beforehand, so it truly 
was a blind date,” Robyn added.
Over Memorial Day weekend, the two 
met at the hippo in front of the Detroit 
Zoo. It rained the entire time they 
walked around the zoo together. And 
while rain can usually be appreciated 
as a sign of mazel, it’s definitely not 
pleasant to walk in the rain on a first 
date with your carefully brushed hair 
falling flatly to your face and your 
carefully applied makeup running 
from your eyes. (Not that Robyn wears 
makeup, but still!)
Turned out Robyn had nothing to 

worry about — ever chivalrous, Peter 
lent her his coat. Despite the weather, 
the two clicked.
“We spent the whole day talking non-
stop,” Robyn said. “It was by far and to 
this day, my favorite day I’ve ever had at 
the zoo … and I’m a nanny and annual 
pass holder!”
Already anxious to continue their 
conversation, they met the next morning 
for breakfast. And the day after that at a 
nature center.
“And on and on,” Robyn said happily. 
“And now here we are.”
Peter and Robyn married in May 
2022, and the native Detroiter and her 
new husband who had moved here from 
Rochester, New York, in 2013, made 
Royal Oak their new home together. 
They are members of Shir Tikvah in 
Troy, and Robyn is a board trustee. 
Sometimes it takes a whole 
community. Thank you, Jewish Moms of 
Metro Detroit #itsashidduch! 

This column will appear biweekly. To share your 

‘meet-cute’ story, email burstynwithjoy@hotmail.com.

‘From a Facebook 
Shidduch Initiative’

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

HOW WE MET

Peter and Robyn 
The Weiner-Harvey 
family at Epcot Center

Robyn and 
Peter on their 
wedding day

