Closing
a circle: When
Jared Sopolsky (33) and Amy Landsman (32) returned to New York nine years ago from a "discovery" tour in which they participated together, they returned as good friends.
This weekend the two returned home as an engaged couple, after Jared knelt down as part of another "discovery" tour, in which they participated as instructors.
"We met at the airport and immediately became good friends," Jared recalled.
"We were part of a very cohesive group, and we connected very quickly with both the American guys and the Israeli soldiers who joined us. For me, visiting Israel, experiencing it through my feet and meeting all the people we met - was an enlightening experience," he said.
"It was the first time for both of us in Israel," Amy added.
"Since then Jared has been here a few more times, and I will be visiting here again for the second time."
"After that trip we went back to New York and kept in touch with friends. We met quite a bit and felt there was something beyond us, but we were afraid to destroy the strong friendships we had built," Amy said.
"The corona has affected people all over the world, some of them are close and others it has split. It is completely close to us," Jared added.
"Amazing closing circle"
The two spent the last ten days as instructors of one of Taglit's groups.
"It was important to me to take advantage of our joint visit here to propose to Amy in a place we knew," Jared said.
"I could not imagine myself doing it anywhere else in the world. I shared my idea with the rest of the team and decided to kneel with a Canadian hand near Jerusalem at sunset," he added.
The team of instructors, who shared Jared's secret, told Amy that they were going to meet some Donor donors so she had to dress respectfully.
"When we got to the place we were told that the donors were a little different, and that maybe Jared and I should take advantage of the view and the beautiful sunset and have our picture taken. Before I realized what was happening, Jared knelt down and offered to marry him. "Yes," Amy recalls excitedly.
"It's an amazing closing circle for us, to come home as an engaged couple from where we met a few years ago," Jared said.
"We are excited to hear about every new couple getting engaged and getting married," said Gidi Mark, CEO of Taglit.