I know itʼs true that 26 is still considered young and that I have the entire world before me. However, I’m not the type of woman who sits at home waiting for things to happen. When I decided a few years ago that it was time for me to meet my match and settle down, nothing could dissuade me from achieving this dream.

To give you a little history about myself; I came to the U.S after serving the Israeli Defense Forces for 2 years. When I first arrived to California, I stayed with my uncle and aunt who have lived here for more than 20 years.

My first job in the U.S. was as a waitress. This paid me enough money to rent a nice apartment with a
friend in Sherman Oaks. I settled very easily into my new city and had enough money to live comfortably. At that time I also got to know a few Israeli guys who came to eat at my restaurant.

I went out with my new friends, had fun and met my first boyfriend in the U.S. – Boaz. We were together
for two years until he decided to return to Israel for University. The separation was painful but it
was clear to me that I wanted to stay here. I also realized that I had no future with Boaz, who always
dreamed about studying medicine. He announced plain and simple that over the next decade his career
would be the number one priority for him.

After two and a half years I needed a change. I quit my restaurant job and found work as a secretary and sales
associate at a construction company. In the evening I studied Accounting and English.
I was 25 years old, made good money, loved my life in LA, but still felt lonely nevertheless. I decided it
was time to pull myself together and find a partner for life.

At first I told all my friends and relatives that if they knew a nice guy around the age of 30,
whoʼs looking for a serious relationship, they should give him my phone number.

I met several nice guys, but there was no “click”. Also, I did not like that all my friends had to know exactly
what happened with everyone I met. They always tried to convince me to give it a chance even when
I knew there wasnʼt any possibility.

Just when I thought I was running out of options, I signed up for Jdate. It was nice at first and I met lots of men. But I discovered that many of them are just looking for casual fun, and were not interested in commitment and marriage.

I decided to call Ilana Gutman of My Global Match, whose ads I had being seeing for a while.

I arranged an appointment with no obligation. I wanted to know what made her service so different from all of the other dating websites.

Ilana explained that there were countless ways and opportunities to meet “the one”. But the difference between guys who sign up for online dating and her clients is their level of seriousness and their desire to have a
family, without games or pretense. Also, there are dozens of nice people you can find online, but there
are many more crooks, liars, and even married men whoʼre just looking for an adventure.
Ilana convinced me that if a guy pays thousands of dollars to register, heʼs indeed serious about it
and wants a wife & family.

I signed up. At first I was not very pleased. In 3 months I met 12 guys. True, they were serious, they
were nice, but there was no “click” and I almost gave up. Ilana and Dorit calmed me and said I have
to be patient. Iʼll meet the right one, all I needed to do was keep dating people and believe.

Then one day Ilana called saying she had found “him”, the one of my dreams. I was very skeptical and refused to believe. But Ilana insisted that I give it my best and smile.

It happened. The date was amazing!

We didnʼt want to go home. We stayed at the restaurant until they turned down the lights. Before I got
home that night there was a message from him saying he already missed me. I felt exactly the same.

The connection between us was so strong and certain, that we didn’t wait very long before we started planning our wedding. Now, only a few years later, it is like we have known each other our entire lives.

So thank you so much Ilana and Dorit for cheering me up and for not letting me give up. I love
you both always, Peninah.