#2400 Rebecca Kandel (Los Angeles, California)
& Ariel Berkowitz (Dallas, Texas)

Success Story

Our love story is all thanks to Hashem. When I first got matched with Ariel, one of the first things I noticed were his legs. Ariel is a double-leg amputee who doesn’t let anything stop him. However, you can’t tell that from a photo! When I first saw his photo, I wasn’t sure about the match. Most people don’t imagine marrying someone with a disability (along with dating long distance as I live in Los Angeles and Ariel lives in Dallas). I decided to ignore the match for a few days. After a few days, I got a call from the Shadchan asking if I want to date him. If not, I should just decline. I realized she was absolutely right- it is not nice to leave someone hanging. I declined the match. A few days later, I was thinking about Ariel. I realized I judged him off of something physical which he has absolutely no control over. That was never my character and should absolutely not be now. I felt horrible for declining without ever researching or looking into him! He could be this incredible guy (which he is!!). Hashem has a reason for everything. I reached out to the Shadchan and told her that I made a mistake. Everyone who knows me knows I don’t judge anyone. If I was in that situation, I would hope I wouldn’t be judged without getting to know first. I wasn’t sure if Ariel was already busy now or if he just didn’t want to give me a second chance. Baruch Hashem, Ariel decided to give me a second chance! We zoomed that night, and three months later, we are now engaged! Our story teaches us that we shouldn’t be judging others. Hashem made everyone the exact way they are meant to be. You could be missing out on meeting some amazing people! The most important thing is your neshama!