A few months ago, as you might remember (Blog-March 4th), I was involved in the organization and production of a Film Festival in Los Angeles, on behalf of the school. The L.A. Festival included events at various venues throughout the greater Los Angeles area in addition to a spectacular fundraising evening featuring some of the award winning films created by their students and alumni. One of the events on the schedule was a presentation by Ma'aleh at Shalhevet High School.
As part of my work with my clients I insist that we envision the end before the beginning. What do we want to accomplish? Since this was a High School event, I felt that in order to really reach and touch the audience (which was ultimately our goal) the presenter needed to be young and hip. The initial idea the team had was that Katie would do the presentation herself, but I intuitively understood that was not the best use of their talent, and that hearing from Pazit, a young director that was traveling with the delegation would be the most effective and the most impressive for this audience. And so at the 11th hour, based on my suggestion, the team agreed to switch gears and it was decided that Pazit should do the presentation, represent Ma'aleh, show her film and do the Q&A.
The presentation was a tremendous success, but I had no idea until yesterday just how successful it really was. It turns out that our young director Pazit, had a life changing experience as a consequence of this last minute turn of events!
We have no idea how the choices we make will transform our lives and the lives of others, but one thing is for sure, when you do YOUR work in the world, miracles can happen.
Below is the email I received with the wonderful miracle love story.
"Dear Los Angeles friends,
Yes, it's a Mazeltov, Pazit just got engaged.
And it's all thanks to... our Los Angeles sponsors, Shalhevet High School, and Sarah Weintraub!
Tzvi Yehuda Epstein, 27 years old and a photography student at the Musrara school of photography (one block below Ma'aleh), was called up by a friend of his who wanted to suggest a shiddoch for him. Tzvi Yehuda took the girl's details and decided, since he's fed up with blind dates, to check her up on facebook before asking her out. As one does.
Tzvi Yehuda checks this girl's profile on facebook and decides that she's probably not for him. But he does scroll down the remaining 209 photos of all this girl's single friends. He stops dead at one particular photo - it's of a lovely young woman giving a presentation of her film at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles. Tzvi Yehuda feels he just has to meet this girl. So he does - and it's love at first sight for both of them. Six weeks later they're engaged.
I'm attaching that famous Shalhevet photo (which was also chosen by the Jerusalem Post magazine for the print version of their article about Ma'aleh, sent to you guys last week) and also one of Pazit being proposed to (the couple did a "reconstruction" for Pazit's parents).
I for one will never forget the conversation that Neta and I had with Sarah one hour before the Shalhevet school presentation. "Why are you two presenting?" asks Sarah, "The kids should be seeing the film "Willingly" and they should be hearing Pazit!". Quick change of plan, Pazit presents her film, and we photograph her doing it. The rest, as they say, is history.
Which goes to show what we all know to be true... Hashem's In Charge (and Sarah, some of the time).
May we hear only good news and of the rebuilding of Jerusalem, speedily in our days.
Warm regards to all
Katie"
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