It was the first week of Ulpan classes at the Givat Ram campus of The Hebrew University when Greg, originally from New Orleans, noticed Melanie, a Vancouver girl, at the grocery store.
“She was standing there at the payphone - this girl with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen - and I knew I had to meet her,” he recalled in a private interview. “I ran into her in the grocery store and made up a story about not knowing how to make spaghetti sauce.”
“I didn't know how to cook so I faked it and got invited for dinner,” Melanie reported separately.
That night, when Greg walked Melanie back to her dorm, they found it had been broken into.
“She was very emotional that night,” Greg smirked. “She’s been putty in my arms ever since.”
For Melanie, the international collection of students at The Hebrew University really paid off.
“There are not many places you can find a Southern gent and a nice Jewish boy who is 6'6” all in one package,” she said. “Plus he gave me 21 dozen red roses for my 21st birthday 6 months into our relationship.  How could I not want to marry him after that?”
What ultimately brought Greg and Melanie together was a desire to capture a completely unique experience in Israel.
One that was a significant contrast to their respective lives at home.
“I was a student at Tulane University in New Orleans and most of the students were so wrapped up in their little lives, they didn't much think about the rest of the world or making it better,” said Greg. “I was looking to bond with kindred spirits, who cared about Israel and Judaism, and would likely have a lot in common with me.”
“All the people I met came from so many different countries and life experiences, yet we all wound up with the common desire to be in Israel,” Melanie added. “Living in Jerusalem was magical. We were there in a time where we thought nothing of walking from Mt. Scopus down through an Arab village to daven at the Wall for sunrise. There was no place that we felt unsafe and we experienced every inch of the country. It made me even more proud to be Jewish and it solidified my Jewish identity.”
Both Greg and Melanie came home from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a renewed passion and connection to Israel.
“I fell in love with Israel with its crazy bureaucracy, hours of operation, passionate discourse about everything and the history and awe of the Old City,” Melanie explained. “I know when our kids are a bit older we will go as a family and that will be amazing.”
For Greg, that year in Israel refocused what he wanted to get out of his life.
“Life just seems more meaningful there,” he said. “Hebrew University will set you on a path for life that constantly reminds you that we're put on earth for a limited time and we have to use our God-given talents for Tikun Olam.”
Currently Greg is on the boards of Jewish Family Service Agency (JFSA) and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Melanie was the president of New Leadership for Canadian Friends of Hebrew University has been involved with JFSA and has served on the executive board of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver for 6 years.