Finding Light Together After a ‘Very Dark Place’

Amanda Winer and Nathan Friedman survived the pandemic and a series of lifesaving surgeries he had to undergo.

In December 2015, Amanda Winer went on a 10-day Birthright Israel trip as a participant researcher. Her focus, as preliminary research for her dissertation, was relationships and social habits of Jewish millennials. Finding a mate was last on her list, especially since she had been dating someone for the past six months. Yet when she met Nathan Friedman, who was taking the trip to make new friends, there was a mutual attraction. “Nate was cute, kind and charming,” said Ms. Winer, 31, a social psychology researcher who is studying education and Jewish studies for a doctoral degree at N.Y.U. “All around us everyone was hooking up. Nate was a total gentleman and never made a move.” On Jan. 6, 2016, the group, which had returned home before the new year, got together for a reunion. Ms. Winer had ended her relationship after the trip and was now single; she shared that information loud enough so that Mr. Friedman, who was standing behind her at the bar, could overhear. Mr. Friedman wasted no time and asked if she would walk him to the subway, then he asked her out.