The community is invited to a presentation on March 9 at 8 p.m. at Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck.

On Oct. 7, I was nine months pregnant, due any day. I will always remember the moment my Israeli neighbor, in tears, told me about the attack. As the horrific details unfolded over the next few weeks, my heart broke. All I could do was send my husband to volunteer while I stayed home with our newborn. But it wasn’t enough. I felt helpless.

In the following weeks, as more stories emerged, the pain was overwhelming. I couldn’t escape the images, the names, the lives stolen. I kept thinking about the victims — women who looked like me, like my cousins, babies that could have been my own — whose only crime was being Jewish. Life couldn’t just continue as if nothing had happened. I remembered something I had once learned about shiva: we stop everything to acknowledge the loss, to process the pain, so we don’t live in dissonance. I knew my life had to change. I had to do something.

I had been on a completely different path. I graduated magna cum laude with a degree in medical sciences, made the Dean’s List, and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. I worked in neuroscience research at the Icahn School of Medicine. My life was dedicated to medical science. But after Oct. 7, my priorities shifted. I wanted to embrace my people. I needed to focus on my community.

Then I heard a shiur from Rav Rimon that gave me clarity: If you’re not on the battlefield, your mission is to help build the next generation of Jewish families. When our enemies break, we build. That struck me deeply. I happen to live on the Upper West Side, surrounded by singles. I hear their struggles, I understand their journey, and I care about their future. I realized this wasn’t a coincidence.

That’s why I’m part of Shagririm Balev (Ambassadors of the Heart) — a nonprofit initiative that empowers friends and family to take action in helping the people they love find their match.

We all want to help our single friends, but we don’t always know how. Shagririm Balev gives us the tools to make a real difference. Instead of waiting and hoping, we step up. As an ambassador, you represent your single friends, introduce them to potential matches, and become an active part of their journey to finding love — because no one knows them better than you or cares more about helping them build their future.

Being part of Shagririm Balev isn’t just about expanding your network; it’s about creating a community, fostering connections and strengthening the Jewish future. Ambassadors receive guidance and inspiration from experts like Aleeza Ben Shalom, Sivan Rahav Meir and Tzipora Grodko. This idea — that friends and family can be the best matchmakers — isn’t just beautiful; it works. In Israel, where this initiative was founded, a couple gets engaged every two days! And in the U.S., where Shagririm Balev launched only a few months ago, hundreds of ambassadors and singles have already joined, and many couples are dating seriously, with new relationships forming every week.

Research shows that over 60% of Orthodox couples meet through introductions from friends and family. This means we all need to be more proactive about setting up the people we love. Shagririm Balev is bringing its successful model to the U.S. to help you become your friends’ ambassador and actively support them in finding their bashert.

If someone comes to mind as you read this, reach out to them. Ask if they’d like you to represent them. Think of it as a nevuah moment — a text straight from Hashem.

I invite you to join us in this important mission. Together, we can be the catalyst for simchas and the next generation of Jewish families. Learn how Shagririm Balev has already led to over 350 weddings — and how you can help make the next 350 happen.

I’ll be presenting on March 9 at 8 p.m. at Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck. I’d love for you to join me and learn how we can build the Jewish future together.

Let’s ensure our future is filled with love, joy and the strength to rebuild. Together, we can turn heartbreak into hope. We can tend to our broken hearts by making others’ hearts full.

Chodesh Adar Sameach!