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Aliza Layman

and

Ari Friedman

November 2, 2025

Closter, NJ

How We Met

We first met at work, but at the time, it felt like just a typical introduction. I was the speech therapist working with Ari’s students, popping into his classroom once or twice a week. We didn't think anything of it, just two educators crossing paths, until sparks began to fly thanks to our very perceptive coworkers. Little by little, they began dropping hints, like a sweet game of matchmaking telephone: “Did you know Ari is Jewish?” “Wait—Aliza is Jewish too!” “Hold on… they both went to Camp Ramah?!” One afternoon, Ari asked if I could stop by his classroom. I assumed he had a question about one of his students I worked with—but instead, we found ourselves talking about how everyone around us seemed to think we should go out and how much we had in common. Spoiler alert: they were right. One date turned into another, and before we knew it, we were writing a love story neither of us saw coming… and now, we couldn’t imagine it any other way.